Terence “Terry” Chan is in his final semester of the Master of Public Health (MPH) program at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�, while his daughter, Cynthia Chan, has just started the same degree.

“As a parent, it’s great and you can be supportive. Having gone through the classes prior, you can put things into perspective,” said Terry. “For example, biostatistics was tough so mentally I want to prepare her for that.”

Both are enrolled in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the , but from different places: Terry is earning his degree 5,000 miles away in Michigan through the Distance Education (DE) program, and Cynthia attends classes on the UH Mānoa campus.

Family commitment to keep community health

Terry, a pediatric dentist of 25 years, joined the inaugural DE cohort in 2022 to expand his understanding of health beyond clinical practice. Cynthia, who earned her BS in psychology at UH Mānoa in 2024, pursued the MPH to pair clinical knowledge with a population–level perspective.

He originally hoped to graduate alongside Cynthia, but the pandemic, his dental practice and securing a practicum site extended his timeline. He ultimately completed his practicum with the Pacific Institute of �鶹��ý on the Big Island, examining oral health outcomes and the dental workforce.

Cynthia, still completing coursework, plans to focus her career on the intersections of clinical care and public health. Her year at the �鶹��ý State Department of Health helped shape that interest, but watching her father advance through the program also strengthened her decision.

“It was motivating to see him do that and that I could do that too,” said Cynthia.

Despite holding multiple advanced degrees, Terry says the MPH broadened his understanding of the systems that keep communities healthy.

“The public health program has been eye opening,” he said. “A big takeaway is the need to work with legislators and being a voice in the community and a champion for causes… It’s pretty intense.”

Having attended three other higher education institutions, Terry also credits UH for providing his most meaningful academic experience. “People can say �鶹��ý has the ʻohana spirit, but here at Mānoa you can really feel it,” he said.

The University of �鶹��ý System is working to expand its online program offerings following the findings by two major strategic reviews: a comprehensive study by the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems and program portfolio and opportunity mapping analyses by UPCEA. A phased expansion is intended to add to, not replace, existing in-person instruction as needed.

The urgency of this transition is underscored by declining numbers of high school graduates and online student out-migration. Approximately 11,000 �鶹��ý residents enroll in online programs offered by out-of-state providers every year, a number equivalent to a midsize university. The goal is to retain these students, grow enrollment across UH campuses, and increase access for adult and part-time learners for whom traditional in-person degrees are not possible or desirable for a variety of reasons.

UH President Wendy Hensel said, “We are dedicated to making our programs relevant and accessible to every student in �鶹��ý. These comprehensive analyses provide a data-driven strategy to align the University of �鶹��ý System with the state’s critical workforce needs, offering flexible formats that work for everyone and speeding up the launch time for new offerings.”

Building pathways, stackable credentials

Kim Siegenthaler, senior advisor to Hensel, presented the findings to about 50 members of the Workforce Learning Community on November 21. High-demand fields include business/management, healthcare, education, STEM and social work/public sector.

UH is working to build strong online pathways and design stackable credentials that enable students to progress from credential to credential within major. UPCEA recommendations included adding online options to more than 100 existing in-person programs and introducing more than 30 new non-credit and for-credit offerings.

Conversations across the 10 UH campuses are being held to determine which of the recommended programs will be developed. The first wave of high-priority online programs is expected to launch in fall 2026 and spring 2027.

Measuring velocity and building electric circuits might sound like lessons best taught in person, but Kauaʻi Community College Physics Instructor Brad Dempsie has developed a fully remote, yet still hands-on approach to physics that’s making science education more accessible than ever.

Dempsie’s lab courses come to students through the mail—literally. He assembles and ships customized lab kits containing equipment for about 12 experiments, all packaged and checked out as library items.

“We should really call it ‘remote’ learning, as opposed to online learning, because the students are actually doing the labs, using equipment to take measurements,” Dempsie said.

Serving students across the state

Since 2020, Dempsie has served hundreds of students across the islands, with both calculus- and algebra-based physics sequences filling quickly. For fall 2025, he’s mailing out almost 50 lab kits, with about two-thirds headed to neighbor islands and beyond.

