—Community, neighborhood, village
Welcome Back Fall 2023!
Aloha mai kākou,
Welcome back to the fall semester. I always feel hopeful and excited at the beginning of a new school year. With this idea of new beginnings, I started this newsletter as a way to share what is going on at the system level and also let you know about initiatives and projects that may affect you systemwide.
I would like to acknowledge the tragic fires of August 8 on Maui island and Hawai‘i island. The loss of Lāhainā is immeasurable, and the recovery will be challenging. I am particularly mindful of anyone who was impacted by these fires by losing a home, a job, or a family member. Of course, there are those who have opened their homes and are impacted in other ways. To all of you, please reach out for assistance through the official state resources and know the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges (UHCC) stand together in support of you.
Lastly, help me welcome two new members to the Office of the Vice President of Community Colleges – Joshua Kaakua and Kathryn Fujioka-Imai. Josh has been in an interim position with our office since 2018. I am pleased to announce that as of September 22, Josh will be the Director of Institutional Effectiveness and will continue to manage systemwide strategic initiatives and the evaluation of programs. Kathryn began working in our office on August 1 and is responsible for supporting Academic Programs. She works primarily with the Vice Chancellors of Academic Affairs and our system team to support the colleges.
I hope you find this new communication tool helpful. I will be asking for your feedback later in the year on its effectiveness.
Me ka mahalo nui,
Campus Spotlight
UH Maui College has taken a key role in supporting the disaster relief effort for Maui island and specifically the impacted individuals from Lāhainā. UH Maui’s kitchens have been open for the relief effort the day after Lāhainā was devastated because it was "the right thing to do".
Through the efforts of the UH Maui culinary instructors, local chefs, and hundreds of volunteers, upwards of 9,000 meals a day have been prepared and distributed to displaced residents and first responders. Their work was highlighted on the Good Morning America (GMA) broadcast on August 17.
But how do we offer culinary classes?
This important relief effort created a problem for UH Maui culinary students. If the kitchens are in use to support the community, they are not available for use by culinary classes. UH Maui administration discussed a variety of options and settled on one that was the best fit for the community and the students.
First, the decision was made to delay the start of classes for UH Maui by one week. This was crucial to provide everyone more time to adjust to the new reality of educating students amidst a disaster.
Second, students need to maintain momentum in their culinary program. In order to do this, the college modified the culinary program to provide general education courses plus a special topics culinary course in the first 8 weeks of the semester. The special topics culinary course allows students to continue volunteering in the kitchen while gaining culinary experience and earning credit towards their culinary degree. The second 8 week session returns to a focus on culinary classes as the food preparation work to support displaced residents and first responders transitions to a long-term solution. Funding from Good Jobs Hawaiʻi is supporting the cost of the special topics culinary course, so it will be no cost to the students.
UH Maui College remains committed to supporting the community and educating their students despite the uncertain times. Keeping a flexible and positive mindset ensures the college remains Maui Strong.
Mark Your Calendars
2024 Hawaiʻi Student Success Institute (HISSI)
The 2023 HISSI was a great success, and there is a lot of interest in continuing this systemwide convening of professional development. We wanted to reserve our usual first Friday in March, but unfortunately, the convention center was already booked. With that in mind, we are moving the date to the second Friday in March (March 8, 2024). Please mark your calendars now! We will send more information as planning will begin soon.
System Initiatives
What you need to know
Open Educational Resources (OER) Updates
OER is a proven equity strategy to support student success and expand access to textbook materials to all students. In Hawaiʻi, OER is also an opportunity to change learning materials and textbooks to better reflect Hawaiian and Pacific histories, values, and cultures. UHCC has supported OER since 2014 when a workshop from Cable Green sparked interest in developing OER and textbook cost zero (TXT0) options. OER has since grown into a systemwide initiative that has saved UHCC students over $21 million dollars with less than a $500,000 investment. Additionally, the UH System method of marking TXT0 textbooks is getting national attention. We have been a leader in this designation as a way to notify students of zero cost textbook options and assist with data collection.
