Office of the Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy

2444 Dole Street
Bachman 204
Honolulu, HI 96822

tel 808-956-6897
fax 808-956-9119
ovpaa@hawaii.edu



Newsletter Archive

System Academic Planning and Policy Summer/Fall 2017 Newsletter

The Office of the Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy (OVPAPP) provides executive leadership in setting forth the systemwide academic vision and goals for the University of Hawai‘i in collaboration with internal and external stakeholders. A significant portion of OVPAPP’s work is focused on the Hawai‘i Graduation Initiative (HGI), a UH Strategic Direction dedicated to ensuring students’ successful degree completion.



New Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy


VP Straney

As of August 1, 2017, Donald Straney became the chief academic officer for the UH System with overall responsibility for leadership, planning and intercampus coordination of academic affairs, student affairs, policy and planning, institutional research and analysis, international and strategic initiatives and Hawai‘i P–20 Partnerships for Education. He brings to the UH System Office 38 years of higher education leadership experience, having previously served as chancellor at UH Hilo for seven years, dean at California State Polytechnic University, Pomona for eight years, and department chair at Michigan State University for 23 years.

Dr. Straney’s UH System Leadership page

For more information, contact Sandra Furuto, yano@hawaii.edu.



15 to Finish presentation and UH Bookstores promotion


Data and communications strategies featured at CCA Summer Institute


view of CCA institute session with UH presenters on stage

UH was an invited presenter at the Complete College America (CCA) Summer Institute in July 2017. The Institute featured team approaches to scaling up college completion, and recognized Hawai‘i’s 15 to Finish campaign as a stellar example of a team approach, integrating data and communications strategies. Former Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy Risa Dickson and Hawai‘i P-20 Communications Specialist Teri Yamashige described the process of analyzing data around students who take 15 credits a semester and crafting tailored messages about its benefits. After data were examined, and branding was refined, partners were enlisted to help spread the word:


CCA Summer Institute presentations, videos, photos: http://completecollege.org/2017-summer-action-summit/
Data and Communications presentation (.pdf)

For more information, contact Sandra Furuto, yano@hawaii.edu.


15 to Finish UH Bookstores Promotion awards free textbooks


Bookstore promotion ads

In cooperation with UH Bookstores and the Hawai‘i Graduation Initiative, the UH System launched the 15 to Finish UH Bookstores Promotion for incoming freshmen for the fifth consecutive year. All first-time, degree-seeking freshmen entering in the fall semester, or the preceding summer, who earned at least 30 credits and were in good academic standing, with a minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA by the end of their first year, were eligible for the drawing.

This semester, 17 students from all ten campuses received free textbooks for their Fall 2017 required courses. On average, students received over $425 worth of textbooks. This amounts to almost $8,000 of free textbooks awarded each year by the UH Bookstores. Thanks to this partnership, students are on their way to on-time graduation and lowering their graduation costs.

Bookstore promotion website: http://15tofinish.com/bookstore-promotion/

For more information, contact Susan Nishida, susansyn@hawaii.edu.



Economic impact of international students increases at UH


world map with markers for countries where UH students come from
http://www.hawaii.edu/international/

President Lassner noted during his July 2017 report to the Board of Regents that the economic impact of international students at UH had increased from the previous year, according to a recent state Department of Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) report. Despite an overall decline in the economic impact of international students within the state, the UH System saw an upward trend, primarily in the growth of short term (primarily noncredit) programs.

UH works collaboratively statewide with the Study Hawai‘i Educational Consortium, Hawai‘i Department of Education, and DBEDT to promote education in Hawai‘i, based on the understanding that international education enhances learning and discovery while it fosters leadership and citizenship in a globally connected world.

President’s report: https://www.hawaii.edu/news/2017/07/20/presidents-july-report/

For more information, contact Joanne Taira, tairaj@hawaii.edu.



Economic sector partnerships promote collaboration and innovation


Conceived by UH and implemented by the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, “sector partnerships” provide a venue for business, education, economic development and workforce development leaders to collaboratively address issues within economic sectors across the state. Partnerships have been established in banking and finance, information technology, food manufacturing, healthcare, engineering, and agriculture industries.

The sector partnership activities are part of UH’s “Building Hawai‘i’s Innovation Economy and Workforce” initiative, which was launched in January 2016 with support from a Strada Education Network grant and led by the UH Community Colleges. Partners for this initiative include the Hawai‘i Business Roundtable, the Chamber of Commerce Hawai‘i, Hawai‘i State Department of Education, Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism, and Department of Labor and Industrial Relations.

Universal Banker program session

One of the outcomes of these innovative industry sector partnerships was the July 2017 launch of a Universal Banker (UB) program within the banking and finance industry. Banking executives and human resource directors identified the skills needed for new hires to successfully enter into a banking career and developed a strategy to improve their talent pipeline. Part of the strategy involved the creation of a custom curriculum by bank subject matter experts and a UH curriculum design team. An inaugural cohort consisting of 25 banking employees completed the UB program in August 2017. The participants expressed enthusiasm and offered concrete ideas to enhance the program. The program will be used to attract and train future banking employees.

