Annex C attachment 5

ATTACHMENT-5 Responses to Survey Open-Ended Questions

Respondents who marked themselves as “Other”:

HPOKA rep.
Student
UHWO Undergraduate Student
Graduate student
Faculty status but in E/M position
Currently enrolled student
Community College Administrator
Interim VCAA
Current E/M
UHCC System Administrator
Head of a foundation that provides lots of grants to UH through UH Foundation
Lifelong resident, have taken classes
Community Member
State Senator
Former employee, UH Foundation
Ruchi board and former student
Student
Donor
Director for a scholarship providing financial aid to students who attend any UH campus
Advisor
Community Supporter
Know and have worked with professors at UH
EWCF Chair, took a class at UH, very familiar with the business program, law school and others
KCC Alumnus / Hospitality Professional
Sea Grant Advisory Committee
President of Scholarship Fund supporting UH
Prior Regent
Close friends with several educators there. Have also rented facilities in the past
Supporter
None
Participate in Kūpuna Program and OLLI.
Community member
I am Exec Dir of Hawaiʻi Book & Music Festival, now based at UH Mānoa, with a virtual event Sept-Nov 2020.
None
None
Interested resident
Work with UH researchers
Son attended
Higher Education/Education/WAM Chair in State Senate
Professional
Friend of staff’s relative
Related to alumnus
Visiting Scholars
Work on UH projects and hire UH graduates
Son graduated from UH Mānoa and also received master’s degree.
Community member; attendee of UH events
Nonprofit project partner
Hawaiʻi Tropical fruit growers - CTAHR
Part time student; sports fan
Doctorate Student
Past adjunct faculty
Current student
Brief alum; 50 yr. Hawaiʻi resident
RESIDENT & CITIZEN OF HONOLULU
Emeritus member of the Board of Regents
No affiliation, however, lots of professional relationships.
Partner organization
Faculty Representative
Staff
Related to graduate, personal oversight role
Past faculty and currently executive
Sit on the College of Social Science Public Administration Advisory Board
Journalist covering UH
Guest speaker, partner program, support organization
Journalist
State Government
Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Policy

Responses to question: “Which UH academic programs are best aligned to your growth bets?”:

Cybersecurity and cyber-ops within business administration. Sustainable tourism (21st Century) within Business Administration. Allied health sciences to include telehealth, long-term care, administration, MANY other areas. Creative media: AI, E-Sports, apps that support online communications, etc. Public Health from administration to all facets of policy and practice. Business -- general, accounting, risk management. Humanities -- art and communication linked to cultural revitalization, behavioral health psychology and counseling.
Sustainability.
Indigenous Knowledge, Sustainability, ITS, ICS, STEM.
History, political science, economics, STEM-related fields, medicine.
CTAHR, agri, pharmatech, business, construction management, most of the trades, teacher certification, nursing, Med school.
Education, business, agriculture, STEM.
None.
?
Humanities, Hawaiian/indigenous culture, STEM.
STEM academic programs.
Construction, technology, pharmacy, Hawaiian language, agriculture, marine biology.
Nursing, construction, Mālama ‘Āina.
NREM, political science emphasis futures and sustainability, American studies. medicine, law, Hawaiian studies, Chinese language.
Education, IT, social work/counseling, JABSOM, sustainability.
Health, agriculture.
Marine biology, Pacific Center for Environmental Studies, natural resources and environmental management, oceanography, biology, chemistry, geology.
CTAHR, MBBE, student media, KTUH.
Business/nursing/engineering school?
Sustainability, Hawaiian studies, planning, green business, law, natural resource management, politics science, art, journalism, trades, natural sciences, agriculture, coding, civil engineering, architecture, geography, geology, many more.
Sustainability studies, education, engineering.
STEM and sustainability.
Business, tourism, botany, biology, marine biology, engineering, architecture, chemistry, medical programs, IT/computer science programs.
Agriculture, nursing, pharmacy, data science.
Psychology, business administration.
UHWO sustainable community food systems; UHM agriculture in CTAHR; UHCCs engineering tech; all AAT and BEd programs thru out campuses; counseling & mental health entry programs; health services; continued AS, BS degrees.
Psychology is aligned to health care and social services. Computer science, UH Cancer Center, JABSOM, NatSci, and SOEST may be aligned to scientific and tech services.
Jump Start, continuing education and lifelong learning, Construction Academy, PACE for early childhood.
Academic Subject Certificate in Sustainability; STEM fields; & health care fields.
STEM.
Trades and technology at Honolulu CC, health programs at Kapiʻolani CC.
Cybersecurity, sustainable community food systems, creative media, health, information.
Healthcare services.
Health programs.
Healthcare and agriculture.
Indigenous studies, food sovereignty, law.
Allied health (nursing, public health, medicine, social work, mental health-clinical psychology), STEM, and agriculture-sustainability-related programs.
Engineering, astronomy, computer science, business administration, a range of health programs, a range of biology programs, Native Hawaiian studies.
Computer science, tourism, School of Medicine.
Business School, School of Tropical Agriculture, College of Arts & Sciences.
Ag, education.
Business admin, TIM, data analytics/MIS.
Science, agriculture.
Health care & engineering.
TIM, IT, accounting and finance, retail.
Environment and sustainability.
Computer science (ICS), John Burns School of Medicine, nursing, engineering.
Business, tourism, engineering, some sciences.
Hospitality and tourism, business administration, health and science.
Technology, nursing, social work, psychology.
Engineering.
Medical School and agriculture program.
TIM.
Science and technology (need 30-meter telescope), business and finance, JABSOM.
Where is TOURISM ON THE LIST??
Science and technology.
Medicine, oceanography.
Tropical agriculture, Med School.
Computer engineering, environmental sciences.
Agriculture and health care & social services.
Sustainable energy programs, healthcare.
Not sure. College of Business? Astronomy? JABSOM? Engineering?
Business school, law school.
Agriculture, medical, business.
Business, scientific and cultural.
Innovation sciences, technology and environment.
Agriculture, culture.
Business.
Healthcare & business
All those relating to Asia business and law, astronomy, marine sciences, health care, tourism, and social services.
Health care, social services, education.
TIM.
School of Tropical Agriculture, Shidler School of Business, College of Engineering.
UH theatre and dance
SOEST; sustainability; engineering; communication and Information sciences; urban planning; JABSOM.
Visitor Industry.
‘Ōlelo Hawaiʻi programs, non-JABSOM health programs (e.g., nursing, social work, public health), astronomy.
Business school.
SOEST, astronomy, bio research.
Interdisciplinary programs. In the natural sciences, I can think of GES (SOEST) and TCBS (UH Hilo). Also, internship programs like PIPES (UH Hilo) and NH-SEMP (SOEST) that develop leadership talent in local students.
DAP for Shidler, merger of Tourism & Hospitality with Shidler. Expansion of JABSOM.
Health care.
We need more vocational ed in the system.
Agriculture.
Agriculture, health care.
Shidler; College of Nursing/Medical School/Public Health; SOEST/CTAHR.
Engineering, SOEST, NREM, CTHAR, DURP, Geography, PICTHR, Medical School.
Business, Medical School.
Travel Industry Management, Medical school, Nursing School, ancillary medical services (e.g., PT), business administration.
CTAHR.
CSS and Shidler, but I also donʻt think that academic units should mirror immediate growth/shrinking.
Health, agriculture.
Agriculture.
Health care, engineering, bioenergy.
Engineering; tropical agriculture; marine science; medicine.
Shidler School of Business, UH Med School.
College of Education, College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, John A. Burns School of Medicine, College of Engineering.
Sustainable Community Food Systems (UH West Oʻahu)
Natural resources, ag (incl applied biz), medicine/health, tech & communications, Hawaiian studies, business/entrepreneurship.
NREM, SCFS, TPSS, education, CTAHR.
Medicine, public health, public administration, public policy, journalism, IT, business, architecture, planning, CTAHR, degrees with international exposure, law,centrepreneur and innovation in education, all climate and earth sciences, cultural focus both International and Hawaiian.
Health.
CTAHR, communications, new media, JABSOM, SOEST, IFA.
Administrative.
I wish there was a list to select from. I don’t know which programs are offered so can’t offer an answer.
Research.
Law, business.
CTAHR, COE, SOEST, Hawaiʻinuiakea
Graduate degrees in the same areas; energy and environmental law; public policy programs; diversified agriculture; green building and architecture
Engineering, architecture, technology.
CTAHR, futures.
Sustainability.
Don’t know.
Hawaiʻinuiakea and other Native Hawaiian related degrees, Sustainable Community Food Systems, CTAHR, nursing, law school, entrepreneurship, coding, animation, School of Social Work, DURP.
Planning, engineering, science education, Med School, Nursing School.
Public administration, health care services, communications.
Agriculture and education.
Business, medical, technology, engineering.
Law School; Business School; Medical School.
Don’t know UH well enough to answer knowledgeably.
Engineering, SOEST, Business School, EWC, public health, law, social work (aging), natural resources management & CTAHR, astronomy, biology, Medical School, computer sciences, environmental sciences, food sciences, Chinese studies, human resource management, library and information sciences, urban planning, renewable energy, public administration.
Defense and scientific and tech services.
Healthcare; science; technology.
Not there. where I hope the future would grow ... needs to have major program development in other areas if industry.
The School of Nursing will grow because we need a lot more trained people to do testing and contact tracing of people potentially infected with the novel coronavirus.
Astronomy, engineering.
Tropical ag.
Geography. Science. Business.
Business admin, public admin, healthcare programs (incl public health), diversified ag, STEM.
Anything in R&D skill building that relates to specific sectors in the “innovation economy” that represent the fastest growing parts (or the most potential) in our state. Think clean energy (thousands of jobs), or aquaculture (we are an innovation hub for R&D).
Agriculture, public health, medicine/nursing, IT
Social Sciences, agriculture, science, public health, business, political science, law, Hawaiian studies.
Scientific and technical services
Business, science, agriculture
None.
Education, STEM, agriculture, medical and social work.
College of Ed, business, law.
UH Medical School; expand advanced medical programs to Neighbor Islands; more focus on educational development of teachers, more credits, etc.
Education.
Arts and entertainment.
Medicine, public health, business, public administration.
Med School, tech.
Agriculture, technology, health services.
Sustainable agriculture, information technology, health -- .
Medical, engineering, social work, engineering, public administration. BTW, Q2 unclear as to whether you mean grow absolutely or relatively -- if one fears the total pie will shrink, the sectors that shrink less than others still “grow” percentagewise.
Business, tech, healthcare programs.
Business, engineering, science, and technology.
Sustainable agriculture, Hawaiian studies, medicine, law.
Education, engineering, astronomy, computer science, medicine.
Natural resources-related programs, sustainability-related programs, data and computer science-related programs.
Hawaiian culture, entrepreneurship, sustainability, social services.
CTAHR, communication, peace and conflict resolution, biology (marine biology).
Science, technology, healthcare.
I HAVE NO IDEA.
Architecture, construction trades, CTAHR and agricultural programs, science programs, nursing, public health, medical school, communication, digital media, public administration, engineering, etc.
Education, communication, social services.
Matsunaga Institute/Law School.
Defense and health care.
Agriculture, media and arts, information computer science tech, biotech, dieticians and wellbeing professionals, business administration/marketing.
Natural sciences, public health/medicine, policy/poli-sci, technology, education, international relations.
CTAR, engineering.
Research, marketing, business management, finance.
All sciences, CTAHR.
TCBES at UHH. The environment is no longer just a ‘fancy’ or an ‘option.’
Marine sciences. Tropical agriculture. IT. Astronomy. Science. Business.
Business, ISR, social studies, natural resources.
Agriculture, social sciences and related programs, business and related programs, public health and all health-related services, education and related programs.
Programs which embrace inter and trans-disciplinarity, such as: UHM NREM, UHM SOEST, UHWO SCFS. UHM CTAHR is in trouble if it does not shift focus from its plantation agriculture roots towards working to solve complex public health issues such as food security, climate resilience and adaptation.
Community Colleges. Basic liberal arts programs which allow the student to continue their education on the Mainland. Vocational skills like engineering
CTHAR, School of Travel Industry Management, PUBA, JABSOM, nursing, ACM.
Business, tourism, medicine, engineering, education
Interdisciplinary Studies; sustainability; indigenous/Hawaiian studies; teacher education; public and education administration; trade schools; communications and journalism; business; English; social work; nursing; Med School.
College of Engineering, College of Business, Law School, Med School.
Law School, JABSOM, ACM, Hawaiian Studies, oceanography, Cancer Center, social work, public health.
Public administration; health care and social services; agriculture.
Not really familiar enough: SOEST, new media, anything biotech (i.e. some of CTAHR but not traditional bits); in terms of academic--schooling--disciplines, numerically I would say health and related social services will probably grow, not so sure about public admin, finance and business, the natural resource econ part of econ (for example of the pillars of UHERO), some of which still lurks in CTAHR (formerly known as ag and resource economics), anything in the physics, chemistry, and biology of ocean and atmospheric sciences; I’m concerned about the astronomy complex for which telescopes are essential, I’m sure there’s more, like the engineering part of resilience infrastructure investment, I’m sure there’s more, and this reflects personal biases and information asymmetry.
Ocean sciences, social sciences, and life sciences.
Astronomy, medicine, hospitality, agriculture.
CTAHR, Center for Creative Media (but they need to ensure they can keep up with the technology), public health, engineering, JABSOM, SOEST, College of Education, nursing, social work, pharmacy.
STEAM (including A for Arts), urban and regional planning, all health fields (emotional, physical, gerontological, health ed), learning design and technology (Ed Tech), digital media (new media arts, animation), journalism, vocational education (trades), business administration (global business, information systems), public administration, Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander programs like Native Hawaiian Law, Indigenous Political Science, Native Hawaiian/Pacific Islander Public Health program.
Engineering, SOEST, CTAHR, NatSci, JABSOM, nursing, all health programs at 2- year and 4-year, 2-year Ag, trades at 2-year, architecture, law
Social sciences including ACM and digital services, College of Ed (with changes), health/allied health, CTAHR, natural sciences/ocean/astronomy (but), engineering
Difficult and too time consuming to list all of them and I probably would miss some of them. Many campuses have programs aligned with the above industries.
Arts and Science.
SOEST IT/data science. All medical and social health programs. Astronomy, engineering.
Tropical ag, Media Academy (Chris Lee), UHCCs statewide, the trades at the CCs around retail merchandising, fashion industry etc. Daniel K. Inouye Leadership Center (yet to be funded) for government, civic engagement. PUBA? College of Engineering?
Business administration, education, engineering, architecture, languages, nursing, travel industry management, oceanography, geology.
CTAHR, PACE, UH Ventures Accelerator.
TIM, B-School, engineering.
Tropical agriculture, biological sciences, business, computer science.
SOEST and agriculture.
Business administration, culinary and other trade programs, a different form of TIM, engineering, architecture, soils science, ocean engineering, economics, law, medicine, nursing, microbial oceanography.
Engineering and business
Medicine and nursing, environmental and physical sciences
CTAHR’s programs, botany, theatre/dance, ACM, health care, policy, fashion design, education, strategic planning.
CTAHR, business.
Arts and Sciences, business, TIM, agriculture, life sciences.
Not sure of the current programs. Perhaps College of Tropical Agriculture and Shidler School of Business.

