February 2013
UH Cancer Center opening, legislature and San Diego trip
UH Cancer Center openingIt is hard to believe that our UH Cancer Center is open. We had a beautiful blessing and well attended grand opening on February 23, which marked the realization of a long-awaited dream for the University of Hawai‘i.
Irene Hirano Inouye and I untied the maile lei, with the help of UH Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple, Ken Inouye, UH Cancer Center Director Michele Carbone, former UH Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw and Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa.
The new state-of-the art facility will not only bring all of the UH Cancer Center’s programs and researchers under one roof, it will also attract top tier researchers and visiting scholars from around the world.
The center was completed four months ahead of schedule and $16 million under budget.
LegislatureWe are in the middle of a very active legislative session, and there are a number of proposals that concern us. Some of the bills are very far-reaching and, if passed, could have damaging effects on the University of Hawai‘i. We have been diligently providing testimony and doing our best to answer lawmaker’s questions.
San Diego tripIn late February, I was in San Diego to promote our Hawai‘i Innovation Initiative, or HI2. We met with key leaders who played an important role in revitalizing San Diego’s economy by linking research and innovation technology at UC San Diego with the private sector, resulting in a vibrant and diversified economy. The goal of our Innovation Initiative is to achieve the same outcome in Hawai‘i.
Top News
Inouye tribute
The Board of Regents approved a legacy package recognizing and honoring Senator Daniel Inouye on UH campuses across the state. I have been working with the senator’s family and his staff on a legacy of sufficient stature that includes naming significant buildings in honor of the great Senator Inouye.
They are:
- The Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education (C-MORE) at UH Manoa,
- The Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy at UH Hilo,
- The Daniel K. Inouye Electronics Technology Building at Kaua’i Community College and
- The Daniel K. Inouye Allied Health Center at UH Maui College.
We had a wonderful presentation ceremony at C-MORE Hale the following day, where Irene Hirano Inouye and Ken Inouye (the senator’s son) graciously accepted our tribute and spoke to the “standing room only” crowd, which included Congresswoman Colleen Hanabusa, members of the Board of Regents, UH faculty, staff and the media.
Watch a UH news video to see more.