Article on the universal banker program: www.hawaii.edu/news/2017/07/24/new-banking-curriculum/
Website: www.nextgensectorpartnerships.com.

For more information, contact Peter Quigley, quigleyp@hawaii.edu.



Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education efforts boost college preparation and student achievement


Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education is a statewide partnership led by the Executive Office on Early Learning, the Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) and the UH System. Hawai‘i P-20 works to strengthen the education pipeline from early childhood through higher education and has established a goal of 55% of Hawai‘i’ working age adults having a 2- or 4-year college degree by 2025 (55 by ’25).


Increase in 4-year college enrollments, increase in FAFSA applications

The collaboration between Hawai‘i State Department of Education (HIDOE) and UH is making a positive impact on Hawai‘i high school students. HIDOE graduates are better prepared for college and are enrolling at four-year campuses at higher rates than before. Nationally, college enrollment has remained at around 55 percent, however the enrollment rate of Hawai‘i students at four-year colleges has increased from 26 percent for the Class of 2011 to 32 percent for the Class of 2016. Remediation rates for both English and mathematics have also been steadily declining.
55 by '25.org/Good News for High School Graduates

More Hawai‘i high school students are completing the Free Applications for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Over 63 percent of HIDOE seniors from the Class of 2017 completed a FAFSA, an increase of six percentage points over last year—or 399 more FAFSA applications. The national average is 61 percent. The increase in FAFSA completions can be attributed to the FAFSA application opening up three months, using prior-prior-year tax data, and continued efforts by high school counselors, financial aid advisors, and volunteers to support thousands of students in completing their applications. Research has shown a direct correlation between FAFSA completion and college enrollment.
55 by '25.org/FAFSA Completions on the Rise


UHCC policy changes improve student achievement in math

UH Community College (UHCC) students are three times more likely to complete college-level math in their first semester as a result of new placement policies, course redesign, and structural changes. A Fall 2016 policy change was to use high school data instead of placement test scores to place students into college-level math. Kaua‘i Community College and Maui College successfully piloted programs, paving the way for the policy change. Previously, only 37 percent of students who started in a remedial math course (basic math, pre-algebra, or algebra) based on their placement test scores were expected to pass their college-level math course. The pilot project results showed that 63 percent of students placed into math courses using their high school data passed a college-level math course with a “C” or better.

This type of data and analysis is possible through the Hawai‘i Data Exchange Partnership, a Hawai‘i P-20 Partnerships for Education entity that connects data across different sectors to positively impact educational policy and practice.

Hawaii DXP issue
Hawai‘i DXP Issue Brief, July 2017: http://hawaiidxp.org/files/P20-IssueBrief-v11.pdf

For more information, contact Steve Schatz, sschatz@hawaii.edu.



Seventh President’s Emerging Leaders cohort launched


Emerging leaders group photo

The 2017-2018 President’s Emerging Leaders Program (PELP) opened on August 9, 2017 with a Kipaepae welcome ceremony at College Hill. This is the seventh cohort of PELP which began in 2007-2008. This year’s cohort includes 24 members from all ten campuses and the system offices.

PELP, a developmental opportunity for highly motivated faculty and staff from throughout UH, offers a base of knowledge about higher education and a chance to reflect and explore leadership skills and experiences.

More about PELP, current and past cohort photos: https://www.hawaii.edu/ovppp/Leaders/cohorts.php

For more information, contact Joanne Taira, tairaj@hawaii.edu.



STAR GPS-Registration keeps students on track


STAR login web page

With the completion of the STAR GPS-registration pilot project, all students at the University of Hawai‘i have successfully registered for the Fall 2017 semester. Embedded within GPS-registration are undergraduate student pathways, an innovative feature that guides students, based on their majors, toward their optimal path to graduation. When a student deviates from his/her chosen pathway (e.g., takes a course that does not count toward his/her graduation requirement), GPS-registration alerts the student that it is not on their pathway and recalculates the student’s roadmap, advising the student how to get back on track. The results of the GPS-registration pilot shows an impressive reduction in the share of credits taken that do not count towards a degree. The share of extraneous credits taken by UH students decreased from 22%, which is consistent with national averages, to approximately 10%. The integration of STAR and Banner, and the work of our campuses in creating the degree pathways has enabled UH to be at the national forefront for this student success initiative. UH was the recipient of two Complete College America’s President’s Awards on innovation, one of which was for work done on STAR GPS-registration.

For more information, contact Hae Okimoto, hae@hawaii.edu.



Systemwide enrollment management action plan update


The systemwide enrollment management committee has created the “Enrollment Management Action Plan, Fall 2017 through Fall 2022: Targets and Strategies for Enrollment, Retention & Completion Success.” The plan describes the enrollment goals, strategies, and tactics of our campuses for the next five fall semesters. It also outlines the role of the UH System Office and campus/unit roles and establishes enrollment targets and strategies. Annual predictive updates and modifications to this action plan will be incorporated as data analyses are conducted and new information becomes available, making this plan a living document to guide the University’s overall enrollment, retention and degree completion efforts through Fall 2022.

Action Plan: http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/aa/hgi/FINAL-EMActionPlan_20170831_v5.pdf

For more information, contact Pearl Iboshi, iboshi@hawaii.edu.