Responses to question on UH’s strengths:

Faculty expertise when networked and collaboration resourced and incentivized Community-based outreach that breaks down barriers between the university and public/private institutions/business and NGOs, etc.
Engineering.
Indigenous serving institution; invested in the community and international affairs.
STEM-related fields.
Grant-funding for programs, community-engagement, scholarly output, inclusive mission and values.
Research, serving Native Hawaiian population, numerous partnerships in the community, allows campuses discretion in making their own decisions to meet community’s needs, good partnerships between campuses, good outreach into schools.
Native Hawaiian studies, Asian studies, Indo-Pacific Languages, agriculture, astronomical research.
Commitment to indigenous serving, to Hawaiʻi and to other world indigenous. Indigenous-lifeways and worldview are currently informing all levels of academia, from programs to services.
Collaborations with community.
Provision of degree opportunities, faculty and staff who care/sense of community, and desire to educate.
Sense of Aloha, attention to student needs, caring instructors and support staff.
NREM, political science emphasis futures and sustainability, American studies, medicine, law, Hawaiian studies, Chinese language.
Research.
Keeping the campus clean, good buildings.
Natural resources and environmental management department, Pacific center for environmental studies.
Volleyball, oceanography, agriculture research, swimming, basketball, teaching.
Engineering/nursing/business/sustainability.
Natural sciences, law, nursing, extractive business management, Hawaiian studies. Faculty/staff/student led projects, non-Hawaiʻi-based research, East-West relations.
Student participation in statewide issues, marine biology and ocean science, location, affordability.
Extremely diverse campuses, provide a well-rounded education, and tackles many real-world challenges head on.
Business, marine biology? I’m not sure what programs are nationally high-ranking. beautiful campus. serving the local community. has a lot of *potential* to contribute to sustainability and projects based on indigenous knowledge.
Staff who really care about the institution’s mission, passion to serve the community, talented and knowledgeable faculty.
Land and human resources.
Availability of access with variety of open access, selective admissions, soft admissions; somewhat affordable; connection with surrounding communities esp. UHCCs.
Ties to community. Great faculty.
Indigenous-serving institution; sustainability; working together; pitching in to help.
Instruction and research, diversity.
Education, law, Hawaiian desirable climate.
Local support.
Large presence on all islands, known in the community, connections within community, research capability, community college’s ability to address workforce needs.
Hawaiian language and culture.
Hawaiian language and culture, sustainability, research, and community partnerships and outreach.
It’s statewide. 10 campuses. Has developed innovative programs. Huge areas of excellence in Asian studies, astronomy, ocean and earth sciences, engineering, Native Hawaiian studies.
Medical school, geology, vocational.
International mixing ground for academic pursuit. Specific credential/certificate programs such as for disaster management, historic preservation.
Education, communications.
Strong b-school (generally, not all programs), great med school, great law school, Hawaiian cultural programs.
Close knit community. Open to all, melting pot of people.
Astronomy, marine sciences, low price.
The School of Business - reputation, curriculum, community involvement John A Burns - training local docs
Location and Pacific Islands expertise. Community colleges seems to be a sweet spot.
Astronomy, Pacific Island studies, ethno-music, culinary.
International/Asian Studies, business.
Hospitality and yourism at KCC, astronomy, geology, marine sciences, business admin (Mānoa), JABSOM, science research, community college transfer prep, health (KCC).
Distance learning , excellent professors and relevant curriculum.
Asia, oceanography, astronomy.
Agriculture, astronomy, oceanography, travel industry.
Tropical ag, astronomy, marine biology, marine sciences, volcanology.
JABSOM, astronomy, technology and communications, business and finance.
Business, international, ocean science, astronomy.
Location.
Ocean sciences, tropical agriculture, Asian/Pacific studies, tourism.
Community-based perspectives, indigenous/native perspectives.
Graduate schools. Distance learning. Research projects/grants athletics.
Vibrant capacity to bring people here, healthcare and niche disciplines like tropical medicine, peace studies with Obama perhaps.
Not sure. Astronomy. JABSOM.
Leader for academic excellence. Source for Pacific Islanders to come to Hawaiʻi and secure degree(s).
Marine science, astronomy, business, law school.
Proximity, medical, marine science, school of business.
Technical.
Tropical agriculture; marine biology & ocean sciences; computer sciences; business.
Its location, multi-cultural environment, tech and Native Hawaiian culture.
Environment – agriculture – culture - tourism.
Reach, accessibility.
Shidler’s Business School John Burns Medical School.
See #3.
Medical research, JABSOM, culinary arts.
Location. Affordability. International connection.
Colleges noted in Item 3 plus astronomy and oriental studies (philosophy, religion).
Pacific Asian focus of business school.
SOEST; Sustainability Institute; Richardson Law School; social sork; UHERO; Hawaiian knowledge.
None.
Native language education development, integration of allied health programs with community-based care.
Business school. Medical school.
Astronomy, bio research,
Not current. No reliable opinion.
Powerful research capacity. Some programs are a strong draw for local students
Giving out of state students a view into the world of Aloha. Providing more than just an education, through exchange programs, athletic events and community outreach.
Unsure.
Medical school in terms of benefits to the state.
Astronomy and space exploration.
Community of experts working with the University.
Local law, business, education; tourism; Hawaiian/Pacific perspectives.
Community partnerships and ability to be a trusted source for decision makers is a major strength. Focus in the sciences on climate change, marine resources, energy is a significant area of excellence. Connections and understanding of Asia Pacific region has always been a strength and should continue to be so going forward. Research-both a strength and area of continued effort.
Sciences and engineering for climate change adaptation research, UHERO.
Agriculture, technology, and health care.
Oceanic studies. Astronomy. Medical School, Nursing School, Ancillary Medical Services. Tourism and hospitality.
Funding.
Ocean sciences, sustainability, Hawaiʻi policy.
Travel management, agriculture.
The mix of Hawaiʻi’s Culture and out-of state/country enrollment to bring together a unique set of skills and insight.
Volcanology, volleyball, weather, astronomy.
Pacific islands studies; medicine; tropical agriculture; marine science; Asian languages.
Oceanography, international.
Shidler School of Business, UH Med School.
Providing access.
Student body diversity, diverse programs.
Ka Huli A‘o.
International/Multi Cultural students & faculty, Sustainability office and network (UH and statewide higher Ed), island resource management (niche), Hawaiiana, multi campus, great place to live, learn and teach.
Local university for Hawaiʻi residents to attend, diversity in student body and degree programs.
International exposure especially with Asia and the Pacific sets UH apart from most universities; UH is exceptional in its community identity - most every family in Hawaiʻi has at least one family member or knows someone who is an alumnus, student, faculty, or administrator; and they relate to UH system on multiple levels; finally, UH provides interactive exposure to executives, administrators, leaders, newsmakers, artists and activists throughout the community in an exceptional manner in Hawaiʻi and frequently throughout Asia and the Pacific.
Research.
Our size and dominance in Hawaiʻi and the pacific can draw expertise. we have pockets of excellent departments but not uniform.
Academic freedom, fact-based environment and research.
Business, law, oceanography, TIM, nursing, astronomy.
Diversity, local talent that understands the community, statewide system from community colleges to 4-year degree programs and higher, natural sciences.
Native Hawaiian culture; island innovation; environmental law and policy; energy law and policy; diverse student body.
Its monopoly on higher education in the state.
Earth sciences, astronomy
Not sure.
Science social science education of commuters
Plano-based, Native Hawaiian academic offerings, cost friendly, accessible campuses on each island.
Planning, sciences, health, arboretum.
Communications, multi-cultural experience, Polynesian host culture studies, community receptive to practicum experiences, & UH programs at law school, public administration, conflict resolution & peace are geared to be relevant to Hawaiʻi and general.
Astronomy, Oceanography, Cultural preservation.
Native Hawaiian Studies, Business School, Community College System, Strong alumni group
Reputation of Law School, Competency in astronomy, volcanology, oceanography, Hawaiian studies.
Pacific location, social and cultural studies that can benefit many outside of Hawaiʻi, possibilities for scientific and cultural advancements.
Ocean sciences, astronomy, CATHR, law, medicine (Pacific), Hawaiian studies, international business, EWC, climate change, information management.
Agriculture and scientific.
Diverse.
School of medicine and law and business.
The MURP program in the Department of Urban and Regional Planning in the College of Social Sciences has an outstanding local reputation but is not well known beyond our shores.
Astronomy oceanography volcano science.
Local connection.
Science.
Business Admin (incl international), engineering sciences.
As the major R1 school in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific Islands/Asia-Pacific Rim countries, UH trains the workforce for our islands and the region. It is strong in certain areas (e.g., int’l business, marine science, etc.) and weak in others.
Agriculture, medicine/nursing, EWC.
Indigenous lens within most programs, accessible and affordable to most in HI, diverse student body, pride among students, internship opportunities through certain programs, articulation programming between CCs and Mānoa, respected faculty voices in the spaces of marine biology, business, government and public health.
Diversity of students and Pacific-Indo studies.
Cultural integration e.g. Law School, UH Hilo 2) STEM, law and med school programs 3) being there for working students e.g. West Oʻahu, CC’s.
Hawaiian Studies.
UH has broad base of international students which is great for educational/cultural school environment. We have a good core of highly skilled faculty and instructors. Have a sound reputation as a good educational institution. Need to continue to "grow" our brand and reputation.
R&D, science, Seagrant, Financial support for local engineering companies for College of Engineering.
Cross cultural communications.
Certain degrees/colleges (e.g., JABSOM).
Sustainability, Health Business.
Science, engineering, social studies. Community college system (for most part).
Health Care, Tourism, Business, Marine Science, Agriculture, Native Hawaiian.
Location at the crossroads of Asia and North America; Provost Michael Bruno; increasing Native Hawaiian influence and engagement; UHWO.
Engineering, Astronomy, Medicine.
The fact that UH is on an island should be used more as a marketing tool to attract students to sustainability-related programs. UH also has great strength in the social-ecological connections which is a rapidly growing field of study. UH does well to establish cross-campus collaborations with the appointment of Specialists that reside in multiple departments/organizations.
People and place of Hawaiʻi.
Connected to each island, name recognition in Hawaiʻi, biology/science discovery.
Marine sciences.
I’M NOT AWARE OF ANY PARTICULAR STRENGTHS.
SeaGrant, marine science, Asian studies, focus on the Pacific, focus on environmental studies and resiliency (though not enough.) community college system.
Regionally accredited, ag research, marine science, reputation mostly good.
Strong student--teacher bond, especially at community colleges. Intercultural diverse student body and faculty. Beautiful campus.
UH strength is it location as a strategic location on Earth.
Not sure.
Location in world model for sustainability (Hawaiʻi) location in World-class biological/ecological setting High student diversity, international flavor location of world-class ground-based astronomy.
Bridge between East and West. Some healthcare.
Colleges of Business, Engineering, Oceanography, JABSOM.
Geographic location; land grant institution.
No complaints.
Agriculture. Oceanography. Astronomy. Cancer research.
Science.
UHʻs areas of excellence include the natural sciences, arts and humanities, and all health-related programs. The affordability to attend UH-Mānoa, an R1 University, is a strength that often goes unnoticed. The geographic location, in the middle of the Pacific Ocean, with the diversity of cultures of faculty, staff and students, provides a very unique learning environment.
We are very strong in Ocean & Earth Sciences, but should make strategic investments to ensure that we transform our Research enterprise from one that is still dominated by a neoliberal "publish or perish" paradigm towards a new paradigm of outcomes-based research that is co-created with community to help strengthen public well-being by working to help communities solve the complex problems they face.
Excellence – none. Competencies – none - very mediocre The strength of UH is that they are at the bottom, whether they realize it or not, and the only way to go is up. This should be exciting to a limited amount of people in the world. Ones who demand excellence and are competent.
Astronomy, Oceanography, Geosciences, Hawaiian Studies, International Business, community-focused research, accessibility for local students.
Affordability, accessibility (10) campuses, Cultural Diversity.
Right now? Some really smart, innovative, interdisciplinary faculty; Our attempted focus on becoming a Hawaiian place of learning and striving towards aloha ‘āina.
International Business, Marine Biology, Geology, Languages diverse student population, beautiful location.
Potential for multidisciplinary work, Native Hawaiian influence, creativity, Asia- Pacific expertise, environmental expertise, genuine aloha spirit and small scale, face-to-face culture.
Connections with Asia Pacific studies; diversity and inclusiveness; ocean and space related faculty and facilities (with space going to decline because of local protests); strong professional schools (but not enough marketing); diverse community college system with great potential.
Well as in 3 atmospheric, ocean, earth sciences, astronomy and applied astrophysics and cosmology, to some extent tropical agricultural research and development but that faded hard in the 21st century to date, there used to be strength in international relations, commerce, capital movements but Hawaiʻi has gone the opposite direction for thirty years most people don’t even know Taiwan is closer than Atlanta is to Honolulu so they listened to CDC protocols instead of what the Crazy Rich Asians were doing to contain and mitigate novel coronavirus spread
Ocean Sciences, life sciences, social sciences and connectivity to community.
Astronomy, agriculture, hospitality.
For some programs that rely on community/stakeholders for curriculum, programmatic input, research, etc., there are strong existing networks and those School tend to have Deans that understand the importance of being innovative and finding or creating as many win-wins for internal and external stakeholders. (i.e., Health Sciences, Social sciences, public health, Native Hawaiian, Business). Many highly skilled and competent faculty who are willing to work more closely with Government [and other sectors] on needed improvements (i.e., COVID-19 response, guided re-opening, monitoring, recovery (short and long-term) - numerous within JABSOM, Public Health, Social Work, Nursing, economists, policy, business, telecommunications, IT). Native Hawaiian - culture, language, education Research - translational and community-based participatory research with disparity populations (NH, Pacific Islanders, Filipino) in the areas of chronic disease prevention/control (i.e., diabetes and cardiometabolic disease, cancer prevention and control, suicide prevention/mental health, elderly). Research - vaccine development, infectious disease, cardiovascular, biomedical engineering (small, but developing programs), oceanography, climate change/mitigation Indigenous languages (asia, Pacific) - preservation, teaching/growth, use of language as a way to address social determinants of health. Much work with the U.S. Pacific Islands - health, law, telecommunications, policy, nursing, language, education. College of Education.
Location and expertise makes the UH system a place for regional Asia-Pacific knowledge collection, generation, and potential for shaping the future of the region in many sectors; Partnerships with regional organizations cultivated by many UH units such as the Centers for regional studies (Asian, Japanese, Pacific Islands) and partners like the East-West Center can be leveraged by UH and extend the institution’s reputation throughout the world; the extensive network of alumni of all 10 campuses is a significant resource that can be tapped for more than just fundraising and sporting events, but for expertise, global internships, knowledge.
It’s a system that can leverage resources. For the most part, support from community (although not always legislators). Research capacity. Has all the "grants:" land, sea, space, sun. Plus, the 10 campuses focus on indigenous culture.
Medicine, Law, Engineering, Astronomy (but), Ocean Sciences, Community colleges, West Oʻahu.
Some staff/leaders are innovative, competent, inspiring, collaborative.
Sciences and Business but Arts and Sciences should be an area of excellence.
Programs that are tied to understanding/building off our unique natural resources. IT. Culture.
Shidler College of Business, international education, ethnic studies, languages, Hawaiʻinuiākea, school of Hawaiian studies, biology, astronomy, West Oʻahu College is creative, nontraditional. JABSOM (and Homeless Outreach Project), Richardson School of Law, are both competitive world class programs. Asian and Pacific island orientation that sets us apart from other public universities. Our geographic position in the Pacific. Our pervading culture of the aloha spirit. Aloha ‘āina values.
Reasonably committed administrative leadership, community colleges, Shidler Business College, volleyball.
Medicine, nursing, law, tropical ag, marine, business school is growing, beautiful main campus, a lot of community colleges who specialize in vastly different fields
International MBA JABSOM Marine Bio.
Business, astronomy, ocean science, biological science, Native Hawaiian studies, distributed campus system and one system administrative structure for all of higher education. Relatively new community college tool that reviews curriculum offerings in terms of estimates of job development and availability in the state.
School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology.
Some outstanding faculty, particular departments, and programs [e.g. microbial oceanography; good leadership in some administrative units; efforts to have an ethnically diverse student population, efforts to acknowledge Hawaii’s history, history, culture and identity.
Research.
Some environmental and physical science programs are very strong and globally competitive. Law School has certain unique strengths. Focus on integrating indigenous knowledge with traditional disciplines is also unique and important.
Diversity of programming, Hawaiian studies and indigenous studies, oceanography, energy research, music, technical training, sustainability research and education.
SOEST, astronomy, geology, business.
Medical School, bioscience, astronomy, ocean science. Also, the diversity of its student body and the relatively large number of international students. A major strength is its unique structure combining community colleges, bachelor level institutions and full-scale university campuses with graduate and professional programs, many of them of distinction. Increasingly the purposeful linkage to high schools to tie them to community colleges provides a fast-track for students of purpose and distinction.
Astronomy, ocean science, tropical agriculture. Hospitable climate. Multi-cultural student body.

