The University of Hawai'i System is a complex organization with ten separate campuses supporting the higher education mission of the state of Hawai'i. Within this system are seven community colleges, collectively called the University of Hawai'i Community Colleges (UHCC). As the open-door entry points to higher education in the state, the community colleges provide first generation college students, educationally and economically disadvantaged individuals, and under-represented minorities a gateway for upward mobility, while providing a highly trained and highly skilled workforce for Hawai‘i industries. To maintain its open door access, the Community Colleges rely on state revenues to finance a significant portion of its operations to keep post-secondary education within reach of target populations.

However, the past two decades have brought many changes in higher education, many of which have impacted how we generate and manage our funding resources. Throughout the nation, there has been a significant shift away from core state and local funding to other revenue sources, due mainly to the economic downturns.

To meet our strategic goals and honor our commitment to strengthening student success we have been challenged to identify other sources of capital and revenue to maintain operations, as well as to find better ways to manage, allocate and monitor these funding sources—each with its own complex laws, regulations, processes and policies.

As we strive to reach strategic goals and adequately finance the community colleges, we remain committed to strengthening funding levels in all revenue categories as reflected in the chart below. For more details on funding sources, visit the other web pages for charts with drill-down capabilities to individual campuses.