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.”

For the full story go to .

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 ()

University of �鶹��ý President David Lassner signed the open letter to the international community and parties to the Paris Agreement from U.S. state, local, higher education, and business leaders in response to President Donald Trump’s June 1 announcement to withdraw the United States from the Paris climate accord.

The letter reads:

We, the undersigned mayors, governors, college and university leaders and businesses are joining forces for the first time to declare, that we will continue to support climate action to meet the Paris Agreement.
In December 2015 in Paris, world leaders signed the first global commitment to fight climate change. The landmark agreement succeeded where past attempts failed because it allowed each country to set its own emission reduction targets and adopt its own strategies for reaching them.

In addition, nations–inspired by the actions of local and regional governments, along with businesses–came to recognize that fighting climate change brings significant economic and public health benefits.

The Trump administration’s announcement undermines a key pillar in the fight against climate change and damages the world’s ability to avoid the most dangerous and costly effects of climate change. Importantly, it is also out of step with what is happening in the United States.

In the U.S., it is local and state governments, along with businesses, that are primarily responsible for the dramatic decrease in greenhouse gas emissions in recent years. Actions by each group will multiply and accelerate in the years ahead, no matter what policies Washington may adopt.

In the absence of leadership from Washington, states, cities, colleges and universities and businesses representing a sizeable percentage of the U.S. economy will pursue ambitious climate goals, working together to take forceful action and to ensure that the U.S. remains a global leader in reducing emissions.

It is imperative that the world know that in the U.S., the actors that will provide the leadership necessary to meet our Paris commitment are found in city halls, state capitals, colleges and universities and businesses. Together, we will remain actively engaged with the international community as part of the global effort to hold warming to under 2°C and to accelerate the transition to a clean energy economy that will benefit our security, prosperity, and health.

University of �鶹��ý President David Lassner shared a message on May 19 to the UH campuses.

Some of you may have heard about a personal post by of one of our faculty members in a blog, managed by a major national professional association, that has received media attention. As a reminder, the opinions of individual faculty members exercising their free speech rights on open blogs do not necessarily represent the positions of the University of Hawaii.

In addition, as I have repeatedly affirmed, most recently this past February, the university stands firmly committed to providing a safe and inclusive work and learning environment, free of discrimination and intolerance.

We are also committed to the protection of constitutional rights of free expression and to diversity, including diversity of opinion. These commitments are stated plainly in our policies, including our employment policies, and have been longstanding and deeply held. I call on the entire UH community to help us all fulfill these commitments.

David Lassner
University of �鶹��ý President

Office of the Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs has initiated a formal search process for the regular appointment of dean of the . The current dean, , will be retiring at the end of the year. Young served as dean since August 2012, but began his career at UH Mānoa in 1970 as a faculty member. Over the course of his 46 years at UH Mānoa, he served as interim associate dean and director of the in the College of Education.

“This is an absolutely key position to all of our efforts to move Mānoa forward, as the college provides innovative and stimulating programs for undergraduate students seeking licensure as teachers and preparation for leadership in education,” said Interim Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs and Vice Chancellor for Research . “We look forward to a successful search for someone to lead the College of Education to achieve new levels of excellence by pursuing an integrated and comprehensive instructional and research program.”

Shidler College of Business Dean will chair the 15-member search advisory committee, which will recommend finalists to Vice Chancellor Bruno, who in turn will recommend a selectee to Interim Chancellor . The committee includes chairs, faculty, staff, and students from the College, as well as representatives of the Kualiʻi Council and the community.

For the job announcement, position description, and Search Advisory Committee members, please see the . Review of applications will begin on or about June 21, 2017, and will continue until the position is filled.

Three finalists have been identified for the position of director of the . The three finalists are scheduled to participate over a three day period of visits on the campus.

The visits include meetings with senior administrators, faculty, staff, students and internal and external constituents; and a public presentation. Campus and community members, as well as the general public, are encouraged to attend.

