President made his report to the at their meeting on November 16, 2017.

Highlights include:

• ()
• Congressional visits ()
• Tax reform and higher education ()
• Programs serving Native Hawaiian and underrepresented students ()
• Defense-related programs ()
• ()
• ()
• Green-tariff initiative with HECO ()
• UH places third in cybersecurity competition ()
• Leeward CC‘s Waiʻanae Moku ()
• ()
• Agriculture grants ()
• ()
• UH Strategic Directions ()
• �鶹��ý Graduation Initiative ()
• �鶹��ý Innovation Initiative ()
• 21st Century Facilities ()
• High Performance Mission-Driven System ()
• Strengthen relationship with UH Foundation ()
• Indigenous-serving institution ()
• Sustainability initiatives ()
• UH Strategic Directions ()
• William “Billy” Richardson ()

View previous reports to the board.

President made his report to the at their meeting on October 19, 2017.

Highlights include:

• First high school student set to earn associate degree ()
• UH plays role in national STEM initiative ()
• Building STEM pathways ()
• STEM enrollment steady at community colleges ()
• UH Cancer Center submits proposal to renew designation ()
• XLR8�鶹��ýteam accepted to premier international program ()
• Dunkin’ Donuts opens ()

View previous reports to the board.

President made his report to the at their meeting on September 21, 2017.

Highlights include:

• Complete College America Guided Pathways to Success ()
• UH Mānoa sugarcane research ()
• UH systemwide student food security study ()
• Native Hawaiian Education Program awards ()
• UH revenue bond rating ()
• Engineering professor and tsunami expert honored ()
• Leeward CC building recognized by the American Planning Association ()
• Teacher shortage ()
• Be a Hero. Be a Teacher. ()

View previous reports to the board.

President made his report to the at their meeting on August 24, 2017.

Highlights include:

• UH Second Decade Project ()
• center in ����ʻ������ ()
• �鶹��ý Promise scholarships ()
• UH Mānoa named APLU Project Degree Completion Award finalist ()
• National Estuarine Research Reserve System partnership ()
• Mālama Honua Public Charter School ()
• Mahalo to our UH Foundation donors ()
  • Jay Shidler, Shidler College of Business Administration ()
  • Thomas Kosasa, John A. Burns School of Medicine ()
  • Barry and Virginia Weinman, JABSOM, UH Cancer Center ()

View previous reports to the board.

Nicholas Comerford will start his new role as dean of the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa and director for Research and Cooperative Extension effective September 1, 2017.

Comerford is currently director of , University of Florida, where he also is a professor in the soil and water science department. He oversees 2,300 acres of infrastructure, along with research and extension programs of faculty representing nine campus departments. In his early career, Comerford was employed as a forest soil specialist by the State of Washington, mapping forested soils in the foothills of Mount Rainier and along the Skagit River Valley.

“We are very excited about Dr. Comerford joining the leadership team at Mānoa,” said UH Mānoa Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs . “His impressive and varied accomplishments in the field, his expertise in tropical soils science, and his experience working closely with both faculty and the community via vibrant extension programs all add up to a terrific background for the new dean of CTAHR.”

More on Nicholas Comerford

Comerford’s research expertise is in the area of forest soils, with an emphasis in tropical and subtropical regions. His work concentrated on soil-tree root interactions, the measurement and modeling of soil nutrient bioavailability and general aspects of forest soil management. As an active member of the Soil Science Society of America, he was elected president of the society and served in that capacity in 2010. Comerford was a past board member and chair of the related Alliance of Crop, Soil and Environmental Science SocietiesCorporation.

Comerford earned his PhD in silviculture and forest influences from the State University of New York and Syracuse University, his master’s degree in forestry from the University of Maine and his bachelor’s degree in forestry from the University of Illinois.

President made his report to the at their meeting on July 20, 2017.

Highlights include:

• UH recognized by Brookings Institution ()
• UH Hilo College of Pharmacy earns full accreditation ()
• Kapiʻolani CC culinary students capture third in national competition ()
• Jamaica Heolimeleikalani Osorio earns national dissertation fellowship ()
• PacIOOS enhances coastal resilience in West Maui ()
• UH Cancer Center team publishes paper on gene mutation and susceptibility to carcinogens ()
• Three UH research spinouts participate in First Look showcase ()
• �鶹��ý CC Pālamanui Campus earns LEED Platinum rating ()
• UH Foundation exceeds fundraising goal ()
• UH Mānoa Athletics inks new uniform deal with Under Armour ()
• At-risk kids get a UH experience through the Youth Impact Program ()
• Economic impact of international students increases at UH ()

View previous reports to the board.

