Aloha UH ʻohana,
My name is Luis P. Salaveria, and I am honored to serve as the new Vice President for Budget and Finance and Chief Financial Officer for the University of Hawaiʻi. I step into this role following Kalbert Young, who after a decade of dedicated service to UH will be leaving at the end of the year.
Kalbert built a strong financial foundation, and I am honored for the trust placed in me to continue to strengthen our campuses and our communities. One practice he began, and one I plan to continue, is keeping the UH community up to date on our annual budget request to the State Legislature, starting with a summary of this year’s request approved by the Board of Regents on November 20.
Biennial budget system
Hawaiʻi operates on a biennial budget system, meaning the state budget is adopted every two years. We are now in the second year of the current biennium, so UH’s request this session is a supplemental budget, essentially a request for funding adjustments or additions to the budget approved during the last legislative session. There are two types of budget requests: operating and capital improvement, the latter supporting major and minor construction projects.
The UH Board of Regents’ approved supplemental operating and capital budget requests have been submitted to Gov. Green and the State Legislature. On December 22, the Governor released the executive branch’s supplemental budget for all state departments, including UH. State lawmakers will begin considering these requests on January 21 when the 2026 Legislative Session opens.
Supplemental Operating Budget Request
Our supplemental operating budget request totals $18.8 million and focuses on two priority areas: healthcare workforce initiatives and UH Mānoa athletics. These proposals were chosen because they impact not just the university, but also the state’s economy and quality of life for residents. UH plans to use internal operating funds to support other strategic investments and needs in the next fiscal year.
Healthcare workforce initiatives
We are requesting $3.7 million and 18.5 full-time positions to help address critical healthcare workforce shortages across Hawaiʻi. This funding would support coordinated, systemwide health science and healthcare workforce initiatives spanning multiple campuses and units, including:
- John A. Burns School of Medicine (UH Mānoa)
- School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene (UH Mānoa)
- Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health (UH Mānoa)
- Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (UH Hilo)
- UH Cancer Center (UH Mānoa)
These initiatives focus on three urgent areas that directly affect access to care statewide: cancer, neurology and dementia and behavioral health integration and addiction.
UH Mānoa athletics
We are also requesting just over $15 million and 17 positions for UH Mānoa athletics to maintain competitiveness at the Division I level. This includes $5 million to establish an institutional Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) program, which would provide competitive compensation opportunities for student-athletes.
In today’s collegiate athletics environment, NIL opportunities are increasingly essential for retaining local talent and attracting high-performing student-athletes. The athletics budget request is structured to deliver economic benefits to the state while supporting student-athlete success, community engagement and long-term program sustainability.
More detailed information about our supplemental operating budget request can be found here on the Board of Regents website.
Capital Improvement Program (CIP) Budget
Our CIP request totals $283.1 million for FY 2026–27, supporting capital renewal, deferred maintenance and modernization projects across all 10 campuses. These investments are essential to maintaining safe, functional and up-to-date learning and working environments systemwide. More detailed information about our supplemental CIP budget request can be found on the Board of Regents website.
CIP
| Description | BOR FY27 | Gov FY27 |
|---|---|---|
| UH Mānoa Student Housing | $59,250,000 | |
| System Renew, Improve and Modernize (RIM) | $100,000,000 | $65,000,000 |
| UH Hilo RIM | $30,000,000 | $9,500,000 |
| UH Community Colleges Capital Renewal and Deferred Maintenance | $30,725,000 | $20,000,000 |
| UH West Oʻahu RIM | $5,000,000 | $3,000,000 |
| UH Mānoa Athletics Facilities | $11,000,000 | $7,300,000 |
| UH Community Colleges Minor CIP | $30,125,000 | $20,000,000 |
| Waikīkī Aquarium | $10,000,000 | $7,000,000 |
| Kapiʻolani CC Renovations for Health Program | $4,000,000 | |
| UH Maui College Vocational Training Center Modernization | $3,000,000 | |
| UH Hilo Student Housing | $5,500,000 | |
| Total | $283,100,000 | $137,300,000 |
What’s Next
The 2026 legislative session runs from January 21 through May 8. I will keep the UH community informed throughout the session about the progress of our budget requests and other measures that may impact UH. Updates will be shared at key milestones, followed by a summary at the end of the session.
Mahalo for all that you do to support our students, campuses and the broader mission of our 10 campuses. I look forward to working with all of you.
Best regards,
Luis P. Salaveria
VP for Budget and Finance/CFO