“The simpler the equipment is, the easier the students can grasp the concept,” he said, as he demonstrated how the ultrasonic velocity measuring device included in the kit works. A line appeared on Dempsie’s laptop screen as he drove a remote-controlled car further away from the device, while an arc appeared as a ball rolled down a slanted table.

Although remote labs may lack the camaraderie of in-person labs, Dempsie said, “Everyone has to pull their weight and can’t rely on their lab partner to help them pass the class.”

Redesigned during COVID-19

The innovative format began in fall 2020, when Dempsie foresaw the long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and redesigned both his lecture and lab classes. That first semester, even students stranded in other countries completed their courses online, labs and all.
Now, he said, remote physics labs help science students better manage packed academic schedules.

“There are a lot of requirements on our science students, and it can be difficult for them to fit all the required classes, especially with the labs, into their schedule,” Dempsie said.

A major benefit is flexibility, compared to having to do the work within a set three-hour timeslot.

“Now students can try the lab, and if they do something wrong or have a question, they can come back to it tomorrow and try again,” he said. “They can do the work at their own pace instead of being rushed.”

—By Catilin Fowlkes

The had 29 graduates based on Kauaʻi this academic year—the most in at least five years.

Among those graduates was Athena Manipon-Hamada, 26, of Līhuʻe. Manipon-Hamada, who works as an office assistant for ’s Department of Operations and Maintenance, earned a bachelor of arts in social sciences with a concentration in psychology.

“Through my degree, I have learned to deal with people and understand people better, not just on the analysis level, but on personal levels and cognitive levels,” Manipon-Hamada said. “UH West Oʻahu has also given me all the tools I need in order (to pursue) my next degree, whatever that may be, because they have set me on a path to success.”

Federal grant helps bridge islands

UH West Oʻahu and Kauaʻi CC are part of a grant from the U.S. Department of Education called /Education Delivered Through Distance Education. As part of that grant, �鶹��ýWest Oʻahu distance education academic support specialist Anuhea Piliere is based on Kauaʻi to help UH West Oʻahu students in a role that aims to bolster transfer and retention, and offer holistic cultural support.

Piliere said the grant has evolved through COVID-19 times, starting with offering group Zoom sessions and creating cultural videos, to flying students to visit campus for a day and providing graduates with travel cash awards. Seven students received awards to attend the 2024 UH West Oʻahu Annual Commencement on May 4, at the SimpliFi Arena in the Stan Sheriff Center at UH Mānoa.

“Most of all, this opportunity has allowed me to build relationships with Kauaʻi CC’s programs, counselors, staff and students,” she said. “But I think the biggest impact on the (high graduate) numbers is the community knows an actual person is on island who knows their actual needs and can respond quickly.”

Piliere said she is grateful to be part of two amazing communities at both Kauaʻi CC and UH West Oʻahu.

“I am just happy that Kauaʻi residents are taking advantage of the opportunity to earn a higher degree,” Piliere said. “Their higher educational attainment will positively impact our workforce and communities.”

Read more at .

—by Zenaida Serrano Arvman

For the first time since 2016, the University of �鶹��ý hosted a graduation ceremony to honor the graduates from the Friendly Isle.

This cherished tradition, usually observed every four years, had been delayed in 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The graduates are UH Maui College students who attend classes at the UH Molokaʻi Education Center and/or online.

Between 2021 and 2024, the center awarded 47 associate degrees and 52 certificates. Forty-two of the graduates participated in the 2024 commencement ceremony on May 10, which honors Molokaʻi residents who earned degrees at the Center or online at a UH campus.

Check out more stories of our UH spring graduates

Never stop learning

After a 23-year journey, 41-year-old Harriet Uʻilani Mokiao proudly earned her associate degree in liberal arts. Cheers and applause roared for Mokiao as she delivered one of the student addresses, emphasizing the significance of her path to achievement.

“We really need to live in the present having learned from the past. There’s an ʻōlelo noʻeau that reads ma ka hana ka ʻike, ma ka ʻike ka mana. Through work, through doing, comes knowledge and through knowledge comes power,” Mokiao said.

More than 50% of the graduates are Native Hawaiian and received degrees and certificates ranging from associate degrees in dental hygiene and early education to certificates in Hawaiian studies and construction technology.

The number of nurse aide graduates nearly doubled since the island’s last commencement with 23 students earning their certification, which will help to address a critical need on Molokaʻi.