Responses to question on UH’s weaknesses:

Bureaucratic operations that tend to silo Entitlement culture that leads to unproductive attitudes and behaviors Redundancy that created inefficient systems.
Political.
Seven community colleges and three four-year campuses. Four-year campuses make up a degree, changes prerequisites and never informs the two-year campuses. Top students in BA and MA/MS/MFA programs are Community College students yet the four-year campuses do not communicate with the two-year campuses who are the main feeders to the four-year.
Remoteness, needs strong agriculture program.
Reliance on grant-funding for programs focused on the most at-risk populations, ten campuses do not function as a system.
Working in silos sometimes, market changes.
Physical location to the continental U.S., lack of state investment, poor infrastructure.
Dysfunctional systems and people.
“Tail wags the dog” scenario. We have to grow out of the plantation mindset (i.e. we work for somebody, they tell me what to do) to we the people define the economy base and know natural sustainable resourcing. We inform the world of our contribution, not the other way around.
Operate in silos.
Communication, leadership challenges, lack of parity.
Not knowing how system interacts with individual colleges or universities.
Technological progress/advancement--> slow-going.
Terrible systems in place. Update everything. FUND CLASSES. Make more classes so each and every major is expected to graduate on 4-year schedule (for example Kinesiology AND MORE). Stop putting so much money on sports and use those donations to classes, actual good teachers, and user-friendly online systems in place. Oh also, since we have solar now, lessen tuition.
Fund sustainability offices more, management of food waste, need progressive environmental ideologies taught at Shidler.
Facilities management, football, tennis, baseball, medical training/research.
Outreach/community service.
Lack of workforce development, mismanagement of funds, adjunct professor pay, climate change education, systems thinking. Relevancy in our changing world. Relevancy in student engagement, lack of community engagement. Vast majority of students don’t care about football. Fund education not coaches. Hawaiian history from a Hawaiian perspective in non-Hawaiian studies programs. Mandatory cultural competency training for all faculty and staff.
Government Funded, relies on State funding and bills.
Extremely centered around UH Mānoa to the detriment of other campuses. Few capstone/internship opportunities outside of the tourism industry. Not much cultural diversity on campus.
UH has a lot of *potential* to contribute to sustainability and projects based on indigenous knowledge, but not enough output/results yet in my opinion. Much like other universities in the country, UH exploits its (graduate) student workers and stands in the way of a living wage for graduate assistants and adjunct faculty. Too much budget/emphasis on sports. Poor decisions regarding Maunakea and kia‘i.
Leaders lack true leadership skills and decision making ability, poor management decreases efficiencies and prevents the institution from realizing its full capacity, decision making is very centralized to Mānoa leaving out the unique aspects of the other campuses, we keep non-productive and inefficient employees for too long and try to make up for them by hiring others to cover their load
Marketing UH’s programs on national and international platforms. Less involvement with the community. Lack of alternative revenue-generating source.
Seen as less than in quality of education even though it’s not; for some, still seen as unaffordable; not friendly to working adults life schedules; reliance on traditional modes of instructional delivery and admissions policy requirements; personnel not ma‘a to indigenous ways of ‘ike and doing.
Community doesn’t look like UH or the faculty.
There are always a few who ruin it for everyone; union workers; sometimes campuses focus more on bringing in folks from the outside rather than believing that the people who are already in the system can do the job as long as there are good leaders directing.
Communication, resources.
Funding dependent upon state legislature, credentials take too long to obtain.
intellectual community (work, live, play, i.e., "college town") high cost of living.
Legislative oversight on budgets and positions.
Unions’ containment on flexibility and ability to change (tendency to status quo), known in the community (pluses and minuses), UHM is slow to change, colleges tend to act as individual units instead of as a system, as with any government entity it’s hard to move some people in a new direction (have to wait for retirements), too much control by Legislature.
Lack of diversity in upper-tier administrators, STEM disciplines not able to grow or evolve curricula/pedagogy reflecting the diversity of Hawaiʻi, Current state of HR and business offices procedures not capable of meeting the needed service to facilitate effectively extramural grant commitments (example: cannot hire in the time necessary the personnel necessary to meet grant outcomes).
Inability to quickly transform itself to meet the current and future needs of the community locally and globally. administrative bureaucracy at the expense of efficiency and effectiveness, lack of diversity the among faculty and within the curriculum, and sufficient funding to meet the critical needs each of the campuses.
Many of its teacher training programs need to be given far higher priority within the College of Education, and they need to be focused even more on clinical on- the-job training. The University is too siloed and needs to become more multidisciplinary. Engineering and Computer Science need to stop the fighting and either merge or collaborate more.
One system combining community colleges and university. Apples and oranges. Location; too remote.
I feel the town-gown relationship could be better.
Finance, Administration.
Leadership and administrative functions at the system level: 1) bloated, old- school general counsel team with lack of ability to provide guidance, rather becomes the "NO" people, 2) general lack of engagement with the community (insular management), 3) inability to move towards action to address administrative and infrastructure issues (slow even for higher education standards). It may not be about UH, but the State Legislature needs to provide policy, strategy, and governance guidance, but get out of micromanaging the institution (which may be part of the inability for leadership to take bold action). MORE TANGIBLE: the business school needs to offer a degree in data analytics. The IT program should offer a concentration in security.
Lack of support of trade professions. Have not engaged young students to what opportunities are available. Have not lit fires in young minds.
Low salaries for professors & staff. Lack of dorm space.
I’m not sure what the vision for the University is. I see it as a group of individual colleges, all working on their own goals and projects without a clear unified direction.
Run down campus, over staffed, not IT savvy.
Lack of focus on core "future" areas of Hawaiʻi’s economy. Too many colleges, programs.

Hawaiʻi

Mānoa

Vision, parochialism, small mindedness, bureaucratic.
School of Travel Industry Management (Mānoa), Leadership (too many interim positions and lack of consistency/time in place), facility upkeep, Funding support from the legislature.
Bureaucracy, cronyism and sluggish to change.
No major international employer here yet with scale.
Geographic isolation, below average school spirit.
Engineering, general medicine.
Money for better education and instruction, modern equipment and technology, scholarships and grants.
Physical plant is a mess. Cannot attract top notch faculty in areas other than areas of excellence - astronomy and ocean sciences
Lack of finance.
Bureaucracy.
Subjects that might improve decision making of graduates, such as economics, sociology, philosophy.
Job placement; employment mentoring, economic prospects.
Working with the business community to feed employees to their workforce right out of college.
Isolated and far away without a clear way to support bringing people and organizations here en mass.
Physical plant seems tired especially compared to peers on the mainland. Takes too long for students to complete their studies. Seems disconnected from the larger community. I don’t think most in the community know much about any areas of strength or excellence for the institution or how it has tangibly contributed to improving the quality of life in Hawaiʻi.
Politics, lack of funding, new limits on sports attendance due to COVID-19 will be a huge hit to the budget.
Government interference, unions, lack of funding.
Medical.
Professors, facilities.
Technical assistance.
Isolation (both advantage & disadvantage); perception as party school and lazy.
Seems disconnected from community; doesn’t create a hub of activities or discussions with outside businesses.
Mānoa facilities - too many programs and degrees.
bad management, rampant spending, less attention to education, dwindling arts programs.
Length of time it takes undergraduates to graduate with a degree. More emphasis on education schools and promotions - partnering with DOE to keep teachers in Hawaiʻi and provide additional benefits through colleges, etc.
Lack of community support and recognition vs reputation of Mainland colleges and universities.
Lacks funding from government, alumni support.
Academic ranking.
Community outreach and enrichment programs are hazy. Physical access (including parking) to the campus prevents community involvement. Campus as an inviting destination for the community does not exist.
It’s too insular unto itself.
Academic standards; independence.
None.
Lack of coordination between the broader community’s goals and needs and system offering.
Technology.
Top heavy administration.
Not current. No reliable opinion.
Few researchers are investigating topics with application to managing or understanding Hawaiʻi’s resources and people. Administration is too big and there is too much infighting between colleges and campuses.
Administration heavy and tuition increases have been inflating too fast. UH should be an affordable way to get an education at home for residents.
Steady erosion of vocational certification and training in face of community colleges vying to be "conduits" to "the" university. 2. incredible waste of resources attempting to have two major university campuses just a few miles apart on Oʻahu.
Not sure.
No fixed single-minded purpose or goal.
Resources and hands-on facilities for student learning.
Global relevance, siloed programs, bureaucracy.
Budget-continually deficit spending. Need to do more with online learning, even before and after this pandemic, and streamline acceptance of credits to keep students articulating through the system or making it easy for them to enter. UH also has perennial issues with "self-doubt" and public image/perception.
Lacks resources to support its mission.
High cost of living/housing and low salaries make it difficult to attract outstanding faculty and administrators; political meddling (and non-competitive salary/benefits packages) - makes administrative positions unattractive at best and, hence, what would otherwise be leadership positions are occupied by individuals lacking vision or leadership skill sets. Those programs that are successful become targets for political leveraging by special interests (e.g. TMT). For educators and researchers, there is inadequate administrative support - paying PhD’s to perform routine administrative duties is a waste of both fiscal and intellectual resources. Inadequate funding to properly maintain facilities...

