University of �鶹��ý President Wendy Hensel provided updates to the UH Board of Regents on state legislative measures on tuition and fee reserves during her monthly report at the board’s April 16 meeting at Kapiʻolani Community College.

Hensel noted that the Legislature continues to consider proposals related to tuition and fee reserve balances and that the university is developing reinvestment plans to strengthen advising and student support services and expand statewide online learning opportunities. She added that the university is having productive conversations with legislators and recognizes the challenges they face in balancing many urgent needs for �鶹��ý’s people this year.

Her report also highlighted record breaking systemwide participation in UH Giving Day, which generated more than $1.3 million from more than 1,580 gifts across the 10 campuses.

Hensel concluded by congratulating the No. 6 ranked UH ����ԴDz� women’s water polo team on advancing to its third consecutive NCAA national championship tournament appearance after .

• Legislative update: tuition and fee reserves ()
• UH Giving Day breaks record ()
• Rainbow Wahine water polo ()

—Flying fish.

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“Ka iʻa lele me he manu (The fish that flies like a bird).”
ʻŌ������� Noʻeau (Hawaiian proverb) 1364

—Sean Mills, he haumāna ʻŌ������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language student), Kulanui Kaiāulu o Honolulu (Honolulu Community College)

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the UH Hilo .

The University of �鶹��ý has been selected as one of 10 recipients of a national grant from Lumina Foundation’s to expand its Direct2UH program. The $400,000 grant is part of the foundation’s $3.5 million investment to simplify the college admissions process and expand student access across the country.

Building on the success of Direct2UH—the direct admissions initiative launched in October 2025, offering free entry to public high school seniors based on their GPA—the grant will fund a unified admissions system with enhanced outreach and guidance. This creates a more equitable pathway for �鶹��ý students to apply, access financial aid and enroll across nine campuses, with UH ����ԴDz� expected to join the program later this year.

“This investment allows us to build a simpler, more connected pathway to college for �鶹��ý‘s students—one that ensures every learner, regardless of background or geography, has clear and supported opportunities, making it easier for more students to move from aspiration to enrollment and ultimately to success,” said Farrah-Marie Gomes, UH associate vice president for student affairs. “This work matters locally because it directly addresses the barriers our students face and strengthens our responsibility as a statewide system to serve every community.”

Lumina’s Great Admissions Redesign initiative supports states, systems and institutions in integrating admissions, financial aid, advising and enrollment systems. The goal is to remove unnecessary barriers and help more students successfully enroll in and complete college.

“Across the country, we’re seeing real momentum to rethink how students access college,” said Melanie Heath, Lumina strategy director. “This cohort reflects a clear shift from fragmented fixes to coordinated, student-centered systems.”

Commitment to college access

At full scale, Direct2UH will reach students at all public and charter high schools across the state, with implementation in partnership with the �鶹��ý State Department of Education and �鶹��ý P–20. By aligning systems and expanding support, it will increase college access and enrollment statewide, particularly for rural and underserved communities.

Lumina’s Great Admissions Redesign initiative is part of a broader national effort to increase post-high school attainment and advance Lumina’s Goal 2040, which aims for 75 percent of working-age adults to hold a credential of value.

—Clever, Wise.

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“Makemake au e akamai kākou a pau (I wish that we may all become wise).”

—Karuna Wiese, ʻŌ������� �鶹��ý (Hawaiian language) Student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the UH Hilo .

—To leave or place something.

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“E waiho mai i ka mea ʻai ma laila (Leave the food there).”

—Kilia Hare, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the UH Hilo .

Check back for more ʻōlelo �鶹��ý.

University of �鶹��ý President Wendy Hensel provided updates to the UH Board of Regents (BOR) on the UH ����ԴDz� chancellor search and progress on the eBanner student information system transition in her monthly report during the board’s March 19 meeting.

Hensel delivered her report virtually from Portland, Oregon, where the UH ����ԴDz� Rainbow Warriors men’s basketball team prepared to compete in the first round of the NCAA Division I Tournament.

Hensel also recognized a $1.2-million NASA-funded research project led by UH Hilo focused on coastal resilience, as well as UH Maui College’s Hale ����貹ʻ�� (small structures) program, which is supporting wildfire recovery efforts while providing hands-on workforce training opportunities.

• UH ����ԴDz� chancellor search ()
• eBanner update ()
• UH ����ԴDz� basketball, Go ʻBows! ()
• UH ROTC victory ()
• UH Hilo NASA research project ()
• UH Maui Hale ����貹ʻ�� (small structures) program ()

—To be curious.

