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University of Hawai'i |
(808) 956-8856 Telephone |
For Immediate Release: |
September 7, 2000 |
Contact: Jim Manke, University and Community Relations, 956-6106
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| AUTONOMY: GUIDING OUR UNIVERSITY'S FUTURE |
Kenneth P. Mortimer
President, University of Hawaii, and Chancellor, UH at Manoa
Convocation 2000 - Kennedy Theatre
September 7, 2000
I extend a warm aloha to those who are new to the University of Hawai`i system and a "welcome back" to our continuing students and returning faculty.
The beginning of a new academic year is always a stimulating time at all of the ten campuses in the UH system. This first full academic year of the 21st Century is an even more exciting time at our University as we face new opportunities and challenges.
I'm happy to report some good news. During the summer, several measures of success indicate that UH is on the move in a positive direction. One report that did not get much media coverage shows that for the fifth year in a row, the University of Hawai`i received record amounts of money for research and training grants. Funds from federal, private, foreign and other outside sources reached $179 million for 1999-2000, a nine percent increase over the previous year.
The biggest gains were in research funding, which is a testimony to the outstanding caliber of our research faculty at UH Manoa who won these grants in a highly competitive process. These dollars provide a significant boost to Hawai`i's economy, and at the same time, also support a growing number of projects in which even many of our undergraduates participate. They have the invaluable opportunity to work alongside outstanding scientists-many of whom we recognize today-in conducting cutting-edge research.
Also during the summer, our private fundraising efforts resulted in record donations to the University to support student scholarships and provide an extra margin to enhance our academic excellence. The University's endowments are also at record levels, and state support from legislative appropriations has shown the first increase since I became president more than seven years ago.
Our community colleges announced recently that students may now complete all of the work necessary for an associate's degree via a combination of Internet, television, and other "distance-learning" opportunities.
Manoa's Outreach College now makes it possible for students to earn degrees in selected fields entirely on-line.
This summer, our regents approved a bold new master plan to balance cultural, environmental, and scientific interests atop Mauna Kea. And, next month, the Institute for Astronomy will welcome Dr. Rolf-Peter Kudritzki, a world-class astronomer from the University of Munich, as its new director.
Also, if you'll indulge the football fan in me for just a moment-one can hardly talk about highlights of the past year without including the Cinderella season of 1999 under Coach June Jones. Just two days from now, we'll begin another exciting season of Warrior football.
Seven years ago in this very auditorium, I delivered my first Convocation address and many of you were in that audience. This morning, I deliver my last Convocation address as president, and I do so with hope and optimism for the University's future, partly because of the recent successes I've just mentioned.
I have always looked forward to these occasions when we gather as a university family to recognize outstanding faculty, researchers, and those who unselfishly give time and talent to the university and the community.
We just had the chance to recognize them individually but I'd like to take a moment to once again applaud our University's finest.
I say that I am optimistic about the future of the University because we are on the threshold of history-making for this institution.
In my Convocation address two years ago, I said that the legislature's passage of Act 115-known as the Autonomy Bill-was a historic piece of legislation for our University. Many of you devoted a lot of effort and hard work to make that law a reality. Autonomy, however, is still a work in progress. Much has been accomplished but much still remains to be done.
During this year's regular session, our lawmakers voted overwhelmingly to give Hawai`i voters the opportunity to grant constitutional autonomy to the ten-campus UH system.
Just what is constitutional autonomy? I'd like to describe briefly what it means for us as individuals and for the University in general.
Constitutional autonomy will provide us with greater flexibility in achieving our missions of teaching, research, and community service while being more responsive to all our stakeholders. We will also have the flexibility to develop ways to improve the quality of life for those connected with our University-faculty, alumni, employees, and most especially, our students, who are our hope for Hawai`i's future.
In my Convocation address seven years ago, I said, "If we are to improve the quality of our educational programs, we must get more flexibility from the executive and legislative branches of state government." Today, I underscore those words.
Constitutional autonomy will give us the flexibility to manage our fiscal resources to best serve our needs. Greater financial independence means that we will have more freedom to chart our own course to improve our fiscal resources.
