WEBVTT 1 00:00:04.420 --> 00:00:06.270 KauCC: Aloha Meikau 2 00:00:07.740 --> 00:00:16.869 KauCC: Mahalo for joining us at the University of Hawaii. President, search public forum here at Kauai Community College. 3 00:00:16.880 --> 00:00:22.830 KauCC: As the search continues for the 15th president of the 10 campus system. 4 00:00:23.080 --> 00:00:33.010 KauCC: The new President will succeed current. President, David Lasner, who will retire by the end of the year after serving since 2014. 5 00:00:33.140 --> 00:00:37.719 KauCC: We are so delighted and humbled to be with you here on Kauai 6 00:00:37.810 --> 00:00:41.070 KauCC: Mahalo eka ili o puhi 7 00:00:41.120 --> 00:00:42.610 KauCC: colana 8 00:00:42.630 --> 00:00:46.320 KauCC: e ka'ua Meg 9 00:00:46.370 --> 00:00:48.969 KauCC: Kamakani! Hey, Allah! Only 10 00:00:49.010 --> 00:01:00.029 KauCC: special Mahalo to the Eli of Puhi, where the Allah rains move through, coupled with the Allah winds. 11 00:01:00.580 --> 00:01:17.860 KauCC: I'm moanike Alanibaro Spokeswoman for manoa, and we, of course, not only have our audience joining us here at the Fine Arts Auditorium, we also have our virtual audience also logged on via Zoom. So, Mahalo, to our virtual audience, Felina Mai. 12 00:01:17.970 --> 00:01:26.259 KauCC: we do want to mention that the Forum is being recorded, and will also be available for viewing online on the President search website. 13 00:01:26.430 --> 00:01:40.880 KauCC: Today, we'll meet the 1st of 2 finalists for President, our finalist has a pretty stacked schedule. The next few days. She started her morning off at Mowi College with Public Forum Number One. 14 00:01:41.020 --> 00:01:48.589 KauCC: She has 2 more forums ahead tomorrow, starting off at Hilo, and then ending off at Manoa. 15 00:01:48.650 --> 00:01:54.390 KauCC: And the purpose of these public forums over the next couple of weeks is to really get to know 16 00:01:54.440 --> 00:02:08.289 KauCC: both of these finalists through question and answer formats. Aside from the Forum, the Board of Regents is also also asking for plenty of feedback, which they say will be critical 17 00:02:08.330 --> 00:02:12.990 KauCC: as they undergo deliberations to make a final selection. 18 00:02:13.150 --> 00:02:20.829 KauCC: Now, there are 2 ways to do that. You can head over to the President, search web page to access the online survey form. 19 00:02:20.840 --> 00:02:48.880 KauCC: The survey will be open until 6 o'clock this Friday. That's September 27, th and will be kept confidential or anonymous. Another option. If you wish to provide feedback that will be posted online and made public submit comments via email to Bor testimony at Hawaiiedu, and your comments will be posted the week prior to the next Special Board meeting currently scheduled for October 16.th 20 00:02:49.160 --> 00:03:17.209 KauCC: But we are here today, and we will shortly get to the question and answer portion our in person. Audience. You've received index cards as you came into the Fine Arts Auditorium. We ask. If you haven't already start filling out those questions, and you can continue to do so throughout the Forum if you haven't already on Zoom, if you're joining us, virtually feel free to start sending in those questions via Chat. 21 00:03:17.670 --> 00:03:19.970 KauCC: And now to our candidate. 22 00:03:20.510 --> 00:03:49.219 KauCC: She is currently the Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost for the City University of New York, which is a 25 campus system. She has also held leadership positions at Georgia State University as Dean of the College of Law, and later provost and senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School, and received her bachelor's degree from Michigan State University. 23 00:03:49.270 --> 00:03:56.299 KauCC: We ask that you please put your hands together for Wendy F. Hensel. 24 00:04:04.730 --> 00:04:05.850 KauCC: Aloha. 25 00:04:07.300 --> 00:04:16.970 KauCC: thank you so much for the warm welcome today and introduction. It is truly a pleasure to be here with all of you to speak about the presidency of the University of Hawaii system 26 00:04:17.310 --> 00:04:31.749 KauCC: before jumping into our conversation today, I'd like to take just a moment to talk a little bit about my background, since leadership is about character and the importance of my skills as it relates to your needs. 27 00:04:32.260 --> 00:04:53.119 KauCC: The importance of the University of Hawaii to the State, the role of anchor institution that the campuses play across the islands and its status as perhaps the foremost indigenous serving university in the world with unique responsibilities to native Hawaiians, makes clear the awesome privilege and responsibility 28 00:04:53.140 --> 00:04:55.789 KauCC: the Kuleana of the next President. 29 00:04:56.030 --> 00:04:58.230 KauCC: So let me tell you a little bit about me. 30 00:04:58.810 --> 00:05:05.839 KauCC: Anyone who knows me well knows that in addition to my family there are a few things about which I am truly passionate. 