{"id":235027,"date":"2026-05-27T09:24:30","date_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:24:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=235027"},"modified":"2026-05-27T09:25:54","modified_gmt":"2026-05-27T19:25:54","slug":"uh-hilo-cobe-business-night-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2026\/05\/27\/uh-hilo-cobe-business-night-2026\/","title":{"rendered":"Shaping global leaders: UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s CoBE<\/abbr> Business Night 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"Reading time: <\/span> 2<\/span> minutes<\/span><\/span>
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Faculty, students, alumni and business partners attend CoBE<\/abbr> Business Night 2026.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The University of Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at Hilo College of Business and Economics<\/a> (CoBE<\/abbr>) honored emeritus faculty member Benjamin Zenk at CoBE<\/abbr> Business Night 2026 with the inaugural Marcia Sakai Excellence in Service Award. With more than three decades at UH<\/abbr> Hilo, Sakai helped shape CoBE<\/abbr> into a leading business school.<\/p>\n

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From L to R, Marcia Sakai, Benjamin Zenk and Todd Inouye<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

“We hold a distinction that places us in the top 6% of business schools globally,” said Todd Inouye, director at CoBE<\/abbr>.<\/p>\n

The standing comes through accreditation by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB<\/abbr>) International, considered the highest standard for business schools worldwide. Sakai led the effort to secure the accreditation in 2005, helping elevate CoBE<\/abbr> onto the global stage. She served as the college\u2019s first dean when CoBE<\/abbr> was formally established in 2004 and later became interim chancellor of UH<\/abbr> Hilo in 2017.<\/p>\n

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A student panel gave business leaders insight into CoBE<\/abbr>\u2019s next generation of professionals.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Future business leaders<\/h2>\n

What makes Business Night unique is that CoBE<\/abbr> students don\u2019t just attend—they lead. Seniors in the Strategy Capstone course spend the semester managing vendors, negotiating budgets and running the show.<\/p>\n

Student organizer Hayate Moro, a finance major, saw the impact firsthand.<\/p>\n

“Networking events like these help to slowly dissipate the invisible wall between classroom lectures and the real business world,” Moro said. “Sometimes a single conversation can open the door to a lifelong mentor or a career-changing internship.”<\/p>\n

The event also highlights top-tier academic achievement through the Beta Gamma Sigma inductions, recognizing the top 10% of business students at UH<\/abbr> Hilo.<\/p>\n

For more go to K\u016bkala N\u016bhou<\/em>.<\/a><\/p>\n

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CoBE<\/abbr> Business Night also celebrated top student achievers.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

UH<\/abbr> Hilo\u2019s business school unveiled a brand-new service award at its gala run entirely by graduating seniors. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":235022,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[25],"tags":[498,499,1772,14],"class_list":["post-235027","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-academic-news","tag-business","tag-college-of-business-and-economics","tag-student","tag-uh-hilo","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\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