University of Hawai‘i’s Vision for Equity
The University of Hawai‘i upholds its commitment to provide higher education opportunities for all, especially at the intersections of historically marginalized groups, including, but not limited to, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino, economically disadvantaged, first generation, LGBTQ+, differently abled students, and students from rural areas. In order to support the success of our diverse student body, the University continues to encourage diversity in its faculty, staff, and leadership.
It will do so through:
The elimination of educational attainment gaps; creating an environment where the systems, practices, and resource commitments support the rights and equitable opportunity for all individuals and groups; and developing institutional, individual, and community accountability that is leveraged to dismantle systemic inequities.
Like the State of Hawaiʻi, University of Hawaiʻi campuses are among the most diverse in the United States.
Figures from the Institutional Research, Analysis & Planning Office, Fall 2023
We celebrate that difference and see it as a strength of our campus cultures and communities. The University of Hawaiʻi is committed to providing a diverse, inclusive, and equitable educational environment for all students. UH values diverse people, diverse perspectives, and diverse ways of thinking because it is the essence of the educational mission. We embrace the foundational principle of diversity in higher education in order to produce successful students and new knowledge.
University of Hawaiʻi undergraduate campuses already admit all qualified applicants. The UH Community Colleges provide open-access to education and our four-year campuses extend a welcome to all students who meet application requirements. Thus, students interested in attending a college within the University of Hawaiʻi System can select the campus most suitable for their needs and contribute their unique and diverse perspectives to their chosen campus community.
While diversity is critical to the university experience, public universities like the University of Hawaiʻi campuses need to consider more than diversity when serving students. Ensuring student success depends on meeting the needs of each student. How learners succeed at UH institutions can differ widely depending upon a range of factors personal to them. Thus, the critical conversation we must have around student success is about ensuring equity in higher education for all.
For a description of why we design the educational experience with equity in mind, watch this brief video that visualizes the difference between equity and equality in the context of universal design. Ultimately, without an intentional focus on equity, we cannot achieve our broader student success goals.
UH is concerned with equity for all our students and seeks to focus on providing a remedy for existing achievement gaps. Our data demonstrates that these gaps are aligned with historically marginalized populations, with indicators of socioeconomic status, and also with gender. The UH System has identified populations for which support is necessary if we are to achieve our overall institutional goals regarding retention and graduation. More importantly, our efforts are necessary so these students can achieve their personal educational goals. These populations include:
- Native Hawaiian students, especially male Native Hawaiians
- Pacific Islander students, especially male Pacific Islanders
- Filipino students
- Pell grant recipients
- First generation students
- Non-binary, transgender and māhū students
Learners from these groups experience different educational outcomes in terms of on-time graduation and retention. Such challenges are amplified if a student falls into more than one category.
We seek equity in attainment for all students. That means some populations will need more support than others. As a result, the University of Hawaiʻi positions equity as a central piece of the student success initiative, meaning that all learners are provided with the appropriate support to succeed even when the type of support they need will differ.
State of Hawaiʻi Support for UH Equity
During the 2024 legislative session, HCR 205: Urging the University of Hawai‘i to Adopt and Publicize a Statewide Equity Statement was adopted by the Hawai‘i State Legislature. UH is grateful for the support of the Legislature and its support for equity initiatives within the state.
UH National Support for Equity Actions
The UH System belongs to the National Associate of System Heads (NASH) Equity Action Intensive effort to fully explore how we can ensure equity is the foundation of our efforts. As part of that process, we use the lens of equity to review institutional policies and practices that may establish unanticipated barriers for students. The University of Hawaiʻi System has also received funding from the Lumina Foundation to continuously work towards graduation equity for our historically marginalized populations. Furthermore, the UH System receives substantial funding from the U.S. Federal Government via Title III to support the work of enhancing student success for Native Hawaiians. It is important to note that this work is ongoing. The recently approved UH System strategic plan identifies an ongoing commitment to diversity and equity as a foundational principle for our educational efforts.
Promoting Equity in the Classroom, the Campus, and the Community
Numerous methods for working towards equity frame the design of higher education systems. For example, many consider the move to a test-optional admissions policy to align with equity goals because many students cannot afford the expensive test preparation services that allow them to maximize their test scores.
One critical area where attention must be paid is what happens in the classroom itself. As a result, UH System is working to support classroom specific techniques to understand how to challenge the narrative that a course must be structured to “weed” students out. We invite all faculty, especially those who believe that high Drop, Fail, Withdrawal (DFW) rates are an indicator of course success, to instead consider designing courses with equity in mind. Such an approach does not mean all students will get good grades or that the intellectual demands (i.e. “rigor”) of the course will be diminished. What it does mean is that barriers either intentionally, but more likely unintentionally, built into the course design, are eliminated so all students have an opportunity to learn and thrive in a more supportive environment.
Beyond the classroom, UH can and must offer a supportive environment for students that reflects a growth mindset rather than reinforcing stereotypes of what students can’t accomplish. Additionally the University provides support such as access to mental health counseling and resources, as well as an array of programming for all students, including those who may encounter challenges while adapting to college life or those who feel overwhelmed by the transition from a community college to a four-year campus. We believe that equitable outcomes begin in the classroom, are mirrored in the campus experience students have, and are amplified by the culture of the campus community.
Given that equity and student success is constantly evolving over time we are committed to reevaluating both our equity statement as well as those students who may be in need of additional support in an ongoing process aligned with our reporting on our efforts.
