May 2011
Commencement
This past weekend was a very exciting weekend for the University of Hawaii as our campuses and programs statewide celebrated Spring Commencement. We awarded more than 5,000 degrees and certificates this semester. That puts us over 9,200 degrees and certificates awarded this academic year, which is well ahead of our Hawaii Graduation Initiative goal.
I had the privilege of attending commencement ceremonies this year at Hawaii Community College, UH Hilo, UH Manoa and the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Hawaii Community College’s commencement was a special occasion for the campus as they celebrate their 70th anniversary. At UH Hilo, we recognized 84 students who made up the first graduating class of the College of Pharmacy, and 63 new doctors are now in the field after the John A. Burns School of Medicine’s annual convocation ceremony.
Gov. Neil Abercrombie spoke to our advanced degree graduates at UH Manoa and gave a rousing talk on the impact of the University of Hawaii to him personally and the important role we will play in the future of Hawaii.
Also, I’d like to recognize our University Centers on the neighbor islands for their continued efforts to help make baccalaureate and advanced degrees accessible to our neighbor island residents via distance learning. The UH Center on Maui celebrated its commencement ceremony last week with more than 100 students receiving degrees and certificates from our baccalaureate campuses.
Commencement is a time for us to rejoice in the important student and faculty success that it represents. I extend my congratulations to all our graduates as well as our faculty and staff who support our students every day and help them towards their goal of graduating from the University of Hawaii.
University and campus news
- Legislative/budget update
- PACOM agreement
- Skin cancer prevention campaign
- PURE Math initiative
- Net-0 model home
- Kauai scholarships
- MELE award nominees
UH Manoa News
Cancer Center mounts skin cancer preventive campaign
The University of Hawaii Cancer Center has launched a skin cancer prevention and education campaign in partnership with Xcel, a Hawaii-based manufacturer of high-performance wetsuits and outdoor gear.
Launched in recognition of May as National Skin Cancer Awareness Month, the campaign centerpiece is a series of public service announcements filmed by one of the leading surf cinematographers in the world, Mike Prickett.
Xcel has provided funding for public service announcement production and other skin cancer prevention educational activities through semi-annual donations to the Friends of the UH Cancer Center. The PSA will be promoted statewide and on the websites of national surfing publications Surfing and Surfer.