31 00:05:06.050 --> 00:05:10.660 KauCC: At the top of that list are students and the mission of higher education. 32 00:05:10.990 --> 00:05:18.199 KauCC: A close second is the state of Hawaii, which is my second home and the people, the culture, and the Aina 33 00:05:18.270 --> 00:05:20.149 KauCC: more on that. In just a minute 34 00:05:20.730 --> 00:05:25.890 KauCC: I grew up primarily in the State of Michigan, and received my law degree, as you heard from Harvard. 35 00:05:25.990 --> 00:05:38.259 KauCC: and I practiced law for a few years until I decided to try my hand at teaching at Georgia State University College of law for what I expected at the time would be a short moment in my life. 36 00:05:38.470 --> 00:05:42.560 KauCC: and instead, the experience literally changed my life. 37 00:05:42.730 --> 00:05:47.729 KauCC: I discovered a love for students, and the mission of the higher education. 38 00:05:47.840 --> 00:05:54.150 KauCC: the opportunity to touch and improve the lives of not only the individual sitting in front of you in the classroom. 39 00:05:54.190 --> 00:05:58.499 KauCC: but literally potentially generations of their family thereafter. 40 00:05:58.640 --> 00:06:11.410 KauCC: It is an amazing privilege that continues to motivate and inspire and excite me even on the most difficult days in these jobs, which, as you know, are often very challenging. 41 00:06:11.840 --> 00:06:32.310 KauCC: And so my path in higher education began. And now, 25 years later, I'm here today with you I secured a tenure track position at Georgia State, and ultimately became a full professor, teaching disability, discrimination, employment, discrimination, law and policy and working to address the injustices that I saw in the world around me. 42 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:40.220 KauCC: I later became interested in administrative work as a way to touch students and make trade and drive change at scale. 43 00:06:40.580 --> 00:06:55.900 KauCC: I acted as Dean of the College of Law, and later Provost of Georgia State University. For those of you who don't know it. It's an r. 1 which serves approximately 53,000 students, very diverse students across 6 campuses, and includes a community college. 44 00:06:56.210 --> 00:07:11.049 KauCC: Georgia State has been ranked by Us. News for many years now as one of the top 3 most innovative universities in the country, and best in undergraduate instruction among public universities, mostly for its work and student success. 45 00:07:11.230 --> 00:07:26.180 KauCC: Gsu is known internationally for its work, using artificial intelligence and analytics to literally eliminate equity gaps between students that are based on race, gender and socioeconomic status, really incredible work 46 00:07:26.740 --> 00:07:33.560 KauCC: in those roles at Georgia State, I learned to both respect and celebrate traditions of excellence and differences in culture. 47 00:07:33.660 --> 00:07:39.060 KauCC: but also to collaborate closely with faculty and staff, to consistently ask the question. 48 00:07:39.090 --> 00:07:49.210 KauCC: are we currently meeting the needs of our students who are sitting in front of us, and are we meeting the demands that the students of the future will need to be successful? 49 00:07:49.920 --> 00:07:55.269 KauCC: A few years ago I left Georgia State to work at the 4th largest university system in the country. 50 00:07:55.280 --> 00:08:06.970 KauCC: the City University of New York, which educates 225,000 degree, seeking students, and another 225,000, roughly, in non-degree programs and technical programs 51 00:08:07.130 --> 00:08:24.740 KauCC: as the Executive Vice Chancellor. I'm the chief academic officer across the system and responsible for most access most aspects of student and faculty life across 25 very unique campuses, including community comprehensive and senior colleges, as well as a law and a medical school 52 00:08:25.370 --> 00:08:32.700 KauCC: like the University of Hawaii and Georgia State. Cuny is one of the most diverse institutions in the country, if not the world. 53 00:08:32.970 --> 00:08:40.699 KauCC: There is no majority demographic, and many students are 1st generation and or low socioeconomic status. 54 00:08:40.850 --> 00:08:52.070 KauCC: There is an incredible international representation in our schools. Some of our colleges even have more than 100 native languages spoken by the students, which gives you a sense of the scale. 55 00:08:53.470 --> 00:09:02.789 KauCC: I love my work at Cuny. I'm very proud of the impactful changes that my team and I have been able to accomplish working with faculty and staff on behalf of our students. 56 00:09:02.800 --> 00:09:05.579 KauCC: and I'm sure we'll talk about many of those things today. 57 00:09:05.850 --> 00:09:10.690 KauCC: But before we do, let me comment on the second passion that I mentioned earlier. 