John Casken, chair and associate specialist of nursing and former director of international health at the University of �鶹��ý at Mānoa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, died in October 2024 at the age of 84. Casken also served as a member of the UH Professional Assembly (UHPA) Board of Directors five different times over the course of 27 years.

Throughout his career, Casken made numerous contributions to higher education and the larger community in �鶹��ý. He was also the former chair of the Council on Study Abroad and former chair of the Mānoa Faculty Senate. Additionally, he was a board member of the �鶹��ý Health and Harm Reduction Center and its past president. In 2000, Casken was awarded the UH Board of Regents Medal for Excellence in Teaching.

Prior to his appointment to the School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene, Casken was a faculty member in the UH School of Public Health, where he taught classes, headed the UH Mānoa Health Careers Opportunity Program, and recruited Native Hawaiians, American Indians and Alaska Natives for the Master of Public Health program.

Casken will be remembered for his commitment to improving community health by influencing health policy and addressing health and social disparities in the state, particularly for rural communities across the islands and for Native Hawaiians.

He was remembered warmly by:

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• the UH Mānoa Faculty Senate

The University of �鶹��ý faculty have voted overwhelmingly in favor of approving their new successor contract.The (UHPA), the exclusive bargaining agent for 3,300 faculty members at the University of �鶹��ý system’s 10 campuses statewide, held an electronic vote that ended on Thursday, October 17, 2024, at 5 pm.

The new two-year contract will begin July 1, 2025 to coincide with the start of the new state fiscal year. The new agreement comes more than eight months before the current contract expires. Their current contract expires on June 30, 2025.

“I would like to thank the UHPA negotiations committee and all of those who worked so hard to get us to this point,” said UHPA President Karla Hayashi. “The faculty recognize there are many uncertainties at the national and local level and that settling early allows us to focus on teaching, research and continuing to contribute to the UH’s role as an economic engine for our state.”

The collective bargaining agreement was approved by multiple parties: UHPA, which represents the UH faculty, the governor, the UH president and the UH Board of Regents.

The new contract mirrors the last two years (2025–2027) of the �鶹��ý State Teachers Association (HSTA) agreement with the state that extends through June 2027. The agreement includes a 3.5% wage increase in the first year and a 3.79% increase in the second year.