Nursing students at the University of Hawaii Maui College. After years of work, UH Maui College will offer a bachelor of science degree in nursing starting in Fall 2026. Photo courtesy UH Maui College

Beginning with the Fall 2026 semester, our college will offer a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing. This is a big, BIG deal. It means Maui County will have the best prepared new RNs we can offer. And it also means we will have the potential to graduate enough nurses to serve our county’s needs through the year 2036.

It took a long time to get here. And while it did “take a village,” our Allied Health Department Chair and Professor of Nursing Dr. Anne Scharnhorst, who has been laser-focused on this goal for years, calls herself “one of the noisier villagers.” She and her nursing department faculty and staff did most of the heavy lifting. And we are very grateful.

Scharnhorst joined our nursing faculty in 2007, armed with two nursing degrees and more than 25 years of professional experience in acute and critical care and clinical informatics. “Between 2007 and 2010, Hawai’i Statewide Nursing Consortium (HSNC) built a unified curriculum among UH Mānoa, Kapi’olani Community College, Kaua’i Community College, and UH Maui College so that the Associate Degree Nursing graduates could seamlessly go to Mānoa to complete their Bachelor of Science in Nursing degrees,” explains Scharnhorst. “This was an innovation that received nationwide attention as everyone was working to build a bigger Bachelors’-prepared workforce.” The Institute of Medicine had set a goal of having 80% of practicing nurses holding a BSN or higher by 2020.

Dr. Anne Scharnhorst, who joined the nursing faculty at University of Hawaii Maui College in 2007, has been a key to helping grow the UH Maui College’s Nursing program. Photo courtesy Dr. Anne Scharnhorst

And that was all Scharnhorst needed to hear. While she continued to teach and mentor and administer at our college, in 2020 she achieved her Doctorate in Nursing Practice from UH Mānoa. Like everything she does, this was more for the greater good than for her own advancement. “The reason I pursued this degree is because I have had in my heart and in my sights since 2015 to see our Nursing Program here on Maui become a full BSN Program,” says Scharnhorst. “I’m happy to have been able to learn things to help the college and the community. This is what lifelong learning is all about — making you more effective at doing what you love to do.”

Also in 2020, an Authorization to Plan (ATP) for the BSN program was submitted to UH’s Chief Council of Academic Officers. Then came COVID-19. And as a result of the pandemic, the process was stalled. But the delay, ultimately, gave Scharnhorst the time to solidify the BSN program curriculum with our Counseling Department. “We worked closely with the Nursing faculty to design a curriculum that supports student success from start to finish. Through careful collaboration and shared expertise, we were able to align academic pathways, solidify prerequisites, and ensure a smooth transition from pre-nursing to the BSN program. I believe our partnership helped create a curriculum that is not only academically strong, but also student- centered and culturally relevant,” says Professor of Counseling Wayne Aguiran. That task was completed in 2024. And then it was full speed ahead. Finally.

A funding bill moved through the Hawai’i State Senate. In the end, the legislature approved $560,000 in funding. UH President Wendy Hensel voiced support on her first visit to our campus in March of this year. “When I introduced myself to her,” recalls Scharnhorst, “she said, ‘Nursing is easy to say yes to.'” More submissions were required — to the Hawai’i State Board of Nursing, to the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing, and to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges — Senior College and University Commission. And more approvals were needed — from the UH Chief Council of Academic Officers and the Board of Regents Student Success Committee. That final approval came on Oct. 2.

“I believe this advancement elevates the education, perspective, and professional lens through which our nurses care for our patients and our community. By investing in our nurses, we strengthen the future of health care on Maui,” says one of our staunchest supporters, Marian Horikawa-Barth. And she should know. She’s the Chief Nurse Executive for Maui Health. And a graduate of our Nursing Program.

For complete information about UH Maui College, please visit http://maui.hawaii.edu/

Dr. Lui K. Hokoana is Chancellor of the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College. Ka’ana Mana’o, which means “sharing thoughts,” is scheduled to appear on the fourth Thursday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH-Maui College staff and is intended to provide the community of Maui County with information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.