Hawaiʻi

Insufficient state funding. Inability to fund and grow core strengths which means defunding other programs that are not core elements.
Administration not for the students nor for perpetuating culture.
Funding, lots of important but small programs that can’t get to critical mass.
Disparity between community colleges and university.
Really old infrastructure, buildings, dorms, poor planning.
Education; public health; astronomy.
Outreach, commercialization, bureaucracy.
Science and Technology. Bloated bureaucracy and a "can’t do" mindset.
Top heavy administration, constant adding of admin/bureaucratic processes without getting rid of old positions/ processes; outdated/individualistic requirements for promotion and tenure that tends to disfavor local cultural attributes and therefore seems to disproportionately reward non-Hawaiian, non- local male gendered individuals.
Running too much like a business, lack of transparent leadership, not doing enough for the host culture.
There appears to be a tendency to prize peer recognition across academia instead of focusing on how the institution of UH can support its communities.
Integration with world & work off-Campus (Insular); applied internships, non- Profit/gov’t Ed programs; perceived weak leadership & vision, lots of good pieces but luck connection or leverage. HIRING practices!!!
Outdated structures (old), could be more affordable for Hawaiʻi residents, UH system is not necessarily aligned together to make it easy for students to seamlessly transfer from a Hawaiʻi CC to UHM or UHH (credits and degree programs aren’t easily transferrable across campuses). What other incentives are there for Hawaiʻi residents to attend UH?
As an island community which is isolated there is a greater awareness by the community when UH faculty and students operate is silos and/or are being solicited for funding - relationships are highly valued in Hawaiʻi. The UH could make much better use of the talents, abilities, and interests of the alumni than it does.
Administration.
Bureaucracy/hierarchy slows and complicates decision-making, stifling creativity. legislative stranglehold on budget. lack of extra funding. competing interests, but that’s not UH’s fault (e.g. protecting native Hawaiian interests vs. scientific progress, etc. etc.)
Politics inability to resolve/mediate all or nothing demands; inadequate facility maintenance fundraising.
A sense of community and unity ... And discord and unhappiness in the fundraising sector because of poor and biased management.
Poor facilities at UHM, lack of availability of classes to allow for timely graduation, non-transferable credits between campuses wastes time and money for students, lack of college campus feeling.
Science focus on climate change; sustainable business, green business; campus deferred maintenance; failing to catalyze modern indigenous culture
Dysfunctional management and distance from the mainland.
Lack of community and sense of place.
Money legislative interference.
Connection to the broader community and their perspectives on issues, need for more integration of place-based knowledge and local issues in course offerings, need for more applied opportunities, better connection with local employers.
Excessive bureaucracy -- way too many bureaucrats, including high paid ones, who are not teaching, conducting research or providing community service. Failure to have solid alumni relations other than in athletics. UH Foundation, which is self- serving.
Expensive, education expensive all not available to all plus living costs for everyday needs are too high for people and earning power is generally weak.
Lack of Collaboration and integration of different areas of study, silos, senseless faculty squabbles huge, missed opportunity to diversify economy via TMT.
Too much bureaucracy. Inability of the administration to resolve departmental conflicts.
Obstacles to welcoming the community: parking, signage, lack of outreach. This is a potential source of revenue lost. 2. Physical deterioration of buildings emblematic of a faculty, campus, and academic programming that seem in decline. 3. Few attractive places to gather, shop near the UH. 4. UH Foundation is an obstacle to donating, even for those of us who want to.
As an alumnus, I don’t have a clear understanding of the direction that the administration wants to work toward. A possible weakness, then, is a failure to communicate a vision that we can all work toward. Other possible weaknesses may have to do with lack of inspired, meaningful, competent leadership in many academic departments. I also question why the administrators need to get paid so much while the folks who actually teach the classes get paid so little. Can’t we get dedicated administrators who want to serve our University and our state without demanding the same high salaries that much wealthier institutions pay around the country? Take some of money used to pay the highly paid administrators and spread it out among the faculty. Kudos to David Lassner who didn’t demand the high-high salaries others seem to want so much.
Obligation to make up for Hawaiʻi secondary schools’ failure to teach; massive funding gap; Local political interference (hardly new or unique); grossly inadequate scholarship funding for disadvantaged students; constant maintenance backlog and high construction costs; impossible personnel system; inability to fire people; underpaid lecturers; failure to streamline decision making and reduce committees. Still inadequate distance learning systems that would ameliorate need for students to be physically on campus as much; inability to compete for and pay faculty salaries (given cost of living).
Manufacturing.
Too much politics.
Become the catalyst for change and work with youth/community to inspire and support the emerging field of interest. Secure key partnerships to create a path to new industry growth.
Oʻahu’s high housing costs makes it very difficult to recruit outstanding junior faculty from the mainland.
Mediocre leadership, inadequate and uncertain funding, culture of “no can.”
Ivory tower mentality: those who can, do; those who can’t teach.
Community capacity building
Campus culture (UH is not alone), bureaucracy sucks out the educational oxygen, commuter-school congestion issues, placement/employment capabilities for graduates/students/faculty.
UH needs a better business model that doesn’t place it at the whims of a finicky state legislature. Leadership and structure have been issues in the past (as has decades of deferred maintenance), but recent steps in this area are very positive.
Funding (salaries across the board are lower than other state universities, research dollars are low, investment overall is low), not focused enough on global issues and opportunities (how to balance indigenous politics/competencies with global politics/ competencies), too much dependence on affiliate faculty who have full- time jobs elsewhere (not fair to the students), most facilities are run down, commuter campuses generally, so you don’t feel that same sense of community.
Isolation.
Poor linkage to industry more advocacy and not enough tangible links.
Bureaucratic and old fashioned. System needs modernization. Lower the admin costs.
Too much administration, too many layers; possibly too much focus on business and tourism.
Housing, security of the campus, sports attendance and “school spirit,” top sports prospects often overlook UH programs, school climate and lack of student culture and school history.
Need to reassess our priorities when it comes to pouring resources into Div I college sports. As hard as we may try, we will never be able to compete with big name mainland colleges/universities in major sports. Why are we chasing this? Go to Div II, spend less money, and be content to participate with what we have. Then we might be able to put more money into expanding our educational programs to higher levels.
Counseling support, community outreach programs.
Does not seem to be adjusting to the student population, ie. during the pandemic, professors seem to be going about business as usual, not taking student circumstances into consideration.
Lack of high visibility of graduates in local work force Lack of public knowledge of its achievements, at micro level, and standing against other universities.
Sports.
Bureaucracy, difficulty in adapting to situations.
Technology.
Departmental silos. Undergraduates can live in different ideological worlds and never learn to appreciate other perspectives. Then there’s the Legislature ...
Campuses and programs not working together; inconsistent work equivalent credits across campuses.
Poor reputation, lackluster leadership (other than strong outliers and visionaries like Provost Bruno), lack of vision, poor leadership structure, uneven quality and quantity of administrative and technical support, under-resourced administrative staff, crumbling and outdated infrastructure ...
Legislative support, administrative and bureaucratic atrophy, long-term vision.
Administrative items move way too slowly. Perhaps because there is too much bureaucracy? Perhaps it’s because processes and paperwork could be streamlined? Also, UH seems to have difficulty attracting students and retaining faculty. It seems if the institution invested more money towards making UH seem like more of a community that is invested in the students and faculty, this would help. From a graduate student perspective, compared to other institutions, UH tends to be lacking in pay and travel grant opportunities, and also requires a lot of fees.
Mired in dysfunctional bureaucracy and detached from mission.
Top-heavy (more funding to the higher administration and not to actual projects/students & complicated bureaucracy), funding mismanagement, disconnected from needs of students, STEM-focus and not STEAM-focused, STAR program does not encourage exploration or well-rounded students
Insufficient maintenance of physical plant. Perception of low standards of excellence.
Preparing accountants for the workforce.
Lack of innovation, crippling bureaucracy, antiquated systems, lack of entrepreneurship. Lack of recognition of the strength of the community colleges.
Highly political and ingrained biases, obtuse (not transparent), outdated systems of communication and conflict resolution, and really, really bad manager of Maunakea.
Treatment of adjuncts and lecturers. Poor natural lighting, sound, and air circulation in classrooms. Need more aggressive pursuit of nonacademic, off- campus staff and faculty to inject the reality of life after UH in the complex multi- faceted human marketplace we all reside in. More young people should be running UH to greatest degree possible. For all of its perceived and real (human) weaknesses, UH is an incredibly vital force for change and human evolvment in Hawaiʻi nei--one we could not do without in our 21st century and post--COVID 2020 world. Enough, already!
UH’s weakness is the weakness of most four-year institutions: The inability to provide a truly affordable education to the masses. UH also sorely lacks in its ability to concentrate on strengths (earth sciences, astronomy, marine science) at the expense of being everything to everyone (medical school and law school).
Financial health based on tourist economy.
Hawaiian studies movement that despises/denigrates other disciplines, sabotages non-Hawaiian projects. Persistent assumption that mediocrity in students is OK (lack of demand for excellence).
Fear of failure or criticism.
Legislative micromanagement, little to no funds for infrastructure maintenance, attracting top academic talent and leadership, but there are exceptions.
Lack of sufficient funding; costs to maintain or to grow
I do wish we’d (Hawaiʻi Island) would have more options for MA/MS /PhD on island. It is simply cost prohibitive to go to Oʻahu.
Science. Math.
Strategy.
The biggest disadvantage for UH is the fact that it is the only public higher education institution in town, and thus is constantly under a microscope of the public officials, and the community. From a cultural standpoint, locals often view anything “their own” in high regard. There is a belief that children need to "go away" to get a good education. Unlike many other states, where the local public institutions of higher education are highly regarded by local residents (i.e. Washington with University of Washington, Michigan with University of Michigan), many local residents donʻt view the University of Hawaiʻi as a first choice option, but rather a fall back option.
Fundamentally, UH lacks a clear and bold vision. UH Mānoa’s website proclaims “Improving lives through education and research” - could it be any more generic? What if the University strove to “improve the lives of families in Hawaiʻi by equipping our students to become leaders in caring for the natural world and its peoples through instilling a love of our islands”? <-- What kind of education and research might be inspired by a powerful mission statement such as this? What kinds of strategic investments in people would the University have to make to bring forth this kind of transformation?
Lack of leadership - you can’t lead from a position of fear. Lack of direction - you can’t please all of the people, you have to know where you are going, for what purpose, how to get there. Lack of courage - at times you have to gamble and many times you will be wrong but towards the “fire” not away from it.
Communicating UH’s value to the community, connections with alumni, “branding,” online education, recruiting top local students, academic areas with direct relevance to the state like Public Policy.
Community Pride, Focus on Best in the World Programs, spreading out resources, different campuses should specialize
I think as a whole we lack seeing the big picture; we lack vision (no judgment on leadership, really); we lack the ability to weave the different parts of who we are; we lack the ability to communicate who we are effectively.
Hawaiian Studies is a political organization, lack of affordable housing for students, graduate assistants, and faculty, UH is seen as a ‘fall back’ choice school for high school students and families. Most families, and especially as the demographic leans toward affluence, want their children to “experience” the mainland by attending college away from Hawaiʻi.
Political interference and rigid bureaucracy that produce timidity and lack of long- range plans and programs; too many UH sites, competing with each other; too much reliance on Defense Department funding.
Insufficient marketing of offerings across the system; challenging political oversight detracts from educational and strategic work; shrinking population of young local students because of demographics; insufficient attraction of mid- career and seniors into educational non-degree programs; insufficient attention to Pacific Islands actionable research and training.
Ugh, so much. Wannabe-ism. And I’m sorry, bogus revisionist history and cultural historicism. Honestly, Hawaiʻi positioned itself in the 20th century as a crossroads and a unique, First World tropical laboratory (for example, under the umbrella of U.S. intellectual property protections and domestic political stability), and then almost completely severed its ties with Asia so that virtually anything which once had an Asia-Pacific network has seen the Hawaiʻi (UH) part of the nexus frayed and abandoned. It’s not even like some freaking haoles were in charge. Freaking locals did that. Bucks-for-lolos. Hawaiʻi became a Third World economy as it was eclipsed by the very economies whose students came here over the last two generations and built their societies into the most advanced cultures on the planet today. America elected a Reality TV Talking Head as president. Hawaiʻi decided to have a meeting.
Too many departments and foci serving very few students and local/regional needs.
Needs to market itself better to out-of-state students.
There are many programs or schools that seem out of touch with current and future reality, and their leadership (not necessarily the Dean) is stuck in an old model, “fixed mindset”, siloed -- and therefore unable to adapt. - Biology - some engineering - Chemistry - Advising program - inadequate funding/staffing in general; health sciences advising can be improved; pre-medical advising is very, very inadequate. Chronic underfunding . At several high levels, they know they need to partner with others, create synergies, but there is tremendous difficulty executing this. Some due to entrenched faculty. Other reasons??
The size of the institution can be a weakness - do we really need ten campuses with so many on a single island (Oʻahu)? The campuses and learning centers on the neighbor islands are essential and can be vital drivers of development, but the number of campuses on Oʻahu does not make sense with so much duplication of programs, services, and staffing as well as high costs to maintain so many buildings for so many campuses; there are too many administrators; the use of personnel is often inefficient, for example the number of instructional faculty who were hired for the primary purpose of instruction but are given release time or reassigned time, taken out of teaching and assigned to administrative projects leads to additional costs for hiring lecturers (Kapiʻolani CC is a good case in point) and uneven teaching loads; while the community colleges use advisory groups/boards to help design and evaluate their vocational programs, no such advisory boards are used by any of the non-vocational programs like those in liberal arts which leads to degree programs that are not preparing graduates for the workforce or higher degrees; accountability across all areas of the institution is an issue - this must be done in more intentional and transparent ways to increase public confidence in the organization.
Ten-campus system that doesn’t leverage resources well enough. Mired in layers of bureaucracy (fall out form the State’s bureaucracy). Constrained by unions.
Education? CTAHR in the controlled ag field? Allied health? Attitude towards community and commitments (e.g. Maunakea), arrogance, F/U, treatment of community colleges and West Oʻahu
Some leadership lacks vision, collaboration, prefer to work in silos; create their own fiefdoms, withhold information; have their minds set on what they would like to do - not open to input, but say they are. Some leaders push their own agendas and do not share those agendas with staff - are secretive. Some leadership supervise programs that may have work/scope that overlap and have the potential for leveraging, but they do not link those programs together. Campuses are encouraged to compete with each other and create silos. System offices have a hands-off approach and let campuses do their own thing. System offices do not exert any decision-making (for the good of the system) on campuses. Need to change this culture.
Education has been overlooked and, yes, as has the Arts and Sciences. While UH is a research university, it is a university first and foremost, i.e, make sure that the students receive an excellent university-level education.
Uneven political support. Bureaucracy. “Academic freedom” contributes to silos and fiefdoms.
Gridlock of the bureaucracy, university politics, intransigence, slow moving, competition and infighting between campuses, sometimes contentious relationship with the Hawaiʻi State Legislature, colleges operate in silos. Very little cross collaboration, degrading facilities, surrounding neighborhood not a cohesive “college town” atmosphere. Campus safety for students. Disabilities rights programs could be strengthened.
Lack of clear focus, lack of adequate and dependable funding source, poisonous faculty politics, legislative micromanagement, lack of strong support from state administration, weak regents and faulty selection process, dilapidated campus.
Tourism school under Shidler needs a lot of work, incentives for professors and other faculty/staff/students around IP and commercialization opportunities needs to be more entrepreneur advantageous to increase more disclosures and to incentivize new faculty.
Business … cross-disciplinary … computer science.
Direct engagement with policy elements of the state at all levels in terms of planning. Relatively slow engagement of faculty in the external dynamics of higher education change, what might be views as the political economy of higher education, both in the US and comparatively. A modest weakness is the current state of the UH Foundation in gaining resources to assist with the development of programs, especially in emergent policy areas.
UH limited by state officials who continue to view UH not as a resource, but as a political toy.
Declining resources, inability to identify a shared mission, declining institutional and individual engagement in Hawaiʻi’s communities, uneven top leadership from the BOR, lack of technological investment and training to encourage online courses, uncertain institutional identity.
Large, difficult to change.
Some buildings and infrastructure are still woeful, despite progress in recent decades. The institution is still too subject to petty whims from state government.
Need to work on eliminating bureaucracy, barriers to innovation (including broken systems of fiscal oversight, procurement, etc.), need to have distance from the whims of individual legislators that set up programs that are cost ineffective but suit their personal goals, need a futures oriented approach to programming rather than a reactive approach. Need more faculty development around teaching excellence and innovative online delivery, need to acknowledge the value of the humanities, arts, and social sciences and stop overemphasizing STEM fields.
Unsure.
A bureaucratic system that is slow to react to various stimuli and a faculty that too often is inward looking and consumed by issues at the most “local” level, ie, department and program. As a whole, the University tends to lack a sense of its collective purposes in society and the world and to allow these broader goals and the many intellectual questions and issues involved to go unacknowledged and/or addressed.
Infrastructure in disrepair. Reputation as a party school, not for serious students.

Responses to question on UH’s opportunities:

To diversity the 10-campus system in scope/emphasis through strategic merging of programs, use of multi platforms of offering coursework and degree/certificate programs, through moving faculty to different campuses -- also support to remove people from positions quickly and seamlessly
Technology.
Location; ability to bring people together to plan for the future.
System-wide online service that moves an institution from enrollment to graduation while providing marketing, analytics and support services.
Distance education.
Continue increasing outreach into community and high schools, partnering more with other campuses, expanding current FYE programs with staff, students by increasing budget.
Agriculture, astronomical research.
Environmental health. Cultural health. Humanity - local and global.
Island location.
Provision of educational opportunities to fulfill workforce demands.
Becoming an online training center for short turnaround degrees and certificates. Embracing and implementing being a premier indigenous serving institution.
NREM, political science emphasis, futures and sustainability, Hawaiian Language, indigenous mathematics, American studies, indigenous medicine, Hawaiian studies, Chinese language.
Stop TMT from going onto Maunakea. Care about our community and culture. Get better class advisors. My advisor told me that my dream wasn’t “good enough” and gave me this cookie-cutter career path. You should support all dreams no matter what. It’s not their decision.
Zero waste initiatives, sustainability departments and initiatives, environmental education departments and initiatives.
Location, affordability, ability to recruit diverse graduate students.
UH’s written mission statement revolves around sustainability and Hawaiian culture, but in reality, the university system perpetuates so much of the very problems its mission statement aims to address. Ua mau ke ‘eā o ka ‘āina I ka pono is literally on our logo. Put your money wear your mouth is. Fund programs that achieve your mission statement.
Location is prime for becoming a hub for sustainability studies, making indigenous studies more accessible in education.
Ability to engage with local leaders to diversify state economy. uniquely positioned to serve as an academic and cultural meeting point between the Americas and Asia.
Think of where we are - use aloha ‘āina and Hawaiian knowledge more in the curriculum and in the way UH is run. Develop future local leaders who can help us 1) diversify our economy so we are less reliant on imports, tourism, and military; and 2) develop environmentally sustainable ways of living to combat the climate change will has the potential to decimate our island home.
Provide leaders with training they need to perform and meet expectations that we have for them, if they do not produce and execute then we need to be courageous enough to let them go. Same thing goes for staff with leaders setting the example. I believe most people are good and they want to help, but many lack the right skill sets or motivation to. If we can operate more like a team and see each workday like game day with the goal of “being in the zone”, we will be able to get ourselves out of the rut we’re in. We need to stop letting our own inefficiencies and shortcomings keep on bring us down.
Geographic location. COVID-19.
Covid-19 provides an opportunity to pivot in our practices, policies, ways of doing; becoming a key player in addressing workforce short-term and long-term needs.
We need to work on our reputation in the community.
Sustainability; indigenous knowledge; sustainable tourism.
Growth in technology.
Early college and dual credit.
Educational opportunities afforded by new rail system (e.g., increased accessibility, connectivity between some campuses); transit-oriented development around rail stops. Pandemics. Appreciation of locally grown food
International business. Healthcare technology. Lead/train opportunities away from the dependence on tourism.
With COVID, there are lots of opportunities if we can empower folks to innovate. Healthcare industry and education are ripe for change. Also, opportunity to support the State in diversification of industries. Hospitality industry will also be in flux for a while and in need of change.
Military.
World-indigenous studies and lifeways. Environmental wellbeing. Leadership.
Reorganize campuses to have specific identities/program focus versus duplication across multiple campuses, distance learning, early college.
Continue to grow DOWN into the high schools through dual credit programs, OUT into non-campus-based instruction in communities and workplaces, and UP into a much stronger commercialization arm.
Computer science can be anywhere. Age of virus may be to Hawaiʻi’s advantage if can replace tourism.
Health care and health research post COVID.
AG, land management.
Distance learning is real now! Certain leading programs should be offering certificate or other non-degree programs online. Especially TIM, Hawaiian Language and Culture, International Business, and other programs that the word “Hawaiʻi” might be able to attract interest and drive a brand wedge between competitive online programs. 2. Cybersecurity is big business now - is a BS or MS program possible? 3. Gaming is a real sport and business now. Can ACM expand their programs to degree level for gaming? Can e-Sports even be added to UH Athletics. Offer as an online program? 4. Culinary is a big field now, mostly at the CC level, but there is a growing movement towards “culinary sovereignty” and culinary as identity. Could culinary offer a 4-year degree that builds on trade skills learned at the AA level, to a BA in sociology/history/hospitality degree. This will build a cohort of culinarians that aren’t only highly skilled tradespeople but can also research and communicate Hawaiʻi’s unique cultural identity.
Promote more science challenges for young students. Be involved with engaging youth in music, arts, agriculture, science, ecology, fitness. Do a simple geology workshop for elementary children to explain what kinds of rocks are around them. Do a simple astronomy workshop to show the night skies. do agriculture workshop for elementary children to grow things or about bugs. UH has such knowledge that could light up children’s minds. Hawaiian culture programs for elementary students.
I’m tempted to say safety compared to other “destination” universities, but I’m not convinced COVID-19 is forever. Maybe global warming. Hawaiʻi is going to be an involuntary laboratory for that.
Re-designing the Hawaiʻi economy Our physical position in the world in relationship to the east and far east - China, Japan, Korea.
Planned growth and sustainability programs.
Create a new School of CS/AI. Create a product/innovation center. Project UH resources into DOE K12 schools, “adopt a school.” Terminate departments and colleges with declining enrollments -- turn to online. Create a BS/MS program in R&D management and product development. Inter-disciplinary center in ecommerce, Asian languages and markets, and product design. PTC, networking, software design, and Burns School of Medicine -- Tele-Medicine center. Project “barefoot doctor” program into neighborhoods like Kalihi, Nānākuli, and Molokaʻi. Develop an educational and research program based on UAS.
Globalism, defense/military studies, selected scientific areas (marine science).
Artificial Intelligence, global warming, sustainability, TMT, workforce development - reopening the economy.
Outdoor and field classrooms.
Ecotourism. Graduates can do around the globe.
Technology, tourism, medical.
International Law, medical research, computer science and engineering.
National Conferences and Conventions in Hawaiʻi. Difficult now because of COVID- 19.
COVID-19 long term effects. People may want their children to stay home; but by the same token, people who don’t live in Hawaiʻi may be reluctant to send their kids so far away.
Attract international talent.
Remote workplace for tech.
Trans-Pacific trade and politics will continue to be important, though UH ignores most of the eastern side of the Pacific.
Innovate economic solutions to deal with homelessness, income inequality, food security, sustainable tourism, respect for indigenous knowledge/practices, environmental stewardship. Demonstrate an understanding that all the issues are interconnected and provide a model for Island Earth how to build a promising, just, equitable community.
Remote learning opportunities to allow students to take classes on other UH campuses for credit.
Some of tourism will be shed and some investment people may be more open to diving into Hawaiʻi.
Ethnically diverse student population but I’m not sure if there is sufficient geographical diversity. Low tuition cost but high housing cost. Opportunity to provide intellectual leadership in the larger community.
Film industry training.
Astronomy, business, culinary.
Culinary.
Climate change.
Making tourism work as well for locals as tourists-a worldwide challenge that if met by UH makes UH a world leader.
Culture-based knowledge and innovation through science and the arts.
Broaden economy.
UH does a very good job promoting their sports program. If they can tie it in with other campus or community-involvement it would increase their numbers of participates/attendance.
See #3.
Travel industry management, controlled growth and development in urban planning, strategic planning for education.
International students.
Push the colleges mentioned in Item 3 and ensure that their successful programs receive extensive media coverage (traditional, digital, and social).
there is space to hold events with social distancing.
Economic enterprise and workforce development.
COVID-19 is an opportunity for UH to be the engine that shapes post-COVID Hawaiʻi.
The changing world. Figure it out.
Healthcare delivery, re-setting relationship between astronomy and the community, better coordination between community, defense, and campus priorities.
Scientific research. Technology.
Telecommunications, distance learning, environmental sciences.
Develop collaborative programs with agencies and private sector to 1) focus research onto topics where it will matter to the people of Hawaiʻi, 2) professional opportunities for students and career development, 3) demonstrate the utility and relevance of UH to State politicians
Continue supporting the programs that are successful and experiment with having those programs help to collaborate and develop programs in other colleges. Success breeds success. Develop more work commitment opportunities where students are locked into work to help them to allow for partial debt forgiveness.
Rising to the challenge of COVID-19.
Political will lacking for any major shifts.
Sustainable, local ag/food production, energy, community development; coral reef research and oceanography.
This will be a time of re-building, which includes the kinds of skill sets needed in our workforce and approaches the public and private sector take to build a more resilient and sustainable future. UH should be the tip of the spear in training and thinking.
Climate Change is a threat and an opportunity.
Location and military numbers.
There are many opportunities for UH to lend their technical/economic/environmental expertise to Hawaiʻi’s administrative agencies but no clear mechanism to accomplish that or apparent interest by the agencies or UH to build those bridges.
Oceanic research. Astronomy. Hospitality and travel. Increase community college training of healthcare, construction trades, and other trades (e.g., auto mechanics).
Major educational and research institution in the region. Impressive research outcomes for size.
Investing in and developing new markets to help reduce the state’s reliance on tourism.
Accessibility to a rich culture and tourism that comes to Hawaiʻi to learn about that culture.
Alternative energy, agriculture, technology, TMT - get it built!
Farm-to-table movement; marine resources; great power competition in Oceania.
Remote learning, business, agriculture.
Providing the know-how to develop the tech industry to support other sectors and enable residents to work from home. Developing distance learning to compete with other higher ed institutions.
Eye toward expanding economy beyond tourism and defense, especially given COVID-19 pandemic
University Lab School is an underutilized opportunity and more could be done with it; school of Hawaiian knowledge is the only one like it in the world and more could be done with it; trying to become a self-sustaining university (stop importing so much food, goods and services) and encourage colleges and schools to contribute in their specialty areas (i.e. CTAHR can work on farming for the University).
The State and UH are perfectly poised to be a poster child of a green economy (renewable energy, sustainable tourism, regenerative agriculture). We can’t compete in a lot of industries, but we have enough political will and community appetite to be a leader in sustainability.
Triple bottom Line business movement, island sustainability, Climate change response, healthy living, place-based tourism, entrepreneurism.
Prioritize local economy and students; Be a research leader/model for sustainability, environmental conservation, food security, agriculture, and climate change mitigation (since we have such diverse ecosystems and great weather year-round, but live on an island with finite resources that need to be managed better).
Anniversaries of departments, campuses, schools, institutes and acknowledgements of noted faculty, projects and publications - There is no place or single source to see Hall of Honor, Noted Faculty and Administrators, System- wide notable Publications; i.e., the 1920s, 1940s, 1960s and 1970s were times of tremendous changes and growth in CSS alone there are multiple departments celebrating 50, 60, and 100 year anniversaries and multiple national and international projects, partnerships, and publications recognized as major achievements influencing communities. The new UH News publications has become a stellar publication on current activities but there is no place to recognize our history and achievements which helped establish our UH reputation.
Figuring out a role to take world or at least national leadership after the pandemic. Can’t be tourism, more tech or defense or environmental or center of thought related.
Fundraising technology, ocean, solar, astronomy, education.
Outstanding science, medicine, business programs.
Sustainability integrated with Hawaiian culture.
Climate resilience; climate adaptation; renewable energy; clean transportation; cultural values to address climate change.
Location to Asia. Diversity and tolerance. Connection to land-based learning.
East West Center.
Observatories on Maunakea, ocean research to develop health products, agriculture.
Research.
Increased frustration with tourism and demand for a more diversified economy, increased demand for local food and locally produced products, increased frustration with how development is being carried out and need for better processes, increased activity in the Aloha ‘Āina movement, need for health workers, need for social services workers, need for affordable housing, the impending retirement of baby boomers and related impact on industries from their departing the workforce and kupuna care related, other universities being forced to offer remote opportunities due to COVID-19, slow economy might encourage folks to go back or go to school.
Climate change, which will transform Hawaiʻi; e.g., ocean rise, increasing temperatures.
Hawaiʻi is multicultural in its makeup and yet has not capitalized on creating systems that reflect that mix of culture, thinking, and application.
Is there any possibility of getting TMT back?
Use Native Hawaiian Studies program to cultivate Native Hawaiian leaders. Be the go-to source in the community to give accurate information whenever major news issues arise.
Lecture series. Online education. Host events for the community. Appeal to local high school grads who might consider UH over mainland college. Optimize East- West Center. Help UH grads get high caliber jobs in Hawaiʻi by fostering connections with the business community.
We are experiencing dysfunction at all levels of our society these days. UH has the potential to give many of their students hands on experience in applying their course work into the world around them. For example, I understand that medical students get to practice the art of medicine on the homeless that live near the school. Many other examples abound with a little imagination and a lot of work. Also, our world hungers for leaders with integrity. Our island heritage can give many of our students a head start in developing and practicing leadership skills with integrity. I would also add that although the Maunakea telescope, as presently conceived, appears to be doomed, but, at some undetermined future time, a different kind of telescope and different kinds of benefits for all stakeholders, might make something worth building. Also, recent events make it even more imperative that we urgently work toward a more self-sustaining economy. UH can be a great resource for those efforts.
Environmental sciences and natural resource management will grow rapidly in response to climate change; information management and public health are the touchstones of the future society and will expand dramatically as distance traveling declines and insurance-based health care models collapse. As airlines and hotels go into receivership, the labor force must be reeducated to provide the services we will all need: health (personal and environmental), remote learning and work (information management) and food (restructured local agriculture). Public administration will be critical as institutions must become entrepreneurial and nimble. Must build joint projects with the best universities around the world.
Scientific, particularly astronomy
Narrow the focus to key areas of strength and put more resources into those programs.
We should be leaders of environmental science based on our unique geographical position and interest in sustainability.
The current COVID-19 pandemic shows a need to improve online education opportunities.
Cost of mainland college and fear of COVID-19.
Teach students not just research; most students won’t be able to go away.
Localized economic planning and environmental planning, resilience.
Rising international profile, especially Far East, technology niches, language proficiencies.
Some very strong research capacity on campus that has real tangible benefit, including in training a competent workforce that will support our economic and cultural health. As an indigenous-serving institution, it is also uniquely situated to provide leadership in the area of indigenous affairs, training, etc.
Local agricultural production, public health.
UH could be the academic leader in the Pacific Rim, collaborating on sustainability and governance issues facing the region. Most academic disciplines touch on one of these two areas (sustainability and governance). It feels UH has become too insular over the last ten years ... needs to expand its scope and lens beyond the islands. Hawaiian language, culture, history and political challenges should continue to be integrated. I’d love to see UH become a premier innovation University, connected to the issues facing both the islands and the region. Perhaps expanding scope could also bring in more dollars. Development of more innovative, hands on programming to supplement traditional semester programming. More cross-listing of coursework and joint degrees.
Exportable technologies and ocean sciences.
Engineering medical science.
Technological developments should already have changed how UH deliver education. This is still an opportunity.
Find way to use distance learning to expand offerings to and with the Neighbor Islands and Oʻahu’s country (outside of Honolulu-Kāneʻohe-Kailua quadrant).
UH Lab School was once a wonderful institution that still has the potential to be a groundbreaking foundation for the College of Education and other UH programs; however, it lacks the funds and/or support from UH.
With our state economy being shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will be faced with re-opening our businesses, economy and tourism. Recognizing that tourism is the major industry that drives our economy and employs our people, we really need to push hard to incent and grow other industries that are more sustainable. Surely this is where brilliant young minds can be tapped to help create new businesses and grow new industries, so we don’t have to be so dependent on tourism alone.
Cohorts.
Offering degrees with flexible scheduling for working professionals.
More aggressive capture of local companies to support individual colleges, programs. More “Town and Gown”
Location in the middle of the Pacific.
Opportunities to professional programs (JABSOM, rural development).
Astronomy—Maunakea.
Climate change -- we could be the Pacific’s educational and research leader if we develop the right inter-departmental synergies and attract key researchers.
Health care opportunities.
Rebuilding the campus community in a smart way along the lines of the above (accentuating the strengths, working hard on remedying the many weaknesses).
Opportunity to become an Asia-Pacific leader in technology and future for policy planning.
Capitalize on sustainability and resilience programming. Require that all students learn about climate change. Establish climate change programs for students.
Rise of indigenous values.
Peace and negotiation is a growth industry sustainability and environmental preservation movement entrepreneurship and the gig economy (how can UH students slide easily into creating their own work and their own jobs).
Welcoming environment for students from Asia in a Western educational system. Loss of best and brightest to mainland schools and/or jobs. Need to develop sustainability strategies and policies for the most isolated land mass in the world.
Resiliency, climate change, negotiation, sustainability, social justice issues.
Change issues in #5 ... let Hawaiian Language campus manage the cultural aspects of the state that relate to education, including Maunakea.
Sustainability. Resilience. Emergence of stronger kānaka voice that more of us need to heed. The rise of an ever more conscious youth. Eliminating student debt. So much opportunity.
Distance learning; alternative energy opportunities. Downsizing faculty in favor of video learning.
Agriculture - need to find a way to feed the middle class and get them working, learning trades and professional skills that can help grow our independence. Also developing a strong brand for Hawaiʻi that is not based in tourism but based in agricultural and retail exports using a network of sponsored social influencers to help define and sustain demand for things made in Hawaiʻi.
Biocultural approaches sustainability issues models for non-growth economies
Business, astronomy, education research, ocean and aquaculture.
Both public and private colleges and universities were struggling prior to the pandemic due to a variety of factors, which evens the playing field for attracting more top local students who may choose to stay home and the opportunity to reinvent the UH system in a number of ways.
Agriculture for sustainability.
No comment.
Develop niches as opposed to broad economic development initiatives.
Leader in sustainability curriculum, policies, projects and innovation, building on island values and systems thinking.
UH has made strides in the public relations area, but there is more to be done. There needs to be more connectivity with the community as a whole so that the local residents develop that deep connection with the University and are willing to go the extra mile to provide support.
As the world clamors for answers to complex sustainability challenges, Hawaiʻi’s unique socioecological context position us uniquely to become a global leader in research and education for sustainability.
Location - Exportation of education to Asia.
Center of Hawaiian language and learning, local and accessible, faculty who know and care about Hawaiʻi.
Economic Recovery from COVID-19, global warming preparation, alternate sustainable energy, astronomy, marine biology, eco-tourism
Super smart/passionate faculty (especially of the just-tenured generation), super smart/passionate students; we lead in Indigenous knowledge across disciplines, especially as it relates to aloha ʻ÷ina and sustainability; UHM’s Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation Campus Center.
Distance Learning, ASU model, partnering with other prominent programs and offering reciprocal acceptance of credits while becoming the “one year abroad” for universities around the world.
Environmental concerns; growing recognition of the importance of Asia and the need for expertise; diversity as a key value in the future in the U.S. and beyond.
More U.S. and international focus on Asia-Pacific, and the need for people trained to operate in international, cross-cultural contexts; strong Asia Pacific languages training. Tropical medicine and public health training opportunities flowing from climate change challenges in the region; tremendous IT capabilities and opportunity to link more constructively with Asia Pacific.
The novel coronavirus will break Hawaiʻi’s path one of two ways. Either Hawaiʻi vigorously embraces a screening, testing, tracing, and tracking mechanism to restore safe air travel and position itself as a destination with first-mover advantage, resetting its economic position to an approximation of 2019 from which it can move forward in reinvigorating economic growth and the means to achieve multiple objectives, or it will squander an especially successful first six weeks of mitigation by undermining the next six weeks of containment to reboot economic activity as I described above -- uniquely (among the states, given that unlike Las Vegas you can’t drive here) -- as a safe air travel destination with rigorous public health protocols, or it will fail to reestablish its principal export (tourism), forego the one-quarter of economic activity associated with it, experience a diminution of real living standards of even more than that (because of interlinkages) to approximately 60 percent of its end-2019 per capita level, and endure a decade or more of net outmigration last experienced by the Neighbor Islands’ economies from about the late 1920s (we only have the 1930 census against which to benchmark) through the late-1960s when the hippies showed up after Woodstock on the Neighbor Islands and eventually became Realtors. Everybody forgets that the Neighbor Isles shrank ABSOLUTELY for forty years in the modern era before and after WWII. It could easily happen again, and this time to Oʻahu. So, UH will rise or fall with those outcomes. Not the question you asked but the answer that matters.
Push for sustainability and resilience. Potential to rely on local sources of food, energy and water.
Hawaiʻi is a great place to live if a person can work from home. UH could perhaps support that better.
Bioengineering, biomedical engineering, geothermal/alternate engineering, agriculture - anything to diversify the economy. College of ED -- needs more everything to address the teacher shortage. Find the silver lining of COVID-19 and start moving. UH value needs to be promoted to government and business sectors. Rapidly. But also needs to be staffed/funded so that we can deliver on promises.
The weaknesses are also opportunities. In addition, in the COVID-19 era, UH can lead the way in helping all sectors of the economy and all sectors of its own organization envision new ways to use technology to continue to operate and provide programs and services at a distance. UH has a capable body of technology staff, distance learning experts, instructional designers, and pioneers in areas such as digital media, telemedicine, and open education resources. These people, programs and resources can help reshape and reinvigorate Hawaiʻi’s development across sectors. Capitalize on geographic location and Asia-Pacific regional partnerships.
Sustainability should be more prominent and civic engagement. A focus on UN’s development goals would give us an edge in recruitment. A focus on social justice. Young people today are far more activist than before. We would do well to emphasize these aspects of learning at the UH.
Distance learning, lifelong learning, move away from focus on four year UH-Mānoa diploma.
Online learning, industry connections, flexible work schedules, work from home options.
More multidisciplinary experiences, more service-oriented courses.
Data science, especially in applications for resource management, STEM in general, and defense. Integration of traditional knowledge with contemporary science and pedagogies.
Kamehameha Schools development in the area surrounding UH. Opportunities for more college life, affordable housing, retail, restaurants. Can more large benefactors follow in footsteps of Jay Shidler? Infusion of capital into other programs. Post COVID-19, is remote education more feasible? What lessons can we learn about greater, cost effective use of technology for a quality higher education that we can retain going forward?
TIMWith all the talk of realigning the state’s economy from service-based to more knowledge-based UH would seem to be a key element in both defining what this means and producing the leadership and workforce to meet it. UH needs to do a better job of aligning its greatest resources to the state’s most pressing needs. It would involve rethinking the value of programs, which given the constituencies they all have would be a difficult lift with the politics on campus and off. But it is necessary if UH is to realize its potential.
Tropical ag, sustainable ag, tourism, medicinal plants, product development, marine sciences, aquaculture, alternative energy, tele-health (Place based, food security, remote island highly dependent on imports).
International students. Renewable energy. Coding.
Policy and future studies, climate change led by its expertise in ocean science, network of largely Asian universities, excellent University Press, greater development of integration between community colleges and the other campuses, especially through electronic linkage. Creating a stronger linkage between graduates at all levels and their relevant feedback for improvements in educational programs and administration behavior and activities.
It should be more aggressive in expanding opportunities to establish permanent ties to Asia.
Opportunities to develop and strengthen networks with Pacific basin colleges and universities, opportunity to capitalize important infrastructure [e.g. telescopes, microbial oceanography building and networks], repositories of historic and cultural resources, expertise in fields such as climate science and climate adaptation, attractive site for many students and experts from the Pacific basin.
PPP, integration with community.
Continuing to improve the residential/community aspects on and near campuses.
In crisis there is the opportunity to envision a future Hawaiʻi not dependent upon tourism -- but local needs. Certainly, thinking about programs that are on the cutting edge of computer technology. It would be great if we could frame future programming within their political and policy contexts and avoid the silo-ing that exists between colleges and units.<
New local small farming (CTAHR); architecture/construction for low-cost housing solutions; engineering/chemistry/electrical for electric vehicle trend.
Redefining how instruction is conceived and conducted, such as the engagements that have been forced on it by the pandemic. A “new” examination of “future studies” based on the complex social and economic transformations being unleashed by the pandemic, population dynamics, and climate change.
Studies leveraged from its core competencies, such as marine biology and invasive species control. Diplomacy such as East-West Center.