58 00:09:10.710 --> 00:09:14.530 KauCC: the state of Hawaii, its culture and its people. 59 00:09:15.350 --> 00:09:24.890 KauCC: For most of my adult life I've spent much of my free time in Hawaii, and I'm now fortunate to have a home on the big island, where I spend as much time as I possibly can. 60 00:09:25.330 --> 00:09:38.739 KauCC: while I've never been fortunate enough to reside here permanently, my husband and I both feel that this is the place that feels most like home to us, in part because the culture and people value the same things that we do. 61 00:09:38.870 --> 00:09:42.570 KauCC: Ohana, the spirit of Aloha and Kako. 62 00:09:43.470 --> 00:09:52.819 KauCC: So while I'm not from Hawaii, I'm deeply connected to it, and committed absolutely to advancing the well-being and care of its people through higher education. 63 00:09:53.080 --> 00:10:07.999 KauCC: Long before I ever thought of applying for this position, I made a point to visit most of the campuses on the system personally, simply to get a sense of higher education in the State, and wonder in some respect how I might serve it in the future. 64 00:10:08.490 --> 00:10:17.330 KauCC: This position offers the opportunity to do the work that I love for the population that I love in a state that I love. 65 00:10:17.400 --> 00:10:23.170 KauCC: That's quite an extraordinary thing, and I'm truly grateful for the consideration and your attendance today 66 00:10:23.700 --> 00:10:35.710 KauCC: in these open forums, I look forward to listening to you to learning from you and sharing with you some of my initial thoughts about how the system can continue to expand the excellence it already has. 67 00:10:35.990 --> 00:10:42.059 KauCC: and and go farther with its mission in the years ahead to serve the people of this great State 68 00:10:42.210 --> 00:10:46.090 KauCC: so we can get started. Mahalo and I look forward to your questions. 69 00:10:47.270 --> 00:11:07.859 KauCC: Mahalo Wendy, and we will advance to the Q. And a portion of the Forum. You know we have less than an hour with our candidate to, so to help maximize our time together. We're going to read the questions that were submitted from our in-person audience and on Zoom again on Zoom. Feel free to continue to submit your questions to the chat. 70 00:11:08.050 --> 00:11:13.880 KauCC: So the 1st question for you, Wendy, is, why do you want this job? 71 00:11:14.500 --> 00:11:17.869 KauCC: So I think I just answered that. But I'll say I'll say again. 72 00:11:18.060 --> 00:11:22.389 KauCC: the student population here is the student population that I most 73 00:11:22.860 --> 00:11:43.579 KauCC: love serving. It's those who deserve every bit of excellence that we can give them, and often don't get a chance to do that as well as the r. 1. Research excellence. The combination of that profile is exactly what excites me about higher education and the ability to do it in the unique location of Hawaii, with its special 74 00:11:45.490 --> 00:11:47.223 KauCC: commitment and 75 00:11:48.310 --> 00:12:15.149 KauCC: respect for native Hawaiians, and infusing the curriculum and culture with those principles, and honoring that and elevating it and eliminating equity gaps for students like that is just an incredible privilege, and extremely exciting to me. I also think the the skills that I bring to the table are well matched with some of the challenges that are on the horizon for the university that have been facing it in the last few years, and I'm sure we'll talk about some of that today. 76 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:22.370 KauCC: Off of that. Tell us what is your vision for the University of Hawaii? 77 00:12:23.520 --> 00:12:40.880 KauCC: I think the University of Hawaii is a place that defines excellence, by who it includes as opposed to who it excludes, and that is where we should be as a system of higher education, particularly in a state that has one system of public higher education. 78 00:12:41.000 --> 00:12:53.730 KauCC: and anything that we can do to fulfill the commitment to students, that when they enter our doors, whatever their goals, whether it be a certificate, a technical degree, or all the way to a doctorate 79 00:12:53.780 --> 00:12:59.020 KauCC: that we commit to get them through to conclusion of that degree program. 80 00:12:59.120 --> 00:13:01.289 KauCC: You know there are far too many 81 00:13:01.600 --> 00:13:08.269 KauCC: people that I've experienced in my different positions, that blame lack of success on the students that we serve. 82 00:13:08.370 --> 00:13:25.269 KauCC: that they're low socioeconomic background. Maybe they don't have parents that care enough about them. Maybe they don't understand the opportunities of higher education, but the reality is when we look at ourselves and the barriers that we've unintentionally erected to those students success. 