August 2011
APEC update
We hosted education ministers and officials from 20 of the 21 APEC (Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation) economies at the APEC Symposium on Quality in Higher Education at the East-West Center early thismonth, attended by U.S. delegate Eduardo Ochoa, assistant secretary for the U.S. Department of Education, and other key education ministers.
As a member of the APEC Hawai‘i Host Committee, I’ve called upon our faculty, staff and students to help get ready for APEC in a myriad of ways. UH was selected to train the volunteer and hospitality staff for the November conference. We’ve been busy over the summer organizing manpower to service not only the official delegates and their entourages, but also the 2,000-plus international journalists expected to cover the conference. Thank you to Honolulu Community College and Windward Community College for opening their facilities for training. This Saturday’s training will be at themedical school, and two sessions in September will be at our Leeward and Manoa campuses.
Thanks to the support of Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto, our Maui, Kaua‘i, and Big Island campuses will start training airport employees and TSA personnel on their islands next month.
Last week, Vice President Rockne Freitas and I, along with other members of the host committee, participated in a protocol ceremony at Mauna‘ala, the Royal Mausoleum, to pay respect to the ancestral leaders of Hawai‘i on behalf of APEC. This event was sponsored by the Hawaiian Cultural Host Committee for APEC and we were happy to participate.
University and campus news
- UH/PACOM initiative
- Kuali update
- Hilo opens new building
- Students participate in field archeology
- Hawai‘i offers photovoltaic course
- Johnson Hall remodeled
- Bookstore offers textbook rental
- Awards convocation scheduled
Top News
UH/PACOM initiative
The University of Hawai‘i and the U.S. Pacific Command are making great progress on our partnership in fisk reduction and resiliency throughout the Asia-Pacific region. We had our original workshop in January, signed a memorandum of agreement in March and participated in the formal international conference Aug. 7–9 at the Asia Pacific Center for Security Studies.
This was attended by representatives from PACOM, U.S. Chamber of Commerce, Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, U.S.-Japan Council, charitable organizations such as One Nation and Project Hope, the American and Hawai‘i Red Cross and the disaster assistance arms of large corporations such as Fed-Ex and UPS.
It was an exciting and stimulating discussion and out of the dialogue came an opportunity for the University of Hawai‘i to help create and fashion the initiative and strong indications that funding is available from the foundation sector.
