University of Hawaiʻi President David Lassner has made a $76,000 gift to support the University of Hawaiʻi System Information Technology Services. The state-of-the-art UH Information Technology Center opened for business in February 2014 and houses enterprise information and communications technology systems and services that support modern teaching, administration and research for all 10 UH campuses statewide.
“We are most grateful to David for leading by example with this generous gift to help the Information Technology Center fulfill its mission and support necessary maintenance, refurbishment and equipment,” said Randy Moore, UH Board of Regents chair. “The 21st century facility supports the delivery of the 21st century education so critical to our students and faculty and provides critical safeguards our state needs during disaster.”
Building highlights
- Disaster-hardened, 8,000-square-foot data center for enterprise servers, storage and communications, designed to withstand category 3 hurricanes
- High-quality space for faculty to develop digital content
- Meeting and training rooms with teleconferencing capabilities
- An emergency situation room to support UH disaster response
- Pursuing LEED Gold certification—the Information Technology Center uses energy efficient chilled beams for cooling in office areas and incorporates other “green” features
”When I arrived in Hawaiʻi with a one-year half-time contract I never imagined that I’d be here 38 years later.” Lassner commented. “But UH has given me an incredible opportunity to grow both personally and professionally, so it’s a real treat to now be in a position to give back to help strengthen this institution that is so important to the future of everyone in Hawaiʻi.”
Lassner was appointed University of Hawaiʻi president effective July 1, 2014. Before that appointment he served as interim president from September 1, 2013. He has worked at the university since 1977 and was most recently its vice president for information technology and chief information officer.
A UH alumnus, Lassner earned an AB in economics summa cum laude and MS in computer science at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and a PhD in communication and information sciences from the University of Hawaiʻi.
“David has been the epitome of loyalty to his alma mater,” said Donna Vuchinich, UH Foundation president and CEO. “His history of supporting UH goes back decades. He is a lifetime member of the UH Alumni Association and has been a regular donor to UH since 1981. With this generous new gift, David is building on his legacy by providing essential funding to help the Information Technology Center sustain its future.”
Lassner is also a member of the university’s cooperating graduate faculty and has taught both online and in-person in computer science, communications, business and education.
For more about Lassner, read the University of Hawaiʻi Foundation news release.