83 00:13:25.310 --> 00:13:45.230 KauCC: we can accomplish absolutely tremendous things for the student population. And so that's really the vision that I have a university that meets the needs of its citizens at every level of need, in a way that meets their needs to help them reach whatever goal they have, that higher education can facilitate 84 00:13:46.140 --> 00:13:53.790 KauCC: this question as well from our in-person audience. Wendy and you mentioned this before. But maybe you can expand a little bit more on it. But 85 00:13:54.190 --> 00:14:00.380 KauCC: this question reads, do you have any ties or connections to Hawaii or the Hawaiian culture? 86 00:14:01.270 --> 00:14:15.259 KauCC: As I said, they are all affiliations by choice, recognizing that many of the things that I've always valued and appreciated, and my own system of beliefs is replicated with so many of you here. 87 00:14:16.410 --> 00:14:34.090 KauCC: of course I came initially because I fell in love with the beauty of the islands, as so many people do. It is absolutely stunning, and I'm sure that you are so used to seeing it every day that maybe you forget that those of us who leave and come are so incredibly blessed 88 00:14:34.150 --> 00:14:54.820 KauCC: to see not only the Aina, but also the culture that surrounds it, and the commitment to living in harmony with it and each other in a way that moves the whole forward as opposed to the individual constituency. So it just spoke to me. It always did, and and those trips became more frequent. 89 00:14:54.920 --> 00:15:10.030 KauCC: And ultimately, several years ago, we bought a home and and plan to be here at some point whether that's when we retire, if that's the only opportunity that's open to us. But hopefully something sooner in a position where I can serve the State. So 90 00:15:11.160 --> 00:15:17.330 KauCC: going to read this question verbatim for you, what's your strategy for adapting to local culture. 91 00:15:17.390 --> 00:15:19.440 KauCC: And what makes you stand out 92 00:15:20.750 --> 00:15:21.740 KauCC: so? 93 00:15:21.890 --> 00:15:42.410 KauCC: I think everywhere you go. There are unique characteristics and qualities of a community that you have to learn, and you learn it by listening, by approaching it from the perspective of humility, and and as somebody who comes to be part of that community as opposed to sit distance from it or in judgment of it. 94 00:15:42.510 --> 00:15:49.810 KauCC: And the only way that I know to create that understanding and those connections is to do a lot of hard work. 95 00:15:50.270 --> 00:16:00.520 KauCC: making relationships, showing up and being present in those locations on Zoom when that's the only way that we can do it, but really showing up in person. 96 00:16:00.600 --> 00:16:05.900 KauCC: you know, at Georgia State, when I took over the Provost job, and I'd already been there 20 years. 97 00:16:05.950 --> 00:16:15.030 KauCC: I wore out 2 pairs of shoes, walking to the offices to meet every single dean and department chair across the university. Very large campus. 98 00:16:15.160 --> 00:16:17.580 KauCC: because there's a message 99 00:16:17.940 --> 00:16:25.700 KauCC: of going to where people sit and not expecting them to come to you. I think that's an important message of collegiality. 100 00:16:25.750 --> 00:16:29.359 KauCC: It's an important message that we are a team. And in this together 101 00:16:29.470 --> 00:16:32.639 KauCC: same when I came to Cuny. 102 00:16:32.650 --> 00:16:37.390 KauCC: As you can imagine, it is an extremely large organization. 103 00:16:37.430 --> 00:16:56.179 KauCC: and I came from the outside and was hired in as the Executive Vice Chancellor, which is not typical, as you can imagine. Given the learning curve there, much as I would expect the learning curve to be here for for many of the same, and some of the different different reasons. 104 00:16:56.390 --> 00:17:03.680 KauCC: and I was the 1st executive Vice Chancellor. Maybe the 1st person ever to do a 25 campus listening tour. 105 00:17:03.790 --> 00:17:08.990 KauCC: and I actually was told not to do it. If you can believe that, people said, you know, that's too much time. 106 00:17:09.079 --> 00:17:12.390 KauCC: That's too much time, and it will take away from your work. 107 00:17:12.400 --> 00:17:28.840 KauCC: And I said, This doesn't take time away from my work. This is my work. This is my job. And if we don't create these connections and we don't understand how each has a unique character, and they're all quite unique. You know, much as the islands and the different 108 00:17:28.880 --> 00:17:43.960 KauCC: campuses on the islands have cultures and focuses that are that are different. And so that was a 9 month process and I made a point in those places not only to meet in private meetings with administrators. 