University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel addressed the ongoing federal government shutdown and its potential impact on UH during her monthly President’s Report to the Board of Regents (BOR) on October 16, at Honolulu Community College.
“Thousands of our employees are either fully or partially funded by federal dollars, including many who support our veterans,” said Hensel during the report. “It has been both standard practice and statutory requirement for universities to be reimbursed for any prepaid federal salary after a shutdown. However, President Trump has indicated that may not be the case this time, though there is countervailing law. We are closely monitoring the situation.”
Hensel also outlined the university’s strategy to safeguard mission-critical programs and maintain student services during the shutdown.
She then highlighted UH’s continued commitment to transparency and engagement, including a recent budget forum at UH Mānoa, public forums at Leeward Community College and UH West Oʻahu and the successful launch of Direct2UH. The initiative is a partnership with the Hawaiʻi Department of Education that streamlines the college admission process for public high school seniors to nine UH campuses.
- Federal shutdown (video)
- UH Mānoa budget forum (video)
- Leeward CC and UH West Oʻahu forums (video)
- Direct2UH launch (video)
- UH Mānoa national recognition (video)
Times Higher Education rankings
Wall Street Journal rankings
