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The University of Hawai‘i System
The University of Hawai‘i
is a postsecondary education system composed of 10 campuses throughout
the 50th state. In addition to the flagship campus at Manoa, it includes
the 3,000-student University of Hawai‘i at Hilo on the island of Hawai‘i
and the smaller University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu, which offers an
upper division program, on the leeward side of O‘ahu. The UH Community
Colleges system has four campuses on O‘ahu and one each on Maui, Kaua‘i,
and Hawai‘i, making college classes accessible and affordable and
easing the transition from high school to college for many students.
The mission of the
University of Hawai‘i system is to provide quality college and
university education and training; create knowledge through research and
scholarship; provide service through extension, technical assistance,
and training; contribute to the cultural heritage of the community; and
respond to state needs. The campuses, organized under one board,
differentially emphasize instruction, research, and service. The system’s
special distinction is found in its Hawaiian, Asian, and Pacific
orientation and international leadership role. Common values bind the
system together: Hawai‘i’s gracious spirit of aloha; academic
freedom and intellectual vigor; institutional integrity and service;
quality and opportunity; diversity, fairness, and equity; collaboration
and respect; and accountability and fiscal integrity.
All campuses use a
semester calendar, with two terms per academic year, plus a summer
session.
The University seal
contains a torch and a book titled Malamalama in the center of a
circular map of the Pacific, surrounded by the state motto, Ua mau ke
ea o ka ‘aina i ka pono ("The life of the land is perpetuated
in righteousness"). The University motto, inscribed in both the
Hawaiian and English languages on Founders’ Gate at the Manoa campus
is Maluna a‘e o na lahui a pau ke ola ke kanaka ("Above
all nations is humanity"). The motto is reflected in the ethnic
diversity of UH students: 20 percent Caucasian, 19 percent Japanese, 14
percent Filipino, 14 percent Hawaiian or part Hawaiian, 7 percent
Chinese, and 26 percent other.
University governance is
vested in the Board of Regents, appointed by the governor of Hawai‘i.
The regents in turn appoint a president of the University, who also
serves as chancellor of the Manoa campus.
The UH Manoa Campus
The University of Hawai‘i
at Manoa is a research university of international standing. It creates,
refines, disseminates, and perpetuates human knowledge; it offers a
comprehensive array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees
through the doctoral level, including law and medicine; it carries out
advanced research; and it extends services to the community. Students
have special opportunities for Asian, Pacific, and Hawaiian educational
experiences and involvement in research activities, service learning,
and co-curricular activities.
University of Hawai‘i at
Manoa has widely recognized strengths in tropical agriculture, tropical
medicine, oceanography, astronomy, electrical engineering, volcanology,
evolutionary biology, comparative philosophy, comparative religion,
Hawaiian studies, Asian studies, Pacific Islands studies, and Asian and
Pacific region public health. UH Manoa offers instruction in more
languages than any U.S. institution outside the Department of State.
The oldest UH campus, Manoa
began in 1907 as a land-grant college of agriculture and mechanic arts.
With the addition of a College of Arts and Sciences in 1920, the college
became the University of Hawai‘i. In 1972, it became the University of
Hawai‘i at Manoa to distinguish it from the other units in the growing
UH system.
Today about 17,000 people
are enrolled in Manoa courses, on campus or via distance delivery,
studying toward bachelor’s degrees in 88 fields of study, master’s
degrees in 87, doctorates in 55, first professional degrees in law and
medicine, and a number of certificates. About 70 percent of Manoa
students are undergraduates, 55 percent are women, and 72 percent attend
school full-time. The mean age of students is 26.
The beauty of Manoa valley
serves as a backdrop for a unique yet inviting campus. Wander through
the campus and find an authentic Japanese tea house and garden, a
studies center that is a replica of a Korean king’s throne hall, and a
Hawaiian taro patch. New structures include the striking Pacific Ocean
Science & Technology building on campus and a privately donated
marine biology facility on Coconut Island.
The University of Hawai‘i
at Manoa is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges
and Universities of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges.
Professional programs are individually accredited by appropriate
agencies.
A popular campus symbol is
the rainbow, a frequent sight in Manoa valley. Green and white are UH Manoa’s
colors. |