Special thanks and kudos to all of the Anatomy & Physiology faculty who participated in the book sprint to create an OER Anatomy & Physiology textbook. This was a years-long, systemwide effort to develop an OER textbook that can be used at any of the UH colleges and universities.
Learn more about professional learning opportunities at this link. The application deadline is October 2, 2023. If you are interested in learning more about OER and TXT0 in general, please visit the UHCC OER or contact your campus rep.
UHCC-DOE Hawaiian Language Project
UHCC has partnered with the Hawaiʻi State Department of Education (HIDOE) to provide Elementary and Intermediate Hawaiian language (HAW 101 - 202) and Introduction to Hawaiian Studies (HWST 107) classes to HIDOE employees for the Academic Year 2023-24. UHCC is offering 13 courses from five of the community colleges.
Funded by the HIDOE, the project aims to increase the awareness of Hawaiian language and the essential role it plays in Hawaiʻi’s educational system. In August 2023, we received over 350 applications and enrolled over 260 HIDOE participants for Fall 2023! Updates to the program and Spring information will be posted at E ʻŌlelo Hawaiʻi Kākou.
Good Jobs Hawai‘i
As one of 32 workforce initiatives awarded funding nationally through the American Rescue Plan Act, Good Jobs Hawai‘i will focus on innovative approaches to transform Hawai‘i’s workforce development system and support Hawai‘i residents. The University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges (UHCC) are leading the effort by offering free skills training in high demand industries. Employers from these industries will work with UHCC to identify positions that need to be filled. UHCC will provide the training and support that allows for individuals to be skilled up and pursue pathways to advance into these high-demand jobs.
Enrollment Data: The following information was collected as part of our regular reporting to the Economic Development Administration, a key funder of Good Jobs Hawaiʻi. Since the launch of Good Jobs Hawaiʻi on January 30, 2023, more than 900 Hawaiʻi residents have enrolled in trainings across the state in the areas of healthcare, informational technologies, clean energy/skilled trades, and creative industries. Because Good Jobs Hawaiʻi supports opportunities up to one year in length, many of these trainings are still on-going, so accurate completion data is not currently available. If you haven't heard, Good Jobs Hawaiʻi is a partnership among the University of Hawai‘i Community Colleges, employers and organizations that want to help people in Hawaiʻi attain a good quality job. Read more about how the Good Jobs Hawai‘i initiative is making an impact. We are excited to have grant funds to support short-term training for in-demand jobs in Hawaiʻi. We are excited to have grant funds to support short-term training for in-demand jobs in Hawaiʻi.
Employer Spotlight: One industry partner who has signed the Good Jobs pledge and has benefited from hiring Good Jobs Hawaiʻi participants into internships and full-time positions is Kaiser Permanente. They have provided on-the-job training to nine participants; two have been hired and five are still completing their internships. Kaiser Permanente will then take on six more interns in August 2023.
Another employer who has worked with us on a pilot to provide paid internships (funded via Good Jobs Hawaiʻi) for recent high school graduates is Hawaiian Electric Company (HECO). These six-week internships prioritize STEM related careers, such as IT and Engineering. The interns use industry standard technologies to advance meaningful projects. Much mahalo to HECO for hosting interns and providing this critical on the job training.
UHCC Systemwide Team Spotlight
Meet our General Education Inquiry Team
I am pleased to introduce you to our UHCC General Education Inquiry Team. The team was formed in late spring 2023 with a charge to:
- Participate in the AAC&U summer virtual General Education Institute from June 5-9, 2023 as part of a small team.
- Meet at least once during the summer after the institute to debrief on what was learned and create a plan for the 2023-2024 academic year.
- Meet monthly during the 2023-2024 academic year to continue work on the plan, which includes researching best practices, reviewing general education programs at other well-regarded community colleges, and creating shared understanding across the CCs of current Gen Ed practices.
- Offer or host workshops on their respective campuses to share what has been learned with regards to general education.
- Attend the AAC&U 2024 Conference on Diversity, Equity, and Student Success from March 21-23, 2024 in Philadelphia, PA OR Conference on General Education, Pedagogy, and Assessment from April 10-13, 2024 in Providence, RI.
- Present on their initial findings at the 2024 HISSI conference on March 8, 2024.