The campus visits of the three candidates have been scheduled as follows:

Tom A. Ranker, visiting May 15
Interim associate dean and professor,

Public Presentation: Monday, May 15, 1:30–2 p.m. at the Lyon Arboretum Conference Room

Carl E. Lewis, visiting May 17
Director,
Coral Gables, Florida
Public Presentation: Wednesday, May 17, 1:30–2 p.m. at the Lyon Arboretum Conference Room

Rakan A. Zahawi, visiting May 18
Associate researcher,

Public Presentation: Thursday, May 18, 1:30–2 p.m. at the Lyon Arboretum Conference Room

For more information about the search process, including the campus visit daily schedule and the candidate biographies, please visit

, UH vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer, shares his analysis of the 2017 legislative session.

The 2017 legislative session adjourned on May 4, passing hundreds of bills on to the governor for final consideration, many of which impacted the either directly or indirectly.

The signature initiative for the University of �鶹��ý in 2017 was to secure funding for �鶹��ý’s Promise Program—a “last dollar” scholarship program to provide for the unmet needs of qualified University of �鶹��ý Community College resident students. Working with the governor and the legislature, the program was appropriated $1,829,000 for each year of the fiscal biennium 2018 and 2019. With the governor’s approval of the statewide budget, the university will undertake the process to establish rules and guidelines as to how the program will distribute and qualify applicants.

• Related: , April 27, 2017
  , January 23, 2017

The university had other funding requests for operations, programs and initiatives at the 2017 legislature. At the end of the legislative session, many of these were not funded, but there were some areas that did receive funding support and, others that were funded which the university did not initiate or originally request. The legislature was challenged to meet statewide funding requests of departments because there were many competing factors impacting the state’s budget. These included funding for collective bargaining cost items for all 14 bargaining units, general excise tax allocations to fund Oʻahu’s rail project and many other high profile issues.

The biennium budget bill (HB 100), along with the many other bills that passed the legislature, now moves to the governor for his consideration. The table below compares the UH items in the operating budget, as requested by the Board of Regents with those that were ultimately included in the final conference draft of the budget bill that is awaiting the governor’s approval.

In general, I believe the university fared pretty well in legislative attention in the budget. Granted, much of the UH’s original request was not funded, but the areas that were funded give the university some support to continue its movement of improvements.

Also included in the budget was funding for the University of �鶹��ý System to address capital improvement projects and deferred maintenance, which is a major concern of UH. The state budget appropriated a total of $159.8 million in general obligation bonds for the following projects:

UH is extremely thankful and appreciative to the legislature for the support they provided for these capital needs across the UH System. A lot of work still needs to be done and additional funding will still need to be appropriated in order to reduce UH’s deferred maintenance backlog. But, like the operating budget appropriations, the level of capital funding is enough that UH could make some level of progress on modernizing some of its campuses’ facilities.

The governor has until July 11, 2017 to either sign, veto, or allow bills to become law without his signature.

The has great credit and is a high quality investment according to , one of the nation’s most respected credit agencies. A (PDF) affirmed the agency’s rating of UH at an ‘Aa2’ rating level, the third highest available from the agency. The agency also raised its outlook of the university from ‘negative’ to ‘stable.’ The rating and outlook affirm a sentiment that UH credit should be considered of high quality to investors, with very low risk in long-term ratings. UH is also considered to have the best ability to repay short-term debt for a Prime 1 short-term rating, the highest possible in that category.

The rating takes into account UH’s large scale and scope of operations, distinctive programming and research and diversified revenues. The (PDF), which reflects an improving operating cash flow as a result of enhanced system oversight and heightened budgetary controls.

• Related: (PDF)

“The university’s rating highlights our financial stability, which is extremely important because it shows that we are a worthy investment,” said , vice president of budget and finance and CFO of the UH System. “As we continue to improve our financial and fiscal structure at the university, the improved stability will allow us to equally refine our long-term strategic planning to address larger financial and enrollment challenges, as well as improve deferred maintenance across the 10 campuses. Elevated credit levels validates that we are moving in the right direction towards both addressing university issues and in assuring investors.”

UH’s Aa2 rating reinforces its essential role in the State of �鶹��ý as the sole provider of public higher education with a unique research enterprise and as an economic driver within the state. Moody’s also identifies strong support and the strength of the State of �鶹��ý’s credit as a factor, which is one notch above UH’s at Aa1. Steady state operating and capital support contribute to the university’s credit strength. UH manages a relatively stable debt burden due to state support and consistent amortization, paying off debt with a fixed repayment schedule in regular installments over a period of time. Approximately 42 percent of the university’s outstanding revenue bonds have an additional pledge of revenue from the state equal to debt service.

