{"id":207077,"date":"2024-12-02T10:53:26","date_gmt":"2024-12-02T20:53:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=207077"},"modified":"2024-12-02T10:53:26","modified_gmt":"2024-12-02T20:53:26","slug":"bruno-wins-naspa-president-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2024\/12\/02\/bruno-wins-naspa-president-award\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa Provost Bruno awarded for commitment to student success"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Michael Bruno is recognized by NASPA<\/abbr> Region V <\/abbr>Director Romando Nash and NASPA<\/abbr> Region VI<\/abbr> Director Eboni Ford Turnbow.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M\u0101noa Provost Michael Bruno was awarded the 2024 National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA<\/abbr>) Region VI<\/abbr> President’s Award, recognizing his leadership and commitment to advancing the quality of student life on campus by supporting student affairs staff and initiatives. Bruno received the award at the Western Regional Conference in San Diego in November.<\/p>\n

Bruno has served as UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa\u2019s Provost since 2019 and previously as vice chancellor for research. He has earned praise for his dedication to students, particularly during challenging times such as the COVID-19 pandemic and the 2023 Maui wildfires. Colleagues have commended his transformative impact on the university and the broader community.<\/p>\n

“Every student deserves the opportunity to succeed\u2014not just academically, but in all aspects of their development,” said Bruno.“This award is actually a reflection of and a testament to the dedication and hard work of my colleagues at UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa. Together, we\u2019ve created a supportive environment that empowers all students to reach their full potential. It\u2019s about fostering a campus culture where students can thrive and become the leaders of tomorrow.”<\/p>\n

Student-centered leadership<\/h2>\n

Lori Ideta, vice provost for student success (retired in 2023), highlighted Bruno\u2019s prioritization of student well-being, even during crises. Reflecting on his leadership during the pandemic, she said, “Provost Bruno was acutely aware of the essential staff\u2019s unwavering commitment to student success, even when their own healths were at risk. He was, and remains, their biggest cheerleader.”<\/p>\n

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Michael Bruno<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Colleagues also noted Bruno\u2019s commitment to equity and student support services, including mental health resources, disability access, and advocacy for military-connected students. Ideta underscored his determination to preserve vital student and academic affairs programs during financially challenging times, even as many campuses faced budget cuts\u2014an approach she described as a defining example of his student-centered leadership. <\/p>\n

Laura Lyons, interim vice provost for academic excellence, credited Bruno\u2019s personal experience as a first-generation college student for shaping his holistic approach to leadership. “He and his twin were the first in his family to attend college, so he knows the generational challenges and opportunities his parents\u2019 migration made possible and that experience resonates with many UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa students, helping them see that they are not so different from this man who leads their campus.”<\/p>\n

Bruno\u2019s leadership was also evident during the recent Maui wildfires. Lyons said, “He understands that, while immediate needs are overwhelming and must be addressed, we, as a university, must demonstrate that our commitment will last as long as necessary.”<\/p>\n

Impact on research, graduate student support<\/h2>\n

An ocean engineer by training, Bruno is passionate about research. He understands firsthand the impact that research opportunities can have on students and has championed programs that provide the resources necessary for students to succeed.<\/p>\n

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Lori Ideta, Michael Bruno, Nikki Chun and Kap\u0101 Oliveira.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

With his support, UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa has allocated more than $4.5 million to fund the Undergraduate Research Opportunities Program (UROP<\/abbr>) since its inception a few years ago, enabling transformative undergraduate research and capstone projects. <\/p>\n

Mark Willingham, Jr., president of the Graduate Student Organization<\/a>, also commended Bruno\u2019s transparent leadership and advocacy for graduate students, including increasing graduate assistant pay, improving grievance policies and implementing sick and bereavement leave.<\/p>\n

“Every institution should have a Dr. Michael Bruno, but there is only one, and we\u2019re so fortunate to have him. His impact is palpable and contagious in all the great ways leaders should be,” said Nikki K\u0101healani Chun, vice provost for enrollment management, who credits Bruno for fostering her professional growth and leadership as a Native Hawaiian and first-generation college graduate. <\/p>\n

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Bruno (center) celebrates with UH<\/abbr> Manoa colleagues at the NASPA<\/abbr> Western Regional Conference.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Bruno received the 2024 NASPA<\/abbr> Region VI<\/abbr> President’s Award for his leadership and dedication to fostering student success and well-being.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[729,1466,1007,9,1497],"class_list":["post-207077","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-people","tag-administration-recognition","tag-manoa-enhancing-student-success","tag-student-affairs","tag-uh-manoa","tag-urop","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207077","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=207077"}],"version-history":[{"count":12,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207077\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":207101,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/207077\/revisions\/207101"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=207077"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=207077"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=207077"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}