Sonni Han, 17, is one of the graduates who earned nurse aide certification while attending Molokaʻi High School.

“A lot of kids think that they can’t do it because they come from Molokaʻi and they don’t have a lot of opportunities but this year I found that a lot of people want to help you, especially here at the college,” Han said. “If you just reach out to them theyʻll get you places where you didn’t think you could go.”

Historic milestone on Molokaʻi

Pūlama Lima is the first ever doctoral graduate on Molokaʻi to be hooded at the ceremony. Lima earned a PhD in anthropology from UH ����ԴDz�.

“Molokaʻi is our biggest teacher and the best way to show appreciation for that is to come home and devote yourself to community work,” Lima said.

As part of UH Maui College, the center offers a wide range of credit and non-credit courses and certificate and associate degree programs. Like other UH outreach sites, it provides selected courses from other UH community colleges and receives selected bachelors and masters degree programs from UH ����ԴDz�, UH Hilo and UH West Oʻahu via ����–I�ճ�.

Twenty-four students from the Republic of Marshall Islands (RMI) earned their master’s in education this summer through the in the at the University of �鶹��ý at ����ԴDz�. The new graduates are the third cohort from the RMI since 2017. PACMED supports Pacific Island educators in solving problems by providing a place-based, culturally responsive curriculum in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and math).

PACMED Director Deborah Zuercher, PACMED Operations Director Ivy Yeung, instructors and UH Mānoa Vice Provost for Academic Excellence Laura Lyons attended the graduation ceremony on July 29 at the University of South Pacific.

“Like the coconut tree, this third PACMED RMI cohort swayed in strong winds but was not broken,” said Zuercher. “They endured the strong winds of Covid, online teaching and learning, medical emergencies, health challenges and the loss of beloved family members.”

Bridging traditional wisdom with 21st century tools

The PACMED master’s degree in the Department of Curriculum Studies is a five-semester, 30-credit leadership program designed for Pacific Island educators and community leaders. Courses are delivered in a live online classroom using Zoom and Google Classroom Suite so participants are equipped to share these distance learning technologies in their Pacific regions.

Place-based Indigenous scholars partner with online instructors to ensure that the curriculum is relevant, engaging and culturally sustaining. PACMED strives to bridge precious traditional Pasifika wisdom with 21st century technology, knowledge and skills.

Topics have included marine science, food security, organic gardening, climate change, computer applications, robotics, design engineering, ethnomathematics and traditional cultural practices, such as weaving, fishing, canoe building and navigation.

Expanded access of digital courses

Since 2017, PACMED’s digital delivery of courses has expanded access to include more than 250 graduate students from across the Hawaiian Islands, American Sāmoa, RMI, the Federated States of Micronesia and the Republic of Palau.

Related �鶹��ýNews story: First Marshall Island education cohort graduates

In 2019, the program graduated its first cohort of 17 Marshallese students. In 2022, there were 23 master’s degree graduates from RMI in PACMED’s second cohort.

Zuercher said, “There are now a total of 64 PACMED Marshallese master’s degree recipients to serve as beacons of light and hope in the Republic of Marshall Islands. We call them, ‘Agents of Change’ and are excited to see the positive difference they will make in their families, communities and nation.”

Over half of those who earned their PACMED degrees were either promoted or changed positions as a result of their new educational qualifications.

“PACMED is an outstanding model of how we can work together to meet educational needs in the Pacific,” said UH President David Lassner, who visited the Republic of Marshall Islands this past spring to meet with PACMED candidates and its public school system leadership.

A new cohort of 18 educators from RMI is currently enrolled to begin the program this fall. At the July 2023 graduation ceremony, leaders in RMI requested access to a UH Mānoa doctoral degree program and noted their desire to hire more place-based Marshallese instructors/consultants.

For more information about PACMED, go to the .

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Janice Yonamine, like many, was working from home and found her 15-year career as a state auditor was no longer fulfilling—she needed to make a change.

Through her job search, she discovered a position for a clinical trials support specialist at the . Although she did not have clinical research or medical experience, Yonamine decided to take a chance—she applied and got the job.