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

Highlights include:

• Nationally recognized STAR GPS app now available systemwide ()
• S is for Sustainability ()
• Sustainability opportunities on UH lands ()
• Maunakea stewardship recognized by Historic �鶹��ý Foundation ()
• Building a Hawaiian spoken language repository ()
• March for Science ()
• Update on major projects ()
  • 1st phase of Culinary Institute of Pacific complete ()
  • College of Pharmacy, Legal Outreach Center and Allied Health ()
  • UH West Oʻahu Creative Media Building ()
  • UH Mānoa Life Sciences Building on schedule ()

, UH vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer, shares his analysis of the 2017 legislative session to date.

The is now entering its final month for 2017, and in the next few weeks both the and the will be meeting in joint conference committee to deliberate their disagreements with each other’s draft of the state budget and to eventually settle on appropriation decisions for every state department and agency.

The deliberations will be watched by all state agencies including the . Prior to the beginning of the legislative session, UH submitted a very lean request for additional general fund support of $28,700,000 in FY18 and $29,600,000 in FY19. All requests aligned with the four strategic directions which include: , , and .

The Governor’s Executive Budget, which was submitted in December 2016, included a total of $21,900,372 for FY18 and $21,834,372 for FY19 for UH. However in early February, the governor sent down a message significantly reducing his December budget request due to the Council of Revenue’s downward forecast, and the only item which remained was $5,000,000 in each year for the .

In March of 2017, the House draft of the state budget only provided six school psychologists for a total of $600,000 appropriation, but transferred four extension agents from UH Mānoa to the State Department of Agriculture for a total of $330,000, which provided UH with a net gain of $270,000.

At the beginning of April, the Senate passed its version of the budget, which provided $3,000,000 in each year for the UH Cancer Center; $350,000 for concussion awareness; $240,800 for Heʻeia Reserve; $1,290,000 for Title IX compliance; $400,000 for positions to help with the management of UH’s capital projects; and $1,829,000 for the �鶹��ý Promise Program.

With uncertainty in the trajectory of state tax revenues and pressure from on-going collective bargaining negotiations, it is likely that very few additional requests will be funded by the Legislature.

Since the conference committee meetings on the budget will begin shortly, below is a synopsis of how UH has fared this session.

Much of the university’s request is not included in either the House or Senate version of the budget—although, it appears the Senate was marginally more supportive of the university’s overall request than the House.

For the capital improvement projects budget, the initial UH request was for $452.6 million over the two-year biennium. That amount was reduced by the governor to $150 million in his request submitted to the Legislature in December 2016. The House draft of the budget provided $150.5 million, although that was separated into 50+ individual line itemed projects. The Senate draft provided only $62.8 million for capital projects.

The following table shows the four main categories:

• Major projects: Whole building renovations or new structures
• Minor projects: A only category that focuses on smaller improvements
• Renew, improve and modernize (RIM): Projects that prioritize classrooms, laboratories and student spaces centered around improving the learning environment; and
• Planning: Initiatives that support or deliver long-term development plans that strategically align with the core mission of the campus.

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Once the conference committee meetings start, much will need to be discussed, and we will need to wait for the end of session to see how the university fared. The �鶹��ý State Legislature is scheduled to adjourn on May 4, 2017.

University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa Interim Chancellor held a campus forum on April 4 highlighting opportunities for change and calls for improvement.

Highlights include:

• Improving student recruitment, retention and success
• Integrating research and undergraduate education
• Inspiring interdisciplinary collaborative scholarship and teaching

and .

President made his report to the at their meeting on March 23, 2017.

Highlights include:

• The view from Washington D.C. on higher education: four points ()

1. Immigration issues for students and employees ()
2. Potential federal budget cuts to eduction and research ()
3. Tax reform for non-profits, endowments and benefits ()
4. Observations from a Washington D.C. “watcher” ()

• Protecting UH students and programs ()
• UH nominees for the Governor’s Awards for Distinguished State Service ()
  Employee of the Year nominee: Luke Flynn, director for �鶹��ý Space Flight Laboratory, UH Mānoa ()
  Team of the Year nominee: UH Hilo maintenance crew ()
  Manager of the Year nominee: Matt Platz, vice chancellor for academic affairs, UH Hilo ()