Chancellor Don Straney will move to a UH Systemwide leadership role as vice president of academic planning and policy, effective August 1, 2017. A national search for a permanent UH Hilo chancellor will begin in fall 2017. During the transition, Marcia Sakai, UH Hilo vice chancellor for administrative affairs will serve as interim UH Hilo chancellor. Both appointments are subject to Board of Regents approval at their July 20, 2017 meeting.

Straney has served as UH Hilo chancellor since 2010 and is credited with improving graduation rates and increasing the number of Native Hawaiian, STEM and transfer students from local community colleges. Under his leadership, the campus worked closely with local educational, agricultural and business communities to address economic, workforce and quality-of-life issues.

“Don has done an outstanding job at UH Hilo, and I know he will excel as our vice president of academic planning and policy, a position critical to the entire UH System as we continue to improve our collaborative efforts to meet the needs of the entire state,” said UH President . “Don has 38 years of proven higher education experience on campuses and within systems, including here in �鶹��ý.”

Sakai joined the UH Hilo faculty in 1991 after distinguished public service to the state and was promoted and tenured there. She was the founding dean of the College of Business and Economics, leading the college through its initial , and has brought her experience and ability to bear in serving as Vice Chancellor for Administrative Affairs since 2011.

“Marcia has been a highly successful faculty member, dean and senior administrator at UH Hilo,” said Lassner. “She truly understands and appreciates the university, its mission and its importance to Hilo, �鶹��ý Island and the state.”

Straney is replacing Risa Dickson as vice president of academic planning and policy. Dickson notified UH leadership in fall 2016 of her intention to return to faculty at the end of the 2016–2017 academic year and the 2017 legislative session. She is assisting during the transition period.

“Risa has a laid a solid foundation that will allow us to move the university into the 21st century,” said Lassner. “She has accomplished so much in her time here at UH, and we thank her for all of her hard work, which will have a long-lasting impact on the university.”

The Staff Council of officially ratified bylaws for the first time in the organization’s existence. The signing ceremony on June 27, was supported by a unanimous vote in favor of the bylaws from the Staff Council membership. More than 40 staff members gathered for this occasion to sign the bylaws in person and were accompanied by campus faculty and administrators who supported the event.

Chair explained that the signing ceremony serves as a milestone which supports campus governance, one of the criteria for evaluation in the upcoming . The Staff Council’s bylaws will honor the campus policy on governance—“Governance at Kapiʻolani Community College.”

Chancellor praised the Staff Council’s Board of Representatives for their efforts, saying, “I would like to acknowledge the leadership of Staff Council, who put together a remarkable program of activities and who nurtured the participation in the development of the bylaws from all constituent groups. You’ve done a great job. And a very special thanks to and appreciation for the driving force in 2016–2017: Lee Ann DeMello.”

The Staff Council was included in the campus authorized governance organization structure to provide an official voice for staff members, which includes administrative professionals, technical experts, clerical staff and janitorial staff at the campus. According to the campus governance policy, the Staff Council was established in 2000 by then-Provost with its original mission to “provide a formal voice and organization representing the staff in the administration of the campus, while offering avenues to enhance the professionalism, skills and competencies of our staff members, creating a working atmosphere of respect, dignity, equality and cooperation.”

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A progress report on efforts at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa to improve student recruitment and retention, among other matters, was provided on June 1, 2017 to the Board of Regents by UH Mānoa Interim Chancellor David Lassner.

In July 2016, as part of their approval of a new 3-year tuition schedule for the ten-campus UH system, the regents directed that UH Mānoa focus on the following items and provide a status report within a year:

• Alternative financing of repairs such as has been done at the community colleges and for energy management
• An enrollment management plan to address recruitment and retention with target numbers
• UH Mānoa campus master plan, based on a study of current space utilization that incorporates the findings of the high-level systemwide integrated academic and facilities strategic plan that the board passed at a prior meeting
• Internal academic restructuring and redesign of UH Mānoa to enable the campus to move forward as a modern research university focused on holistic 21st century needs of the State of �鶹��ý
• Budgeting and comprehensive resource planning for dollars, positions and space that focuses on overall campus priorities and recognizes the changing reality of financing public higher education in �鶹��ý and the nation

Highlights include:

• Alternative financing of repairs ()
• Enrollment management ()
• Recruitment and retention ()
• Strategic enrollment plan ()
• 20,000 students by 2020 ()
• UH Mānoa campus master plan ()
• Academic restructuring and redesign ()
• Reorganizations under discussion ()
• Looking at new tuition distribution model ()
• Shared administrative services ()
• Budgeting and resource planning ()

President made his report to the at their meeting on June 1, 2017.

Highlights include:

• Congratulations graduates! ()
• UH Hilo general education requirements now in alignment ()
• UH Mānoa safety resources among nation’s best ()
• Efforts to decrease student hunger ()
• UH emerging leaders ()
• New Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education ()
• Benefits of the Western Undergraduate Exchange ()
• UH Employee of the Year Luke Flynn ()