To train and supplement her transition into the position, her hiring manager recommended she register for the inaugural , which provides foundational clinical trial knowledge, including oncology clinical trial coordination, basic statistical and epidemiologic methods, ethical and regulatory aspects of human subjects research and protocol development. Yonamine was part of the first cohort of this program in 2020.

The field of clinical research is thriving in �鶹��ý. In fact, upon the successful completion of the three-month certificate program, students enter one of the fastest growing fields in the U.S. (currently 14% annually).

“The certificate program is the perfect starting point for anyone, whether you already have some background or experience, or if you’re brand new to the field,” said Yonamine. “Clinical research is so dynamic and you will never go stagnant. There’s always something new to learn and the science and research is always evolving and advancing. It is an exciting and meaningful career and you will never stop learning.”

Yonamine was promoted to a clinical research associate (CRA) in 2022 and served as a course instructor for the program last fall, teaching data management and cooperative group registration. She now sees patients at The Queen’s Medical Center, the Cancer Center of Hawaii and �鶹��ý Cancer Care.

The certificate program is designed to train those interested in becoming a CRA at the UH Cancer Center, its affiliated hospitals or at other academic centers in support of clinical trials.

Enroll in the program

The program is offered online by the UH Mānoa Outreach College. The accelerated three-month program runs from August 23 to November 15, 2023. The deadline to apply is August 21, 2023.

Learn more and register for the Clinical Research Professional Certificate Program on the .

The first cohort of students in the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa (MPH) program praise its flexibility and the opportunity to be able to work remotely while earning their degrees. The program was launched this fall by the .

Related: Online master’s degree in public health caters to ‘growing’ pandemic demands

The program was created for people who are working full time but want to expand their career options, as well for those living and working on the neighbor islands, the continental U.S. or in the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Jurisdictions. The 15 students currently enrolled come from �鶹��ý, Michigan, Georgia, Maryland, Saipan, Guam and American Samoa.

“There’s great need in �鶹��ý to support the health workforce with public health training and to offer advanced degrees that don’t require workers to leave their jobs and relocate to Oʻahu,” said Elizabeth McFarlane, director of the online MPH program.

All courses are asynchronous, so students can complete their coursework as their schedules allow. They can take the full-time course load and complete the program in two years, or have the option to attend part-time and can earn their degree in three years or longer. Students also complete a practicum requirement, which can be completed where they live or through telework arrangements.

Students from near and far

For Justin Mortensen, who earned his bachelor’s degree in at UH Mānoa and then began working as a health educator with the Georgia Department of Public Health, the best part of the program is the interaction with faculty and classmates.

“We don’t meet in person, but we still interact and learn from each other,” Mortenson said. “The way the courses are designed really fosters communication. The group projects have become my favorite aspect of the program.”

Mercedes Bazzone, who lives on Oʻahu and works full time for a medical device company, appreciates the program’s flexibility and access to UH campus resources.

“With all my commitments, it’s nice to be able to complete my coursework as my schedule allows. I can use the library, and my son goes to the preschool on campus. It’s the best of both worlds,” Bazzone said.

Lesley Abonales has lived on Guam her whole life, and the online MPH program offers an opportunity she would not otherwise have. She earned her bachelor’s in public health from the University of Guam, but the school does not offer graduate programs in public health. Abonales likes the emphasis that the UH program places on the health of Asians, Indigenous people including Native Hawaiians, and other under-researched minorities.

“My goal is to work in health policy or social services on Guam, and understanding the needs of these groups will be key to my work,” she said.

The program includes two in-person events. There is an orientation at the start of the semester and a research showcase where students present their projects mid-way through the semester.

“We want the students to develop a sense of connection to faculty members and other students,” McFarlane said.

For more information, call (808) 958-0919 or email phonline@hawaii.edu, or .

University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa announced the launch of a new part-time, online JD (juris doctor) program for students seeking a legal education. The �鶹��ý Online JD Flex program perpetuates UH law school’s dedication to diversity by providing access to a top-tier law school for students from different locations and backgrounds through an innovative 100% online format. The program begins fall 2023, and applications are being accepted until June 1.

Ideal for working professionals unable to relocate or leave their current jobs, the �鶹��ý Online JD Flex program’s part-time, online format allows students to earn their degrees in as few as four years by following a synchronous and asynchronous educational environment. Students in this online JD program will earn the same law degree as traditional students, and they will be qualified to take the bar exam in every state except New York, which has yet to adopt ABA standards for distance education.

