Strategic Plan 2023 - 2029
The UHCC Strategic Plan guides the work of our seven colleges and provides a vision for the future.
2023-2029 Strategic Plan
The University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges (UHCC), which includes seven colleges, three education centers, and three University Centers, serve vibrant and diverse communities across the state of Hawaiʻi. Together, the colleges and centers offer higher education opportunities in a variety of formats and modalities to meet the needs of the local and state communities. The UHCC Strategic Plan guides the work of the colleges and provides a vision for the future.
Vision
To be the premier choice of higher education, accessible to all students in Hawaiʻi, grounded in indigenous values, and creating the fabric of the workforce for today and tomorrow.
Mission
The UH Community Colleges (UHCC), consisting of seven colleges across the state, provide higher education and training using multiple modalities of teaching and comprehensive student support services that are accessible to all Hawaiʻi residents, leading to career paths and advanced learning. Together with external and industry partnerships, the UHCC collaborate to meet the workforce and community needs of the state while prioritizing the needs of Native Hawaiians.
Foundational Principles
Foundational Principles from UH System Plan
- Hawaiian Place of Learning
- Statewide Need
- Diversity and Equity
- Sustainability
- Stewardship of Resources
Additional Foundational Principles for UHCC
- Access - A fundamental principle for the community colleges is maintaining open access to higher education to all. The UHCC is committed to providing necessary student support and resources to ensure the attainment of higher education is possible regardless of oneʻs circumstances.
- High Quality Instruction - A key component of the community colleges is high quality instruction in support of student learning and achievement.
- Innovation - The community colleges remain focused on using innovation in teaching and learning practices as well as incorporating innovative ideas to meet our strategic goals.
Fulfill Kuleana to Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi
Goal: Model what it means to be an indigenous-serving and indigenous-centered institution — Native Hawaiians thrive, Native Hawaiian values and knowledge are embraced, and UH scholarship and service advance all Native Hawaiians and Hawaiʻi.
- Ensure that UHCC support the success of Native Hawaiians in learning, teaching, service and research across our campuses and nurtures Native Hawaiians as leaders.
- Create opportunities for all UHCC students, faculty, staff, and executives to inform their work by learning about Hawaiian language, culture, knowledge, and the past and present impacts of colonization.
- Play an active role in the reconciliation of injustices, advancing language parity and the lives of Native Hawaiians across the islands.
Develop Successful Students for a Better Future
Goal: Educate more students to achieve their goals and contribute to a civil society.
- Increase participation and completion in UHCC credit and non-credit programs.
- Provide students the necessary support for success, addressing educational needs and basic needs, and acknowledging holistic health and wellness.
- Provide innovative learning experiences using multiple modalities of instruction, accelerated courses and programs, and online offerings that adapt to changing times and student preferences, needs, and goals.
- Improve campus infrastructure and modernize facilities to ensure health and safety and to promote a vibrant, inclusive, and safe environment on campuses across the UHCC System.
- Evaluate the student experience to eliminate barriers and build supportive systems to reach student personal and professional needs and completion goals while fulfilling their kuleana to people and place.
Meet Hawaiʻi’s Workforce Needs of Today and Tomorrow
Goal: Partner with industry stakeholders and community-based organizations to be the premier training provider to meet the state’s workforce needs in sustainable ways.
- Prepare professionals to fulfill statewide needs in occupations that are essential to community well-being, including but not limited to education, healthcare, technology, and skilled trades.
- Offer industry relevant training to address changing workforce needs.
- Streamline the transfer process between non-credit and credit programs and provide on- and off-ramps to support career advancement and upskilling and reskilling opportunities including prior learning assessment options.
- Strengthen collaborations with industry partners to develop innovative program delivery models to meet in-demand workforce needs and ensure the necessary preparation and support for students to meet those needs.
Diversify Hawaiʻi’s Economy through Innovation
Goal: Build and sustain a thriving innovation enterprise that supports the creation of jobs and advancement of a knowledge-based economy.
- Support innovation in the UHCC including innovation hubs that lead to emerging jobs that address local needs.
- Generate and sustain grants to support research and innovation in the classroom and opportunities for students in the workforce.
- Support students’ development of entrepreneurial skills.
- Utilize innovative practices to deliver education across the state.