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: 19 percent Caucasian,
19 percent Japanese, 15 percent Filipino, 14 percent Hawaiian or part
Hawaiian, and 33 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 on the Manoa
campus, 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. |