Cynthia Vinluan honored with UH West Oʻahu Chancellor's Award

University of Hawaiʻi-West Oʻahu
Contact:
Kymber-Lee S. Char, (808) 956-9437
Public Information Officer, External Affairs and University Relations
Julie Funasaki Yuen, (808) 454-4870
Public Information Officer, Chancellor's Office
Posted: Jul 6, 2011

Cynthia "Cindy" Vinluan
Cynthia "Cindy" Vinluan
PEARL CITY – University of Hawai‘i–West Oʻahu Secretary to the Chancellor Cynthia “Cindy” Vinluan was awarded the Chancellor’s Award for outstanding performance and service to the university.
 
“Cindy is the heart of our office,” said UH West O‘ahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni. “She is truly a pleasant person to work with and does an excellent job managing multiple projects efficiently and effectively. She works hard every day with a positive energy and warmth that people respond to. Her support is vital to the success of the campus and we are all so fortunate she chose to call UH West O‘ahu home.”
 
A dedicated University of Hawai‘i employee for 33 years, Vinluan began her career at Kaua‘i Community College and also held positions at Kapi‘olani Community College, the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa John A. Burns School of Medicine and at UH Mānoa’s Outreach College as the secretary to the dean. In 2004, she started a new position at UH West O‘ahu as the secretary to the dean of student services and was later promoted to secretary to the chancellor in 2008. She provides administrative support to the Chancellor’s Office and works with all campus departments coordinating meetings, appointments and events, organizing schedules and communicating with internal and external audiences on a daily basis.
 
Vinluan works with the highest level of professionalism and a genuine desire to do everything needed to support the students, faculty and staff at UH West O‘ahu. Her positive attitude and willingness to help, even when tasked with many responsibilities, makes her an exceptional team player and a most valued staff member.
 
“She is pleasant, encouraging and nurturing, even in the toughest of times. Her good heart is evident in the way she conducts herself. She exhibits the highest degree of professionalism, yet always thinks of the needs of others first. She is more than deserving of recognition and praise for her quiet leadership, service, and fostering excellence at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu,” noted a UH West O‘ahu staff member.
 
Vinluan goes out of her way to make every UH West O‘ahu student, faculty and staff member feel valued and welcomed and takes great pride in helping the campus shine. She treats everyone with respect and plays an integral role in ensuring the success of the campus, always being part of the solution and looking at every challenge as an opportunity for growth and understanding.
 
“She impressed me from the very beginning as someone who is not only incredibly capable, but who injects aloha, inclusiveness and heart into everything that she does. No matter what was going on, she always found time to help students, staff and faculty find or handle whatever it was that they needed. When extra work had to be done, she was there on weekends and evenings taking care of things, without fanfare and without drawing attention,” said a UH West O‘ahu administrator.
 
A native of Kaua‘i and resident of Kapolei, Vinluan holds an associate’s degree in secretarial science from Kaua‘i Community College.
 
Vinluan will be recognized for her achievements along with other UH award recipients at the annual Convocation ceremony to be held at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, September 27, 2011, on the UH Mānoa campus. The ceremony is open to the public at no charge, and no reservations are needed.