The Barack Obama Foundation issued a request for proposal on September 15 to the University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, Columbia University and University of Hawaiʻi, all of which submitted their qualifications to host the future Obama Presidential Library earlier this year.
“We are thrilled to advance to the next stage of dialogue and planning with the Barack Obama Foundation,” said University of Hawaiʻi President David Lassner. “The University of Hawaiʻi will take the lead in developing a formal response to the foundation’s request for proposal and will work in close collaboration with the state, city and other community partners.”
“Hawaiʻi envisions an action-oriented institution that not only honors the legacy of the forty-fourth presidency, but also highlights Hawaiʻi’s multicultural heritage, forges collaborative solutions to global problems, and attracts and inspires the next generation of leaders,” said Hawaiʻi Lt. Governor Shan Tsutsui, who has led the local effort on behalf of the governor’s administration.
“We are excited that Honolulu has been selected by the Barack Obama Foundation as one of the finalists to host the planned Barack Obama Presidential Center,” said Honolulu Mayor Kirk Caldwell. “We look forward to continuing our partnership with the university and the state in this endeavor and welcoming our keiki o ka ʻāina home to Oʻahu.”
Responses to the request for proposal are due on December 11, 2014.
For more information on Hawaiʻi’s efforts to host the Barack Obama Presidential Center, please visit www.hawaiipresidentialcenter.com.
—A UH Presidential Center Initiative news release
