The University

The University of Hawai`i is deeply committed to its international programs, and the PALS program is supported by the University's excellent area centers for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Pacific Islands, Southeast Asian, Philippine and Hawaiian Studies. The University's School of Pacific and Asian Studies (SPAS) coordinates the teaching and research efforts of some 300 faculty specialists, who offer more than 600 courses relating to those areas; SPAS has become the largest resource faculty for Asian and Pacific studies in the world.

The centers sponsor research seminar series, graduate student conferences and many other activities related to Asia and the Pacific. The University also offers instruction in a large number of languages and is especially strong in Asian-Pacific languages, so students may choose from courses in the Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Indonesian, Thai, Vietnamese, Filipino and Hawaiian languages, among others.

In addition, the University's College of Business Administration, which emphasizes the development of global business skills, has long been recognized for its Asian-Pacific focus. The College sponsors the Asia-Pacific Center for Executive Development, the Asia-Pacific Center for International Business Education and the Pacific-Asian Management Institute.

The SPAS website at www.hawaii.edu/shaps has links to all its area studies centers.

The East-West Center (the EWC) is an internationally recognized research and educational institution founded by the U.S. Congress in 1960 to strengthen relations and understanding among the countries of Asia, the Pacific and the U.S. The Center, which sponsors international exchanges, conferences and research programs, is located near the School of Law on the Mānoa campus and maintains a close interaction with the University.

The EWC's areas of research focus and study include Environmental Change and Governance, and Politics, Governance and Security. The Center presents frequent seminars and colloquia on topics related to Asia and the Pacific, as well as an active arts and performance calendar. Through its Pacific Islands Development Program, the Center also sponsors a wide range of activities to enhance the quality of life in the Pacific Islands.

Law students are eligible to live in EWC graduate housing, and those with a specialty in Asian and Pacific studies may also be eligible to participate in its student affiliate program or qualify for an East-West Center graduate fellowship. The Law School works on cooperative projects with the Center, which is co-sponsoring the 2005 annual meeting of the American Society of Comparative Law.

You can read more about the Center and its activities on its website at www.eastwestcenter.org.