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“Ua nīele nā keiki ma loko o ka ʻeke. (The children were curious to look inside of the bag).”

—Kiniki Carlson, Hawaiian language student, Honolulu Community College

For more information on other elements of the definition and usage, go to the UH Hilo .

Check back for more ʻōlelo �鶹��ý.

The University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz� celebrated the legacy of renowned alumna Alice Augusta Ball at the annual recognition ceremony on February 26. This year’s event was especially meaningful, as her discovery dubbed the “Ball Method” treatment for Hansen’s disease has been designated a National Historic Chemical Landmark by the American Chemical Society (ACS).

Spearheaded by the UH Office of the President and the UH ����ԴDz� Office of the Provost with support from various campus and community partners, the ceremony invited the campus community to the chaulmoogra tree on the ma uka side of Bachman Hall, where a plaque honors Ball’s legacy.

The event began with an oli led by the �鶹��ý Papa o ke Ao Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office and the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resilience’s Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Coordinator.

Emcee LaJoya Shelly, a lecturer in ethnic studies and educational administration, led the event. UH President Wendy Hensel was among several distinguished speakers who commemorated Ball.

“She’s a true role model for all of us,” said Hensel, “Every year is exciting because she’s such an incredible trailblazer, and to be able to recognize her repeatedly for those contributions is always really special.”

Hensel also read Gov. Josh Green’s official proclamation declaring February 28, 2026, as Alice Augusta Ball Day.

Long-awaited official recognition

Katrina-Ann Kapā Oliveira, Interim Vice Provost for Student Success, presented the National Historic Chemical Landmark Designation on behalf of ACS President Rigoberto Hernandez.

“This landmark dedication reflects ACS‘s commitment to honoring chemists like Ball whose discoveries have improved countless lives,” read Oliveira. “The National Historic Chemical Landmarks program preserves and promotes these histories so that present and future generations can understand the transformative power of chemistry.”

In 2024, the American Chemical Society approved the nomination—submitted by David Lassner, UH president emeritus, and Paul Wermager, retired department head of science and technology at Hamilton Library—to award the National Historic Chemical Landmark designation to Ball for her technique of isolating ethyl esterification from the fatty acids of chaulmoogra oil so it could be effectively administered to Hansen’s disease patients by injection.

• Related �鶹��ýNews story: Sculpture honors pioneering scientist Alice Ball

This isolation technique, later called the “Ball Method,” was the first successful treatment for Hansen’s disease that was used on thousands of patients around the world until the introduction of sulfone drugs in the mid-1940s.

The Ball Method was used to treat patients in Kalaupapa, permitting them to return to their families after being banished to isolation facilities on the remote Molokaʻi peninsula. This treatment was the difference between a life of discomfort and isolation, and a life of fulfillment and connection with family and community.

Inspiring future generations of scientists

Ball was the first woman and first African-American to graduate from the College of �鶹��ý—now known as the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�—with a master’s degree in chemistry. Ball had also become the first African American female chemistry instructor and department head.

“What inspires me really, especially during Black History Month, is her being a black woman in STEM,” said Raven Kelley, the student speaker for the Black Student Association, “When we look at U.S. history, women in STEM, in general, rarely ever get the recognition that they truly deserve.”

Ball died on December 31, 1916, at the age of 24, before publishing her groundbreaking work. More than a century later, the university remains committed to honoring her legacy.

“As a black woman in STEM myself, it gives me a sense of pride and honor to see her truly recognized for her work,” said Kelley.

Other program speakers included Phillip Williams, interim dean and professor of chemistry at the UH ����ԴDz� College of Natural Sciences; Diana Felton, chief of the Communicable Disease and Public Health Nursing Division at the �鶹��ý State Department of Health; and DeGray Vanderbilt of Ka ʻOhana O Kalaupapa.

The ceremony was followed by the annual Alice Augusta Ball Remembrance Walk, led by Sister Circle at ����ԴDz� and Native Hawaiian Student Services, which included a trip to Hamilton Library to see the life-sized bronze bust of Alice Ball. The walk ended at the Queen Liliʻuokalani Center for Student Services for a screening of The Ball Method film.

—by Josslyn Rose

Nahunaiki

—Little bites (a new word developed for the cookie cutter shark)

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—Hauʻoli Lorenzo-Elarco, Assistant Professor of Hawaiian Language, Honolulu Community College

This newly introduced Hawaiian name for the cookie cutter shark is part of recently published research on one of the ocean’s most elusive predators, which Lorenzo-Elarco co-authored.

Check back for more ʻōlelo �鶹��ý.

For more ʻōlelo �鶹��ý definitions and usage, go to the UH Hilo .