Responses to question on UH’s threats:

State government officials that do not see value added Businesses that seek to educate their own workers. Unions that do not want to work with UH. Internal people and programs that stand in the way of change
Isolation.
Native Hawaiians can be both a strength and a threat. Not involving the Native Hawaiian population in decisions will most likely be a threat to UH. Keep them close.
COVID-19; social unrest; market decline (enrollment).
Distance education.
COVID-19, economy, budget cuts, possible layoffs.
Lack of state investment, weak leadership, top-heavy executive administration team, unprepared UH Regents.
Government (governor/state legislature) that does not support higher education. World economic condition. World pandemic situation.
Big outside investors and their exploitation of Hawaiʻi. State-level leadership.
Too many priorities and duplications of programs.
Online education from out of state, lack of growth.
Loss of revenue due to Covid-19.
Tourism, service-based economy, dependence on Military and other federal interests, dependence on supply chains, and out of state resources, using out of state consulting groups to do surveys and research.
COVID-19’s impact on technology-delivery systems for classes.
Public face when going against the Hawaiian people. Be better.
Climate change effects on all aspects of society, climate denial policy, wage gap disparity, food insecurity.
High cost of energy, high cost of transportation, issues with the faculty labor pool: awarding of tenure frustrates many faculty and UH suffers from difficulty in recruitment of faculty.
Disaster capitalism. COVID-19 budget cuts. Climate change. Corporate control of state priorities including UH operational contracting.
Disconnect with the community.
High cost of living, difficult job market, and local idea that UH system wastes a lot of money.
Climate change, the continuation of ‘universities run as a business’ model, rising tuition cutting off valuable contributors to our community who happen to be low SES, alienating the local community with too-high tuition and poor decisions (such as not supporting Maunakea kia‘i).
There are others who are and will always be able to do what we do much more nimbly because of the processes that we need to follow as a State entity. We know this and we also know there is little in our control to change this, so we need to adapt. We need to change the way we think about situations and how we engage with others. We need to be a lot more proactive and creative in how we construct partnerships and initiatives. It is not enough to rely on the brilliance of our faculty and our goodwill anymore.
Bureaucracy.
Same as listed in opportunities.
Economy in a tailspin. Will we even have a university in five years?
COVID-19.
Tourism; the military; COVID-19; foreigners.
Decrease of international students (undergraduate and graduate).
Inability to be nimble and pivot quickly.
Focusing too much on the visitor industry. Divisive rhetoric that squelches creativity and damages the morale and productivity of UH employees.
State legislators directing higher education.
The economy could sink us if we can’t figure out how to get folks back to work. Need to have a plan for tourism and hospitality for short-term. Do not want us to rely so heavily on tourism and hospitality in the long-term.
Less events/less revenue.
Cooperate manipulations of UH and State of Hawaiʻi procedures.
Greater competition with other universities that have ramped up their ability to deliver programs and degrees online, drop in college-going rate within the State of Hawaiʻi.
Micromanaging by the legislature. Cuts in allocations from the state general fund. Cuts in market share by the growing presence of the very agile and innovative Arizona State University. The growing irrelevance for some people of the campus- based four-year degree as opposed to short-term, just-in-time, industry-tailored credentialing or micro degrees. I’m not a fan of tenure because it tends to make some people less productive, impact-driven, and collaborative and sometimes less focused on a priority of teaching and serving students and society rather than a priority on research that gets published in refereed journals. Climate change is a huge external threat, as of course are pandemics as we’re just learning.
State government interferes with education. Too much administrative burden. Too much political interference.
TMT and resolving the Hawaiian versus community interests that are so divided.
Bad actors, admitted, cyber security.
Demographics: the number of college aged people is shrinking, but the cost basis for running a university isn’t. Non-traditional programs can only contribute so much. Is it time for a university downsizing? Similar to Hawaiʻi private schools. 2. Competitive landscape: can’t rely on our tropical location to draw out of state students anymore when distance learning can draw them to best-in-class instruction from anywhere in the world. 3. The changing role of higher ed: What is the role of UH in Hawaiʻi? A traditional land/sea/space grant institution that is research oriented? A university that produces engaged citizenry? A collection of trade schools for business, health, etc to ensure needed skills are kept in state?
The loudest voices are being heard and might not always reflect what most people believe. I want to hear UH professors weigh in on critical issues. If they are not heard, Hawaiʻi is hurt and UH is irrelevant/irresponsible.
Unpleasant weather due to global warming. Lack of willingness to raise taxes to fund salaries and improvements.
Supply chain issues - Young Brothers, COVID-19 issues, economy too dependent on tourism, out migration of young people and families.
Low production of studies that need doing. Too much aloha and not enough contribution to state/region. Resting on laurels. Not the best faculty, and way too much bureaucracy.
Online programs from leading universities attract Hawaiʻi students. Economic crisis dries up funding for UH.
Pandemics, economic recession, parochialism
Economy, pandemics, natural disasters, online institutions, legislative support
Content and curriculum that doesn’t support the current COVID-19 social distancing situation.
Losing TMT.
Global financial crisis, hurricanes, tsunami, global warming
COVID-19, immigration difficulties.
Lack of state funding.
Politics.
Too expensive. Taxes too high.
Travel and tourism are going to suffer for a few years. Can UH develop tools for these industries?
Thinking too small -- too entrenched in how things used to be. Not taking the opportunities to open up imaginations on all the possibilities of how things might be able to work going forward.
Not reopening on-campus classes after this threat is extinguished.
The legislature.
Online college courses. Losing top local talent to schools on the mainland. Cost of living (particularly housing) threatens enrollment, diversity and also ability to recruit and retain talent.
Funding!
Government interference, lack of funding.
Administration.
Out of touch faculty.
Economic downturn; cultural and religious intolerance aimed at math and science.
Recruiting alumni back from the mainland with fresh ideas. Being stuck in old, traditional classes and not offering new, edgy, exciting, creative educational tracks for incoming, local, high school students.
Tourism decline. Economic disparities.
Political correctness.
Losing students from Hawaiʻi to mainland schools and because of lacking facilities or programs.
Meddling and interference by elected officials. State economic collapse.
Cost of living -- brain drain. Too much control by legislature.
Financial support from the state.
Online learning will become more important. I don’t know how well the university is organized for adapting to this new reality. The current poor economy may lead to lower enrollment over the course of the next few years.
Lack of career paths for graduates in the local community.
Lack of Legislature support.
None.
Lack of support at legislature and in the community.
Limited jobs in Hawaiʻi outside of tourism.
Distance, lack of STEM students.
Not current. No reliable opinion.
Lack of programmatic flexibility. Low level of support from state legislature.
Being complacent, focusing too much on areas that might not move the campuses forward, accelerating the cost of education beyond the reach of the masses. Too many students waver on taking on large amounts of debt in order to get an education -- institutional education is valuable, but it is not invaluable.
The quickly disappearing “middle class”; 2. poor infrastructure; 3. public monies wasted (e.g. the “rail”); 4. a public education system that is unimaginative, not research based, not developmental level appropriate, not child friendly, not teacher friendly, with a bloated administration -- this is relevant because a) UH supplies the teachers/administrators as a near monopoly and b) this system “feeds” into the UH system.
Downturn from the pandemic.
Lethargic leadership and suspicious legislators micro-managing UH.
N/A
Loss of tourism revenue, more local kids seeking educational opportunities on mainland, online or other Universities seeking opportunities in Hawaiʻi (e.g. ASU).
Its own self-doubt and falling into the same trap when faced with similar foes. Budget pressures are real but have to look at the opportunity to be bold and do something different. The threat would be to approach exactly how we did during the great recession, which got us through but did not make us stronger or more resilient. I admire institutions that made really tough choices and made strategic vertical cuts versus taking a little from everyone and leaving the overall body weak and still recovering (and now worse with COVID).
COVID-19 impacts to tourism and service Industry.
Location and lack of financial resources.
The current economic cataclysm inflicted on Hawaiʻi will translate to a smaller university and less attractive salaries. Continued, ongoing political and special interest meddling in UH’s funding and policies will lead to further deterioration of the quality of education and research that will be performed at the University.
Federal decrease in funding. Students not able to afford education.
Lack of science and culture intertwine.
Massive potential budget cuts. Bureaucracy makes UH un-nimble.
Future pandemics, reduced student enrollment.
How tourism has been impacted.
Low enrollment, low graduation rates, old dorms/buildings.
Hawaiian rights versus science; politicizing education planning and growth; climate change.
The legislature, demands of Native Hawaiian community.
Competition from other institutions of higher education with more robust online and distance learning programCOVID-19 pandemic, anti-science /education rhetoric.
Maunakea, if the university continues on its current path, it will be marked in the history books as a gross injustice to the native Hawaiian community and general land use.
Lack of economic diversity in Hawaiʻi.
Hawaiʻi dependence on tourism and travel, US isolation/International policy, Hawaiʻi cost of living, State hiring policies.
Prioritizing the wrong projects (TMT) that don’t value the sacredness of Hawaiʻi’s culture and people. That’s not Pono science.
Climate change, sea level rise, globalization and isolation. Faculty need to be part of the community and not operate in silos. UH needs partnerships with organizations such as the East West Center, Daniel K. Inouye Institute, as well as professional organizations.
Poor student and faculty support for distance learning and examinations.
Losing tourism industry as driving force in economy, war with China (or others), climate change affecting our climate, shorelines, livable weather etc., large enrollment drops (population change, disease, costs, etc.).
Pandemics, natural disasters (hurricanes, volcanos, etc), terrorists, anti-science and right-wing ideologies, public apathy.
The community concerns that are destroying the world-class astronomy programs on Mauna Kea. There needs to be Hoʻoponopono to bring the sides together.
Local kids being outpriced, faculty with poor research and community outreach skills, destabilizing CTAHR when we need it more than ever.
Academic programs fail to sufficiently address climate change and sustainability imperatives.
Isolation. Dependence on government funding.
Don’t know.
Legislators money.
Perception that mainland colleges are better, TMT and other telescopes on Maunakea and public opinion, COVID-19 shutting down campuses and dorms, quick shift to workforce training.
Decreasing state revenues; inability of policy makers to make difficult decisions regarding preparing for likely long term problem, e.g., over dependence on tourism sector of economy.
Geographical isolation, lack of exposure to U.S. & world ideas, and innovations.
Pandemic. Economic downturn. State budget deficit.
Loss of grants from the federal government for research. Inability to be part of an effective resolution to the Maunakea dispute.
Perception of mediocrity. Cost of living in Hawaiʻi. Disconnect between succeeding at UH and landing a good job.
Nationally, internationally, and to a somewhat lesser extent, locally, leaders who utilize fascist tactics are on the rise. See Jason Stanley’s “How Fascism Works”. One of the tactics of fascism is “anti-intellectualism.” UH faces grave threats, both within and without. COVID-19 is a threat. No need to say more.
Foreign students stopping coming to Hawaiʻi; State budget cuts undermine UH financial stability; failure to do state of the art research would mean that UH ceases to be attractive to both faculty and students. Disasters (of many kinds) will become more frequent. Emergency responses, management skills, and planning will be required everywhere and more frequently.
Financing and outside disinterest.
Insufficient resources
This is speculation ... on-going investments from long term funders/industries that make it easy to be complacent and not seek out new opportunities. So, we only keep doing what we do and don’t break the mold. Not changing fast enough to offer courses and to expand fields of study that will help to reshape our community.
Less financial support from the state legislature due to a substantial loss of revenue due to a major recession during the next two to three years.
Lack of community and legislative support.
Online from mainland schools will cut into market.
Lack of coordination with place-based work, top down planning, disconnection with place-based expertise.
Need to adapt to a more effective on-line learning system, decaying infrastructure, over emphasis on athletics, especially football, antiquated training for public school teachers, rising costs and rising student debt.
Dodgy funding model that is dependent in part on the vagaries of a finicky legislature. Infrastructure and physical assets are in need of upgrade. Cost of living versus remuneration present challenges for attracting and retaining talented faculty.
Hawaiʻi’s overexploitation re: tourism
COVID-19 and the financial impacts. Shifting to so many online courses will negatively impact the fabric of the University. Online is helpful for nontraditional students but isn’t ideal for more traditional students. I know it saves a lot of money, but it doesn’t create an innovative or productive learning environment for most. It also doesn’t create a strong sense of connection to the UH brand, the UH experience. Climate change and how it will impact Hawaiʻi overall, college becoming unaffordable to so many. How do we keep tuition affordable AND pay faculty competitive wages?
Lack of legislative support. Large university but local support seems to reflect it as a second-tier choice over Mainland schools.
Political dogma with little stable leadership too insular and not enough interconnection with broader community.
Other institutions already using new technology to deliver content.
Loss of general fund revenue, loss of federal grants, lack of independent endowment, aging buildings, inflated salaries and retirement costs.
Social distancing.
Too great dependency on tourism and visitor industry. The economic boondoggle we called our rail project. Once built, well over the projected budget, and up and running we will be taxed to the max just to keep it running and maintained. I’ve heard estimates at approximately $900 million in annual maintenance cost just to keep it running. Ridership and fare income will not come anywhere near covering that cost. That is a major economic threat looming. Additionally, sea level rise, and king tides will have a major impact to the islands within the next 30 - 50 years. If we don’t start planning, and mitigating toward this eventuality it will be too late in another 20 years.
Not sure.
Not up to date with best online teaching practices, asynchronous sessions combined with synchronous sessions etc. …
Antagonizing relationship with state legislature Ability to be competitive in higher education options.
Cost of living.
Not recognizing trends quickly enough to capitalize.
Anti-business/development environment.
Prospective general weakening of the economy, budget slashes.
