Updates
Presented to the Mānoa Faculty Senate by the Graduate Council for a vote of the full senate on January 19, 2022, a resolution supporting the proposal for a Graduate Certificate in ‘Aina Based Leadership. Approved by the Mānoa Faculty Senate on January 19, 2022 with 54 votes in support, 0 opposed; and 2 abstentions.
RESOLUTION SUPPORTING THE PROPOSAL FOR A GRADUATE CERTIFICATE IN ʻĀINA BASED LEADERSHIP IN THE SCHOOL OF HAWAIIAN KNOWLEDGE
WHEREAS, the purpose of the proposed graduate level Kūʻokoʻa Graduate Certificate in ʻĀina Based Leadership is to cultivate aloha ‘āina leaders connected to and caring for Hawaiʻi’s ʻāina (land and resources) using interdisciplinary skills grounded in a strong foundation of ʻike kūpuna (ancestral knowledge). Kūʻokoʻa, meaning independence, refers to the ability of communities to kiaʻi (protect, care for and make decisions about) natural and cultural resources; and
WHEREAS, students enrolled and faculty teaching in the certificate program will work together to develop culminating projects addressing on-the-ground needs related to land and resources in Hawaiʻi which can enhance UH Mānoa’s relationships with communities, agencies, and organizations; and
WHEREAS, the program will provide an innovative learning program to serve a broad population of students and prepare these students, alongside practitioners and professionals, to address environmental, cultural, legal and social aspects while focusing on interdisciplinary and holistic solutions to natural and cultural resource management, sustainability, and food security using Hawaiian methodologies and practices; and
WHEREAS, the Graduate Certificate will build upon the Mālama ʻĀina strand within Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies (KCHS), drawing on courses from this program while engaging four of its key faculty while also connecting with other existing courses and research opportunities related to natural resource management, sustainability, and resilience across campus; and
WHEREAS, the program is designed as a 1-year program, including a pre-Fall orientation (3-5 day immersive training to set expectations, visit and work together in partner communities, get to know one another and provide a cultural foundation for the program), course enrollment during Fall, Spring and Summer semesters, and a culminating end-of-Summer gathering for student presentations; and
WHEREAS, no additional resources for this program are requested as all other costs including funding support for student airfare, accommodations and food for field-based courses; hosting collaborative workshops or speaker series and events to share student work; and honoraria for community hosts and classroom guest speakers are funded through faculty secured external and departmental financial support; and
WHEREAS, this certificate program is based on research to identify existing professional development needs in sustainability, resilience, and natural resource management in Hawaiʻi, through an assessment of professional development needs in mālama ʻāina fields in Hawaiʻi, including interviews with 10 key leaders and surveys of 154 individuals representing 85 non-profits, conservation organizations, government agencies, community groups, landowners, and other resource management entities, as well as a survey of 20 UHM undergraduate and graduate students with 80% expressing interest in a certificate program in culturally grounded natural resource management; and
WHEREAS, the certificate has been reviewed and endorsed by the Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies (KCHS), the Dean and faculty of the Hawai‘inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge, the Provost’s Office, the Office of Graduate Education, and the Graduate Council as well as having endorsements from a variety of departments across campus; therefore,
BE IT RESOLVED, that the Mānoa Faculty Senate approves the proposal to establish a Graduate Certificate in ʻĀina Based Leadership in the School of Hawaiian Knowledge.
Supporting document:
Kūʻokʻa Graduate Certificate in ʻĀina Based Leadership Graduate Certificate Proposal, November 2021