Ultimately, constitutional autonomy will protect the many freedoms the University has worked long and hard to attain during the past ten years. It will help us to dedicate our time and resources to community partnerships and cut out unnecessary red tape to achieve our mission.
Constitutional autonomy will bring UH into line with other renowned public institutions that enjoy autonomous status within their states. Among them are the University of California at Berkeley, Michigan State University, and Georgia Institute of Technology.
I want to assure you that autonomy is not just the latest buzzword being promoted by Ken Mortimer. Instead, it is an inherent part of what will guide our University's future. It will mean that we will be able to more fully control our own destiny.
Getting there will require some effort on the part of Hawai`i's voters. When voters go to the polls on November 7th to elect their public leaders, they'll also have an opportunity to vote on this issue.
I hope you're registered to vote. If not, please do so before the October 9th deadline. You can help determine the future of our University by learning more about constitutional autonomy and then voting for it. I need to stress the fact that any ballot left blank will be counted as a "no" vote, so every vote for this issue is critical.
Autonomy is a top priority, but work on making it a reality must not be done to the exclusion of our other responsibilities. I want to briefly touch upon these responsibilities that I've talked about in the past-just as a reminder of the goals we set years ago, and how we ought to be conducting our business in the years to come.
We must:
- Continue to improve the quality of what we do-there can be no compromise;
- Focus on things we do exceptionally well;
- Capture a greater share of private support;
- "Partner" with the community.
First, delivering quality is our most important activity and is fundamental to everything we do. Students come here because they want and need a high-quality education. We offer them a chance-within their means and reach-to pursue meaningful postsecondary education that will serve them well as they prepare for the highly competitive world of the 21st Century. We are not only preparing them for careers but for life.
Second, we must concentrate on things that we do exceptionally well, such as Hawaiian studies, astronomy, ocean sciences, and tropical agriculture. That ability to be exceptional is the key to our future-it sets us apart as being a special place with special students and faculty.
Two years ago, one of our exceptional faculty members-Dr. Ryuzo Yanagimachi-made world news as he and his colleagues shared their research findings in mice cloning. Later this month, just a little ways down East-West Road, we will dedicate a new Institute for Biogenesis Research so that Dr. Yanagimachi and his team can continue their exceptional work in biomedical research in a state-of-the-art facility.
Third, we must continue to do our best to "capture" private support. We are now in the home stretch of the University's four-year Campaign for Hawai`i, an ambitious program to raise $100 million. When we made our goal public, we gave the community a yardstick by which to judge us. A successful campaign will show the people of Hawai`i-our stakeholders-that they play an important role in creating and sustaining a world-class public university.
I'm pleased to report that we are well on our way toward reaching our goal. The campaign raised $33 million during the last fiscal year alone, and our total thus far is $76 million.
Even with autonomy, doing without substantial state funding is not an option. The state of Hawaii must continue to provide support for the University to meet its basic missions and improve the quality of higher education. The state must continue to invest in the University and in Hawai`i's young people.
Fourth, we must partner with the community in the economic development of our state. A financially strong University of Hawai`i is the best hope for our state's economic recovery. We need to be the engine that drives the New Economy. In close partnership with the community, we can make sure that our investments in new facilities and programs provide maximum benefit to the people of our island community.
I'm pleased to hear reports that our economy is improving. But as Hawai`i becomes a bigger player in the global economy, we face challenges of accelerating global competition. These challenges are not insurmountable but in order to compete, we must have a healthy economic foundation.
I firmly believe that a healthy economy greatly depends on having a first-class public university. The building blocks for a first-class institution are already in place at all our campuses system-wide.
Today, I've spent a good deal of time talking about constitutional autonomy because I strongly believe that it will guarantee us the opportunity to raise the bar in our efforts to build an even greater institution.
I've also said that autonomy can only help us to do what we have already been doing: continue to improve on delivering quality education; focus on the things that we do exceptionally well; capture private support; and partner with the community.
Together, as partners in educational and economic progress, I have great confidence that the University of Hawai`i will continue to uphold its standard of excellence in the 21st Century-for the sake of the people of Hawai`i, especially our children.
I echo what Sir Benjamin Disraeli said more than a century ago, "The youth of a nation are the trustees of posterity."
Thank you for joining me today to reflect on our past and to look ahead
to a bright future.