Being left out of progressive technology; entrepenurial thinking.
Obviously, the pandemic continues to demonstrate the power of abrupt change - public health, economic, climate, etc.
Political interference by “downtown interests” in academic and athletic programs.
UH’s threats are not dissimilar from general threats to the greater institution of academia.
Inertia and fear of change.
Anti-intellectualism Lack of computer literacy and critical thinking (deciphering fake news from reliable news and sifting through the large amount of available information) Rise of fascism in society and politics worldwide Low minimum income and high cost of living means students are not able to afford education or don’t see the use of having a bachelor’s (or above) degree when they will need to work minimum wage jobs anyway.
Loss of best students and faculty to mainland universities. Requiring research and publication, and excellence in teaching from the same individual, despite being very different skills. Producing thousands of graduates with few marketable skills, or skills unsuited the future workforce.
Not aware of any.
Outdated educational structure, current lack of value seen in education not so much in Hawaiʻi but overall, coronavirus ,and its impact on tourism.
UH seems somewhat resistant to change, inflexible about too many things, way too plantation-style leadership style.
Failure to adopt as UH policy and to utilize creative and appropriate dispute resolution as its default method for handling all of UH’s political, social, cultural, economic, departmental, student and other conflicts.
Too much reliance on bricks and mortar traditional education.
This pandemic has shown that a strong focus on tourism and sports is not the safest way to generate interest and revenue for the University.
US govt policies on education; budget dependent on tourist dollars; public distrust in science/facts.
Overextended and underfunded state programs competing for budgets.
Fewer international students; more legislative attention and intervention, increased isolation in a post-pandemic world for a variety of reasons.
The pressure to return to 10 million + visitors ... money that doesn’t really stay in our state and depends on a depressed working poor who are not paid a living wage to live in “paradise.”
No comment
Funding and over population if more Hawaiʻi students remain in Hawaiʻi rather than attend college in other states
Lack of resources; other universities attracting students away from what should be a core strength in sustainability, resilience and green growth strategies
Declining enrollment in higher education nationally will be an issue that UH will need to address immediately. This, combined with decreasing funding from legislative appropriations, will force UH to be innovative in alternative funding mechanisms, such as developing current University land into revenue generating sources. UH will need to be innovative in attracting new students and provide a variety of delivery options to meet the needs of traditional and non-traditional students.
In addition to the obvious threats posed by the current COVID-19 crisis, UH continues to be threatened by the same fundamental drivers disrupting Higher Education across the USA: 1) declining public investment creating upward pressure on tuition rates; 2) increasing global competition for students shifting institutional priorities & decision-making away from creating a principled, transformational learning experience for students and towards pandering to market-driven desires; 3) accelerating technology trends increasing access to teaching & learning resources at lower costs than traditional colleges & universities; 4) declining employment prospects for graduating high schoolers increasingly render student debt as untenable; 5) eroding perception of “the value of a degree” in the marketplace (especially the tech sector). In summary, declining relevance to a student’s context represents an existential threat to colleges and universities as we know them.
Political influence A lack of reserve capital to overcome mistakes in judgment. A lack of value to the resident of Hawaiʻi. Following best practices of other educational institutions with no practical relevance to Hawaiʻi.
Well-developed online education programs from mainland universities like Arizona State, hostility from legislature, not valued by citizens.
Local Politics, loss of community support, elimination of division I athletic programs.
Students/community are looking for relevancy, speed, access; UH is slow in these areas; obviously the state’s budget crisis is going to be terrible for us; the state doesn’t have a big vision so UH can’t track towards that; legislature and UH don’t have a good relationship
Distance learning, broken expensive model. While the college experience will be hard to replicate. This from a Silicon Valley billionaire last week: You see it in education. We have top-end universities, yes, but with the capacity to teach only a microscopic percentage of the 4 million new 18 year-olds in the U.S. each year, or the 120 million new 18 year-olds in the world each year. Why not educate every 18-year-old? Isn’t that the most important thing we can possibly do? Why not build a far larger number of universities, or scale the ones we have way up?
Political interference; timidity in planning in a consistent and sustainable way; rigidity of bureaucracy; lack of public funding, particularly funding without too many strings.
Local support for education turning inward, not seeing the opportunities for a truly great university with Asia-Pacific relevance that attracts students from U.S. mainland and Asia Pacific. Near-term economic collapse and inability for incoming students to pay tuition; small local pressure groups able to stop or at least stall any new initiatives; increasing focus on career preparation that shortchanges
Perceived mediocrity and irrelevance, fulfillment of those perceptions; constraints on federal funding for research as the cumulative impacts of budgetary imbalances over the last four to twelve years clash with the inevitable constraints imposed by the demographic transition; and frankly I think this issue of how to safely revive air travel and mobility such as what we had grown accustomed to is a serious issue.
Dependence on few sectors for economy and external products.
I think the state energy plan is painting all residents into a difficult corner, and UH will be affected by that. There are other state policies that ensure an extraordinarily high cost of living, which again affects UH. Rail, which will be far more expensive to operate than most people realize and will attract far fewer riders than the city has projected, is a prime example.
Funding - State and Federal Fixed mindset of faculty People not seeing the greater good.
The pandemic, economic downturn, and general uncertainty are significant threats. That uncertainty can cripple an organization or lead to inertia. UH leadership must take decisive, timely, and well-considered action to create a new vision for its future and the future of our state.
Online programs by reputable institutions of higher education. If this survey had been done three months ago, no one would have said pandemic, but now that is certainly a threat. Global events that preclude travel.
Reaction to arrogance (perceived and real), internal fights. HPU, for-profit colleges especially those online, acceptance of non-accredited colleges.
Not adapting and not embracing new ways of learning and working post COVID- 19.
Not graduating students with a sound, broad education with critical thinking and communication skills with a concern for the greater good, i.e., the community.
Growing Hawaiian unrest. Cost of living. Overreliance on a service industry as our economic base.
Global warming, continued global pandemics, cost of tuition rising and cost of living, brain drain of local youth, state budget cuts during an economic downturn which will strip UH of quality programs. Ivory tower education, instead of real-life education. UH needs to pivot to better reflect changing ideas and definitions of work.
A declining economy and state revenue picture under the current circumstances. A not-so-great perception of UH in the community. Politics, politics, politics.
Need to stay relevant and double down on strengths whether they be location, unique to Hawaiʻi, jobs here or the types of industries we are trying to create.
Online education. Vocational training.
Climate change, pandemics, growing nationalism especially in Asia and its reliance on international students, rapid changes taking place globally in the nature, organization, values and behaviors associated with higher education, especially the threat of AI and estimates that over the next decade or so it could result in the loss of 40% of jobs in developed economies.
The looming recession/depression will be a profound drag on any hopes of UH expansion.
Declining resources, vague and uncertain institutional priorities, increasing tuition costs, uncertain professional opportunities for local students who want to live here, inadequate online teaching resources and facilities, uncertain community commitment to the university system and willingness to fund it.
Online education, less state funding.
Creeping irrelevance of certain fields vis à vis limited administrative and political will or ability to make adjustments.
Clearly the economic crash of the tourist economy and the ripple effects this will have for state funding. The national anti-intellectualism that is impacting higher education. A rethinking of the value of higher education in the age of automation, the shifts away from American higher education towards other countries where funding is still prioritized and emphasized.
State severe budget crunch/recession.
Pandemic consequences; over-reliance on tourism for state economic health; absence of effective long-term planning based on external dynamics such as climate change and global demography, etc.
Manufacturing and agriculture still are faced with low cost competition from Southeast Asian countries. Astronomy dominance threatened by Native Hawaiian resurgence and demonstrations.

“Other” responses to question 8:

Health Sciences, Allied Health, Community and Public Health.
create pathways which link the attainment of micro-credentials directly to employment opportunities with industry partners.
Become a functional (as opposed to a dysfunctional) institution by getting our act together. 2) Create new programs that will innovate and create or bring new industries to the state. 3) Support the strengthening of the health sector.
Hard to choose, as many items are overlapping.
Community engaged research.
Focus on bringing outside revenue (eg. International students, finding grant money and other projects that brings money from outside).
GROW YOUR OWN. food, teachers, and support personnel in mental health, social services, etc.
We need to develop our mental health workforce in the state.
Indigenous knowledge.
Focus on emerging regions, locally, that have growing, younger demographics.
Computer science.
How to promote Hawaiʻi’s ability to be self-sustainable. Focus on Hawaiʻi providing its own clean water, energy, food, health care. Create a state not needing tourism to thrive. Or create a unique tourism that promotes a healthy Hawaiʻi.
Related to sustainability, renewable energy resources.
Contract with MIT to do a UH/Hawaiʻi audit. Singapore in the 1960s contracted MIT to do a country/economic assessment -- which led to a MIT report on a future tech trend: semiconductors. Singapore also implemented other recommendations, like upgrading English language curriculum, engineering programs, and management -- all that transformed Singapore.
Diversity.
I would merge two of the above: collaborate with industry leaders and associations to develop micro credentials around specific skills now needed in the workforce.
Actively work toward developing partnerships with State agencies and with private sector in the STEM fields (e.g. internships, invited lecturers, joint research programs).
Entrepreneurism! Develop programs with Government and NGO as well as “industry.”
Planning, policy development, ethics, development of standards, medical, genetic research, finding niches which have national or global impact, building on culture and the arts.
Support UH sports.
Programs that develop capacity to use all local farm products locally.
Reinvigoration of international agricultural program.
Conflict resolution, innovation and public administration skills development integrated in all coursework.
Support for College of Education and investing in education in general.
Helping to heal the hurts arising from Hawaiʻi-nei history.
Understanding the weaknesses in our current enterprise model so that we can identify strategic investments we can make to mitigate these internal weaknesses, as well as build lasting capacity for organizational agility, enhanced decision- making and shared governance, and connections to community needs.
World class program to support a new leading industry for Hawaiʻi.
This question is hard because it depends on what kind of economic growth we believe is necessary.
Work with industry to calibrate workforce supply with demand.
Strong basic education.
More interdisciplinary courses and degree programs.

“Other” responses to question 9:

Develop communities of individuals who are happy and fulfilled.
Developing a high-tech workforce that has the skills necessary to succeed in future global areas.
Art and creativity.
Increase education and higher-ed training for Hawaiʻi’s citizens.
The choices are at once too simplistic and too nebulous. I offer my own overly simplistic and nebulous consideration: UH needs to be less top heavy and bureaucratic and leaner, more flexible, with smaller planning and working units. It is bloated just like the DOE but it’s not as mean-spirited. The smaller units must be supported to morph and combine quickly as the demographics and needs change (or as external factors change, like the increasing rate of climate change). (This is my main concern about the rail. I’m not anti-public transit. I’m anti something that costs too much and results in just one limited product. This world will increasingly require leaner solutions -- think different models of public transportation-share as opposed to big monuments of concrete that can do nothing but deliver a set of people from just A to just B.) I recognize that it is very difficult to sustain a top- flight research university as well as smaller credential vocational programs but that’s what is necessary given that there is only one system (I’m not intentionally ignoring the “private” universities/colleges but I know them even less than I do the UH system).
Developing an informed citizenry that embraces the collective responsibility (kuleana) we all have to make our communities and state better.
Outreach to community.
Building communities, creating linkages, building on the past to impact the future; international exposure and diversification.
Impossible to silo those choices. they are entwined and realistically, that’s how best to develop the mission.
Support lifelong learning for all, improve public Education: Pre-K, K-12 which is essential to supporting better citizenship.
Equipping folks to have a job.
Community based priorities and capacity.
Developing skilled citizens, committed to improving the lives of people and the health of the planet.
Why not take a leadership position for the average citizen with teaching the world about aloha? ... seems we only have good services for the rich, which makes us hypocrites about living the aloha we espouse.
Finding a way to enlighten the 99 percent that education -- not lifted trucks, tattoos, Hawaiian jewelry, alcohol, trips to Vegas, football or sovereignty -- is the single-most valuable commodity on earth.
Restore community pride and ownership of the University of Hawaiʻi.
I think UH should focus on how we are going to take care of each other and mother earth using Native Hawaiian values/knowledge to do so. I think every program/department should ask themselves: How do we contribute to the mission of taking care of each other and mother earth using Native Hawaiian values?
Service to a sustainable future, a future conceived in concert with the community
Developing better educated citizens.
Taking a leading role in defining what will be needed and developing the capability to deal with the major upcoming challenges in public health, climate change, sustainability and economic dislocation.
Academic, trade/professional and research leadership
Certainly, each of the those listed can generate an argument for top consideration, but overall sustainability if defined in broad terms to include elements of social change may deserve to be at the top of the list. I cannot help but believe that if I were answering this question six or eight months from now when we have had an opportunity to see how the pandemic has affected governance at all levels, economic activity, and the ability and willingness of people to adapt to change, that I could provide a more meaningful response.

