{"id":213666,"date":"2025-04-09T09:03:54","date_gmt":"2025-04-09T19:03:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=213666"},"modified":"2025-04-09T12:00:12","modified_gmt":"2025-04-09T22:00:12","slug":"uh-president-hensel-visits-molokai","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2025\/04\/09\/uh-president-hensel-visits-molokai\/","title":{"rendered":"UH<\/abbr> President Wendy Hensel visits Moloka\u02bbi in final stop of statewide tour"},"content":{"rendered":"
Reading time: <\/span> 3<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\"PeopleUniversity of Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> President Wendy Hensel visited the UH<\/abbr> Maui College Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> Education Center<\/a> on Tuesday, April 8, marking the final stop in her statewide tour of 10 UH<\/abbr> campuses and six education centers.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleHensel began her visit at Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> High School, meeting with Early College students\u2014high school students who take UH<\/abbr> courses and earn both college and high school credits. Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> High currently has just over 50 Early College students out of 334 total enrollment. Hensel asked the students what they thought about the Early College program and how it could be improved. In turn, the students asked her about her career path and how she became UH<\/abbr> president.<\/p>\n

\u201cI think it was great that she came to talk to us, because now we know what we can do and other opportunities we can explore,\u201d said Solid Wong, a Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> High School freshman. \u201cShe also explained what her journey was like, and how others could follow a similar path. That’s awesome.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hensel then met with retired Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> Education Center administrators, who shared the history of the center and its impact on the island. Afterward, she joined the center leadership and staff, along with UH<\/abbr> Maui Chancellor Lui Hokoana and Interim Vice President for Community Colleges Della Teraoka, for lunch to continue conversations about the center\u2019s important role in the community.<\/p>\n

\"PeopleThe afternoon included a listening session with six center graduates and current students. They shared their educational experiences, the challenges they faced, and how higher education has positively influenced their lives and careers.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt was a day of inspiring stories that really moved me about the power of education and the importance of having access on every island so that we meet the needs and goals of our entire community,\u201d said Hensel. \u201cIt\u2019s very rural here, more isolated than our other campuses, so ensuring that we have opportunities on Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> is critical.\u201d<\/p>\n

Making a difference<\/h2>\n

\"\"The Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> Education Center has about 150 students enrolled in spring 2025 along with 100 non-credit students. Over the past four years, the center has awarded 47 associate degrees and 52 certificates.<\/p>\n

\u201cI hope the president understands how important higher education is on this island, and how it has made such a tremendous difference,\u201d said Kelley Dudoit, UH<\/abbr> Maui Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> Education Center Coordinator. \u201cThe people of Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> really make the most of what they have. I hope she also gets a genuine feeling for the aloha of this place.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hensel concluded her visit with a reception and a question-and-answer session with about 30 community members. Topics included academic pathways, credit transfer challenges within the UH<\/abbr> System, and expanding local opportunities.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe\u2019s engaging, she listens, and she gives me hope that we\u2019re on the right track, even in challenging times,\u201d said Donna Haytko-Paoa, a retired Moloka\u02bbi<\/span> Education Center administrator. \u201cIt\u2019s clear she cares. She heard us, she met with us, and she was physically here.\u201d<\/p>\n

Hensel says she will use the insights gathered during her statewide tour of UH<\/abbr> campuses and education centers to develop a strategic plan outlining goals and priorities, which she will present to the Board of Regents.<\/p>\n

During her visit, she also stopped at Kaunakakai Elementary, where nine O\u02bbahu<\/span> and Maui-based dentists, dental hygienists, assistants and nurses were providing free dental services<\/a> as part of the Hawai\u02bbi<\/span> Keiki: Healthy & Ready to Learn Program<\/a>, a partnership between the UH<\/abbr> M\u0101noa School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene<\/a> and the State Department of Education.[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_masonry_media_grid element_width=”3″ css=”” grid_id=”vc_gid:1744235943194-6a55aa64-9966-10″ include=”213598,213597,213596,213595,213600,213610,213609,213608,213606,213603,213602,213601,213669,213670″][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text css=””]\n

For more information about President Hensel, visit the Meet President Hensel webpage<\/a>. She is also active on social media and encourages the UH<\/abbr> community to connect with her on Instagram<\/a>, X<\/a> (formerly Twitter) and LinkedIn<\/a>.<\/p>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

“It was a day of inspiring stories that really moved me about the power of education and the importance of having access on every island.”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1193],"tags":[1047,1673,300,394,71,60,1664],"class_list":["post-213666","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administrative","tag-early-college","tag-hensel-campus-visits","tag-molokai-education-center","tag-presidents-office","tag-uh-community-colleges","tag-maui-college","tag-hensel","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t