This message was shared with the students, faculty and staff of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on May 5, 2025.
Aloha UH Mānoa ʻohana,
Earlier today, Provost Michael Bruno announced that he will be stepping down July 1, 2025, after nearly a decade of distinguished leadership at UH Mānoa. He will return to the faculty as a professor of ocean engineering and will continue to provide support to the university in key strategic initiatives.
Michael’s impact on UH Mānoa has been extremely meaningful. Since arriving in 2015, he has consistently answered the call to serve, holding multiple leadership roles, from Vice Chancellor for Research, to simultaneously serving as Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs starting in 2016, and ultimately becoming the campus’s first provost in 2019. Under his direction, enrollment grew for five of the last seven years—defying national trends—and the university surpassed 20,000 students for the first time in more than a decade. Graduation and retention rates reached all-time highs as well, and Mānoa’s research enterprise achieved record levels of extramural funding, increasing from $306 million to $464 million. Michael also provided steady leadership throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and led the development and adoption of UH Mānoa’s strategic plan. The fingerprints of his leadership are everywhere on our campus.
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I’m grateful that at my request, Michael has agreed to provide continuing leadership on key strategic initiatives like strengthening collaboration between the UH Cancer Center and the John A. Burns School of Medicine and helping to advance the work of the newly formed Pacific Engagement Council, expanding UH’s impact across the Pacific region. We are fortunate that Manoa will continue to benefit from his experience and knowledge in the years ahead.
We will begin a national search for the next provost during the upcoming academic year. I am inviting nominations and self-nominations for an interim provost to begin in June. To ensure a fair process, I will preference an interim appointee who does not intend to apply for the permanent role. More information will be provided shortly.
For now, please join me in expressing our deepest gratitude to Michael for his exemplary service, leadership, and friendship to so many across UH. I look forward to continuing to work with him in his new capacity as we carry forward our mission for Hawaiʻi and the world.
With aloha,
Wendy Hensel
UH President