Responses to question 10: “Any other thoughts you want to share.”

Sustainability in the broadest sense of the word, not just environmental sustainability.
Maybe a separate discussion for the UHCC campuses would help as this questionnaire is more relevant for the UH campuses.
Sustainability informed by indigenous Hawaiʻi knowledge systems.
None.
No.
No.
Put more funding into classes. Make smaller classes so people actually learn.
UH needs to be a world leader in educating and solving the issues and effects of climate change. As a system UH must accept the reality of these effects and empower Hawaiʻi youth to face them. With our location and socio-political face, any less would be negligent and irresponsible
Thank you for doing this!
No thank you.
Native Hawaiian culture and sustainability need to be taught in tandem.
It was really hard to choose for #9
We can always make a difference while making money.
Third decade will be challenging but also a great opportunity for UH as an organization to pivot towards relevance.
None.
UH plays an essential role in the future of Hawaiʻi. It successfully provides an excellent education that’s affordable. It’s doing a great job and is poised to contribute so much more to the future of our world and everything in it.
Legislators need to give UH more autonomy. UH needs to be less restrictive in the types of positions (Faculty, APT, Civil Service) in order to adjust to the trends and needs of the campuses.
N/A.
No.
None.
We’re in a huge economic crisis that will take more than half a decade to grow out of, so the next 10-year plan needs to recognize and respond to that, first and foremost. Second, we must respond to climate change.
To become a great university, must establish research reputation. Would need to separate university and community colleges.
Continue to reinforce the community colleges which help so many of our kamaʻāina and are true contributors to the local economy,
Harness knowledge, power, treasure for a bright future for all of Hawaiʻi.
UH is a stodgy, slow moving institution, even by higher-ed standards. Part of this is not only because it lacks a cohesive institutional mission statement, but also Regents, legislators, and administration are highly risk averse. This has created a highly politicized, Balkanized and logger-jammed decision-making culture at the system level that I hope can be changed.
My grandson wanted to know if a rock was a fossil. I want UH to be an institution that is highly academic but open and approachable to a seven-year old’s inquisitive mind. What a wonderful world that would be. I love UH.
No.
As a strategy, UH should be looking at how it can become more collaborative in the business community - tourism, health and wellness, IT.
UH needs to reduce happy talk and do some brutality honest introspections.
UH reflects its society -- once Hawaiʻi became a state and had institutions that every state had -- including a state university -- Hawaiʻi believed that it was truly on par with other U.S. states, not a second-class territory. Hawaiʻi did invest in UH throughout the 1960s, then abandoned it by the 1970s and 80s. UH was not linked to economic development, and K-12 was allowed to languish -- contributing to UH decline by the 2000s. For UH to become the engine of economic development, it will take tremendous leadership and vision (like Governor Burns who desired a Hawaiʻi economy “based on research”), not legislators pursuing pet projects that make no sense for Hawaiʻi’s overall economy.
Need for bold, aggressive leadership.
No.
N/A.
Given the current health and economic crisis, UH needs to focus on the economic needs of our island state.
UH can be a driving force for future development, but it must be willing to “Think outside the box.” The current reliance on the visitor industry is not sustainable. Diversification is necessary and UH can be a driving force to that end. Outreach to potential investors in diversified industries is necessary.
None.
Little of this is worth the effort in this environment of uncertainty.
Economic development has typically focused on superficial metrics like GDP. Economic development needs to focus on goals/outcome metrics that prioritize quality of life and economic mobility/opportunity for all citizens.
UH should partner with other major players in industry and academia to insulate itself from meddling by naysayers
Governance is a challenge for the institution. The public financial disclosure requirements are a deterrent to recruiting regents who can help grow the endowment and also facilitate building partnerships. Regents should be less involved in trying to micromanage the institution and more involved in financial support and providing political cover for the administration. Too much legislative interference.
BALANCE has to be the key moving forward! We cannot make the same mistakes all over again and bring back ten million people with no consideration for those that live and work here.
UH need independence.
A more diverse offering of evening programs for working students is necessary.
UH is moving in the right direction but needs to continue to expand community outreach.
Sustainability comes from an economy that is designed to employ and provide the necessities of life in Hawaiʻi from Hawaiʻi. Tourism has never been that type of industry.
No.
N/A.
UH cannot be all things to all people. It needs to focus on its strengths and the needs of the Hawaiʻi community.
Remove the requirement to make public the personal financial assets for Regents.
Embrace and develop the unique culture and sell them to the world.
No.
No.
No.
I am an alumunus from UH Mānoa and work with many UH scientists. There are many rays of light, but it seems that UH tries to do everything (perhaps unavoidable for a state university) but excels in only a few areas. Some programmatic focus seems needed.
No.
Tech savvy efforts to increase local and pacific based technologies to further local and international efforts towards a healthier planet.
Hawaiʻi does not have an economy that fits size the size of the needs of its people. It is like a father who has a job that makes enough money to feed 1/3 of the family well, another 1/3 in moderation, and the last third eating hand to mouth. The great irony is that the father refuses to get a better job or get training to increase his earnings.
N/A.
N/A.
I’m encouraged with the progress of applied research in climate change, trends, modeling, solutions and engaging with agencies and community leaders to realize a collaborative solution.
Your questionnaire could have used a bit more thought. Although I answered your first question accurately - there should have been a follow-up question: “What sectors of Hawaiʻi’s economy should be expanding and shrinking?” for Hawaiʻi’s economy to be sustainable. The answers to that question would be very different from those given to your initial question. We have an entrenched bureaucracy and political elite which protects established interests at the cost of innovators and disruptors; we have decision-makers who are willing to accept the obsolete and status quo rather than demanding innovation and efficiency and economic sustainability.
Defocus on artificial intelligence and information technology as a core competence; increase focus on tourism and related industries.
N/A.
Hawaiʻi must play a leadership role in the Pacific -- looking inward, as some of your suggested answers have suggested, is not the way forward.
The University is at an inflection point.
Other top missions should include academic leadership and Developing better citizens.
Hawaiʻi could develop a unique niche for self-reliance/sustainability for islands and other relatively isolated populations. Hawaiʻi Green Growth and Mālama Honua demonstrated our potential to engage, inspire and influence. UH could prepare people to deliver. It’s a vision the world needs.
N/A.
The theater program exposes students to theater on an International basis and performs for local audiences. Mānoa is a certified arboretum one of very few campuses to be so named. We have alumni recognized as breaking through to exceptionalism in numerous fields throughout our UH history.
No.
UH already has world-class programs, and a strong community college system but the university isn’t well understood by the Hawaiʻi public ... maybe more collaborative efforts to bring town and gown together.
Too much emphasis on football program, which is unsustainable.
UH Mānoa is ranked #166 by U.S. News and World Report - it needs to be higher.
None.
Nope.
Train and utilize faculty to work with citizens and residents in increasing their capacity to address means for achieving desirable long-term, Not lecture but facilitate; not preach but assist. Get the faculty, and by extension the University out into our multiple communities.
Need to clarify underlying values, vision and measures of success.
Not at this time.
The community can benefit from expertise at UH but the bridge between the two does not, as yet, exist. I am glad UH is self-reflecting at a time when reinvention seems necessary.
Best wishes!
The overall education and skill level in Hawaiʻi need to rise dramatically to create and sustain a new, flexible, and adaptive economic environment. Skill sets must constantly evolve. Tourism has peaked and will decline rapidly. Lifelong learning is the ONLY choice.
We are uniquely positioned geographically to become a leader for environmental sciences and sustainability. We can’t rely on tourism ... I heard this forty years ago as a child and we are too slow to change. We have the momentum now more than ever to break out of the old cycles we are stuck in. This pandemic we are in should be the final push we need to catapult us into a new direction.
No.
UH is funded by a community that does not value higher education except for its ability to make short term contributions to the economy. Support for UH is thin and unreliable.
Stop thinking about going back to what was; the old economy will not be back; need to look at equipping people for jobs.
Go to communities as invited.
UH should do whatever possible to be viewed as a prized asset for Hawaiʻi rather than a source of bureaucratic entertainment and controversy. UH should get out of the really bad spiral of paying entertainer-level salaries to athletic faculty and realign its identity from the pursuit of intercollegiate sports championships.
UH is an incredible place, that plays a hugely important role in our community and the region. I think it is undervalued as an economic generator, an indigenous hub of thought leadership, and a R&D center that trains our workforce.
UH needs a deep cultural reorientation. It is stuck in a century that managed and delivered education in the same way they did in ancient Greece.
No.
I am saddened that a “world-class program on tourism” wasn’t developed/maintained after Chuck Gee left. It might still again be an opportunity when the “new normal” becomes clear. Right now, it feels like yesterday’s best bet.
The University of Hawaiʻi needs to build ties to its alumni so that they have the same sense of pride of those who go to UCLA or Harvard or MIT. Stronger ties to the alumni would build a base of support for educational initiatives and fend off legislative interference.
How do sports programs connect with all of this?
Change is painful but necessary
There is a lack of trust in the UH system - public mismanagement of funds (e.g., huge severance packages for presidents that did nothing or were detrimental to the system) and an overly-complicated system to get things down dragged down by apathy (often brushed off as “that’s the way it is”).
No.
No.
UH could be a world leader -- I know there are leaders there who can envision and lead this charge, but old ways hold us back like a giant sea wall.
Congratulations on developing a brilliant research tool -- this survey.
I have not heard a single viable economic alternative to tourism in Hawaiʻi, because there isn’t one, except possibly for defense. Period. We need to refine our strength, which is the visitor industry and the “Hawaiʻi” -- not “Hawaiian” -- culture makes it so appealing to visitors. This culture is an amalgam of everyone who has come here, and in reality, is a mix of Western and Asian with Hawaiian as a milieu. We also need to determine why Hawaiians have rejected science in favor of a bastardized version of what they feel were the “good ol’ days.” These good ol’ days never existed, except maybe for male aliʻi
Sustainability is a multi-disciplinary mission that can include biocultural approaches, academic and research leadership, and novel models of economic development. Q 9 is rather limiting.
Recognize that few will pursue a profession for a lifetime. Thus, mist of the workforce and economy will be in a constant state of transition.
I would have also added “Economic Development” to answer #9 if I could have selected two responses.
Not at this time; mahalo.
UH should play a role in turning Hawaiʻi into an incubator for renewable energy programs that attracts other states and nations.
The University of Hawaiʻi needs to be involved in all economic and leadership discussions to develop the workforce of the future in this State. Many of the answers are right here, at UH. We as a community need to start looking within, rather than externally, for the answers.
These surveys are a good start, but we need to do a much better job of helping our UH community understand how this feedback will be utilized, and what your rationale is for the decisions that will need to be made. You can of course expect that not everyone will agree with senior leadership’s decisions, but having a compellingly powerful vision, along with a clearly articulated set of principles to guide how we will achieve that vision creates more space for people to agree to disagree - so that the UH family can stay together productively because it is in the best interests for the children we exist to serve.
There are no right or wrong answers to the questions posed. But it should be recognized that these questions are not new. Hawaiʻi has asked these questions from the formation of the University. The time frame, ten years, is a reasonable period of time for the current leadership to allocate to see into the future. But if changes must be made it is an indicator of the realities and constraints leadership envisions will be the normal time frame change will take. This is a problem.
UH has tried to be all things to all people for far too long; it’s time to make some hard, but strategic choices.
5.
While climate change and Hawaiian Studies might be the socially conscious thing to do, it’d be similar to my son telling me that he was pursuing a degree in sociology - it might feel good, but it won’t pay the student loans in the end.
Develop critical thinking and writing skills; need to be less timid about the vital role of academic freedom, including in dealing with the Legislature; increased funding to preserve small classes; make the flagship campus more of a true flagship, including raising admission standards and providing more support for top students without being overly concerned about student population counts at UH Mānoa.
It’s difficult to come up with crystal ball predictions given the pace of change globally. One essential for success is strong leadership with clear but flexible goals that not only serve Hawaiʻi but also link with our island neighbors in the Pacific and globally as our peoples face the challenges of climate change, food sustainability, water availability, public health, and wise urban development sensitive to watersheds and agricultural viability.
Nah but thanks.
I focused my answers to number two on what it “should” be rather than what think it “will” be.
In the interest of economic sustainability for the entire UH system, consolidation of programs and reducing the physical facilities needed on Oʻahu should be a top priority - while the UH campuses on neighbor islands will be more important economic drivers and could help those islands recover from the pandemic, we do not need all of the campuses that currently exist on Oʻahu. Growth in online spaces will reduce the need for physical campuses. Might other sectors of the government or community organizations/non-profits who can help the state recover from the pandemic make better use of some of those facilities? Perhaps this is a good time to make the community colleges more relevant to their communities and serve the needs of those communities in more tangible ways to drive innovation and development. Also important to remember is that while this effort will include opinions of many outside experts, the special needs and unique nature of an educational institution that must serve residents across several islands should not be forgotten. Experts from institutions that do not serve remote or diverse populations may make recommendations that do a disservice to our extremely diverse citizenry.
SO much has changed about the short-term future of the UH and everything else. It’s even hard for me to imagine the pivot the UH needs to make right now. How different our next strategic plan will be from all the ones that have come before.
UH tends to be its own worst enemy
I think that UH should think about its quintessential mission.
My response to question 9 assumes that sustainability incorporates many of the other issues listed.
The various UH constituencies are, in my opinion, too focused on serving themselves when they should be laser-focused in serving the state.
Love that this is being done. UH has an opportunity to be world class in certain areas as well as help build the diverse economy and jobs/industries needed to keep Hawaiʻi Hawaiʻi.
Without more funding - none of this is possible Need to spend money to attract talent.
In my view the major issue facing all of higher education, everywhere, is its continued relevance in the face of the emergent 4th Industrial Revolution. Virtually all of US higher education instutions are frames and organized in terms of the last such revolution, and whereas some, mainly the advanced technical institutions are moving to get ahead of the change curve, those with larger student bases and fewer resources, which includes most state universities (with some exceptions) are still playing “yesterday’s ball game.”
Hard to resolve “town/gown” tension, but the more that UH can move into the community, even if it is just co-development along existing campuses, including community colleges would do much to move UH closer to the community.
I think some of the “investments” [question # 1] are likely to stay the same rather than decline or grow, but I understand the rationale for a “forced choice.”
I think that on the prior question developing better citizens includes a focus on Hawaiʻi through a lens of Hawaiian sovereignty and sustainability.
The post-COVID-19 period will be fragile and fraught. Helping predict trends in this uncertain time and providing direction for the economy will be of great value.
I am fully of the belief that we as a state, society and planet stand at a pivotal moment and we need to recognize both the possibilities and value to “thinking anew” in recognition of it.

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