We had an engaging, though early hour, virtual Gen Ed institute in June where we heard from leaders and experienced faculty in a range of general education topics. We also got to participate in the institute with over 30 colleges and universities from across the country. It was an excellent opportunity to hear the issues and concerns of colleagues and learn about ways they are addressing similar challenges. The team met to debrief and create a plan for the year on August 4 at Windward Community College. I look forward to sharing more about their work in the coming months. You will also be hearing from your college representatives throughout the year.
General Education Inquiry Team Members
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Sarah Akina |
Windward CC |
Tiana Loo |
UHCC System |
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Kenoalani Dela Cruz |
Hawaiʻi CC |
Carrie Mospens |
Hawaiʻi CC |
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Kaheleonolani Dukelow |
UH Maui C |
Caroline Naguwa |
Hawaiʻi CC |
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Shawn Ford |
Kapiʻolani CC |
Nāwaʻa Napoleon |
Kapiʻolani CC |
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Kathryn Fujioka-Imai |
UHCC System |
Mark Ombrello |
Kauaʻi CC |
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Jennifer Higa-King |
Honolulu CC |
Elliot Ossanna |
Honolulu CC |
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Liana Horovitz |
UH Maui C |
Derek Otsuji |
Honolulu CC |
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Michelle Igarashi |
Leeward CC |
Anthony Silva |
Kapiʻolani CC |
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Josh Kaakua |
UHCC System |
Stephen Taylor |
Kauaʻi CC |
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Genai Uʻilani Keliʻikuli |
Leeward CC |
Lance Uyeda |
Windward CC |
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Melissa Kirkendall |
UH Maui C |
Melanie Wilson |
Windward CC |
UHCC System Updates
What’s Happening with Accreditation
The UHCC has six colleges that are accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), and all six are currently writing their Institutional Self-Evaluation Reports (ISERs). The reports are due in December 2024, but there is a process of review and approval required before submission. Please be sure to engage with your campus teams and provide your feedback on the reports.
Accreditation is an important process of quality assurance and continuous improvement as well as a requirement to receive federal financial aid. UH Maui College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC), Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, and is not required to submit anything in the coming year.
Update on UHCC Strategic Plan
The Strategic Planning Council will be meeting in October to review the final draft of the UHCC Strategic Plan. Once finalized, the document will be shared systemwide.
Helpful Resources and Articles
- Highlights include:
- Face-to-Face (f2f) enrollment is stagnant or declining.
- Online and hybrid enrollment is growing.
- Institutions are quickly aligning their strategic priorities to meet online/hybrid student demand.
- “Quiet” quality assurance.
- The CC System encourages the community colleges to identify f2f programs (similar to fully online programs) that can be marketed to students interested in that modality.
- Innovative Educators’ Go2Knowledge
- We have purchased a CC systemwide Go2Knowledge (https://go2knowledge.org/uhcc) membership for all CC campuses to use.
- Contact: uhccids@hawaii.edu
- Innovative Educators’ Go2Knowledge offers training on a wide range of topics that are timely, practical, and relevant for higher education. The format includes both live webinars and a digital library for on-demand access. Sign up for a UHCC Go2Knowledge account (or log in if you had an account with a CC campus before), and take advantage of quality professional development from anywhere. Here are a few samples of upcoming live webinars. Recordings can be viewed on demand later:
- Amplifying Success: Micro-Strategies To Boost Students' Attention, Motivation & Well-Being
Live: Tuesday, September 12 ~ 7:00-8:00 am HST - The Potential Of ChatGPT: Practical Strategies For Face-To-Face & Online Teaching
Live: Thursday, September 14 ~ 9:00-10:00 am HST - Success Coaching for At-Risk Students: Practical Strategies For Implementation & Assessment
Live: Tuesday, September 19 ~ 9:00-10:00 am HST - Addressing The 21st Century Distance Education Guidelines: Strategies For Institutions & Faculty
Live: Monday, October 2 ~ 7:00-8:00 am HST - Active Learning: How To Improve Critical Thinking, Motivation & Engagement
Live: Tuesday, October 3 ~ 7:00-8:00 am HST
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Honolulu, HI. 96822