“The �鶹��ý Online JD Flex Program is the evolution of our Evening Part-Time Program,” said Camille Nelson, dean of the UH law school. “This ABA-accredited program recognizes our global connectedness and more flexibly supports prospective law students in obtaining a Richardson law degree without having to relocate, leave their families or cease their employment elsewhere. This next-generation part-time program broadens access to legal education, promotes greater diversity in the bar and bench, and expands educational opportunities in the state and region while remaining committed to the culture and community that make the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law a special place unlike any other. In this way, the �鶹��ý Online JD Flex Program will ‘meet our students where they are.’ We also expect that the �鶹��ý Online JD Flex Program will enhance the provision of legal services in many communities outside of Oʻahu, including rural and remote locations in �鶹��ý, the Pacific Islands and beyond.”

Learn more about the UH law school

The �鶹��ý Online JD Flex is one of the few ABA-accredited, part-time, 100% online JD programs at a nationally ranked law school in the United States. In this flexible learning format, students will attend virtual classes via live and pre-recorded video lectures, participate in vigorous discussion in traditional Socratic classroom settings, as well as attend seminars and informal small group discussions, complete reading and writing assignments and have access to 24-7 technical support.

Graduates of the �鶹��ý Online JD Flex program will become Richardson lawyers—driven legal professionals, who operate with dignity, respect and gracious civility. They will obtain the tools to evaluate legal issues through a social justice lens and the skills for effective, ethical and responsible participation as members of the legal profession. Students will graduate prepared to become leaders in business, government and the community, committed to making a better society for �鶹��ý and beyond.

Content for the �鶹��ý Online JD Flex program is delivered by Richardson’s law school faculty through a technology learning platform provided in partnership by .

Applications for the �鶹��ý Online JD Flex program are now being accepted through the June 1, 2023 final application deadline. Prospective students may visit or email onlinejd@hawaii.edu for more information.

In December 2021, the first cohort of ’s Online AA Program—19 students, from in-state and as far away as California, North Carolina and Virginia—earned their associate’s in liberal arts degrees. Their success inspired the to sponsor 10 full-tuition scholarships (up to $10,000 per recipient) for fall 2022 and 10 for spring 2023.

The program has helped many working adults, with an opportunity to earn their degrees without neglecting their personal responsibilities. Fall 2022 scholarship recipients Sarah Moore and Angessa Newman said getting their associate’s degree is the first step on a path toward a meaningful career and helping others who have had similar struggles.

Single mom

Moore was raised by a hard-working single parent and is now experiencing the challenges of raising a daughter of her own.

“The barriers can be daunting at times. It is difficult to work full-time, be a present parent, a student, and take care of myself physically and mentally. But I know that education is a privilege, and I will not waste the opportunity,” Moore said.

Completing her coursework online allows her to maintain her work schedule, while the scholarship makes it affordable.

“The funding pays for tuition, which is a huge weight lifted. It removes the financial burden and encourages me to keep going,” Moore said.

She is determined to earn a bachelor’s degree and work in environmental conservation—to join the movement of those dedicated to protecting the natural world.

Caring for siblings

Newman had to overcome tragedy in her family—her mother passing away when she was only 20 years old, leaving her with the responsibility of guardianship of her younger siblings.

“I knew that everything that I had planned for in life needed to be put on hold for a while because I needed to step up and be the person who would care for them,” she said.

After seeing her siblings through high school, Newman has a child of her own and she wants to be an example to her family and to others who face similar struggles.

“This (scholarship) will open up more opportunities and get me started on my journey to become a social worker,” Newman said. “Being a social worker means helping families that are torn apart, and children who deserve a family who loves and cares for them like their own.”

The Leeward CC Liberal Arts Online AA Program consists of 60 credits and approximately 20 courses. The two fully online degree tracks are Cohort Year-Round and Flex Track. Leeward CC’s �������첹ʻ���Բ� Scholarship is available to eligible students who are part of the year-round cohort.

Learn more about the program at: . For more information on the �������첹ʻ���Բ� scholarship and to apply, email alakaina@hawaii.edu.