109 00:17:43.960 --> 00:17:59.159 KauCC: but also open faculty and staff forums, where any question was could be asked that had never been done before, in part because I think we're worried about what the answers are. It's a very controversial time. 110 00:17:59.260 --> 00:18:22.489 KauCC: you know. I don't think I can hide from you in the next 4 and a half hours of of open forums, and I would never want to try, because those authentic conversations about hard issues where we may agree, we may not, but we will have the conversation, and we will identify the best way forward for the community, even if we can't ultimately agree on exactly what that is. So 111 00:18:22.590 --> 00:18:36.210 KauCC: that approach has served me well. It was extraordinarily well received. I think people really appreciate that showing up in in your, in your home, in your space, like we are today. And I would expect to continue that. 112 00:18:37.540 --> 00:18:42.470 KauCC: How do you see community colleges fitting into the university system. 113 00:18:42.800 --> 00:18:59.470 KauCC: They are absolutely essential. You know, as I said before, a university that defines itself by who it includes, has an access mission and community colleges are that access mission. If you don't exist, many, many of these students will never 114 00:18:59.550 --> 00:19:11.480 KauCC: find higher education and reach the career goals that they've set for themselves. So I absolutely think it is not only an important part of a university system, it is fundamental 115 00:19:11.560 --> 00:19:20.169 KauCC: part of the system, and has to be part of a strategy to lead our students to those goals at 4 year institutions. 116 00:19:20.180 --> 00:19:22.250 KauCC: I was speaking earlier today. 117 00:19:22.930 --> 00:19:35.430 KauCC: There are approximately, nationally, the data tells us nationally that 80% of students who enter for an associate's degree intend to seek a bachelor's degree at the time that they matriculate 118 00:19:35.810 --> 00:19:55.939 KauCC: in the State of Hawaii at the University of Hawaii. Only 13% of those students ever actually do, and of the 13% only about half a little more than half actually accomplish that goal. And those statistics are actually not bad. They're good in comparison with national statistics. 119 00:19:55.940 --> 00:20:20.929 KauCC: But none of us should be satisfied with those statistics, and that requires coordinated discussion about how do we take students through our degree paths, no matter where they sit in the institution to ensure that they are not limited by geography. They're not limited by what's available at their home campus, so lots of work to do there. But I absolutely 120 00:20:20.950 --> 00:20:30.700 KauCC: could not have more respect for community colleges. Much of the work that I've done at Cuny has been around transfer. It's been one of the major projects that I worked on 121 00:20:30.760 --> 00:20:53.280 KauCC: and bringing senior college faculty and disciplines, together with community college faculty in the disciplines, to identify what, in fact, is what our students should be taking in the 1st 2 years, so that they don't duplicate it. They don't waste their financial aid, and they don't stop out because they're discouraged, and that unfortunately, happens far too often nationally. 122 00:20:54.560 --> 00:21:14.260 KauCC: These next couple of questions are related, and seem like a natural branch off to what you just responded with Wendy. This 1st one says, do you have any plans of restructuring the way the campuses work together as a system? Specifically the way the community colleges allow students to cross into the 4 year colleges. 123 00:21:14.620 --> 00:21:28.970 KauCC: You know, it's interesting. One of the places saw some really interesting innovation that's being done here about course, sharing some pilots that have been going on. There is a similar program at the City University of New York, called E. Permit. 124 00:21:29.010 --> 00:21:41.241 KauCC: on the theory that the fact that there are not seats in a single campus. If students need that seat and they want that seat, they should be able to matriculate into that seat. Georgia State did the same. They actually 125 00:21:41.620 --> 00:21:47.730 KauCC: had a system of courses that could go into a bank that would allow that type of transfer. So I think that's 126 00:21:47.760 --> 00:22:03.720 KauCC: that's great work. Because the truth is, we never have enough resources right to serve every interest that's on our campuses, and it wouldn't make sense to duplicate all of those services and educational opportunities at every single campus depending on the character. 127 00:22:03.760 --> 00:22:21.670 KauCC: But we can create consortial arrangements that actually elevate those programs, and and for low enrolled programs make them viable, you know. Sometimes some of these programs are really low enrolled question this morning, what do you do with that if that's an essential need for the community. 128 00:22:21.880 --> 00:22:32.579 KauCC: we come up with strategies where we can work together and create solutions that no one campus can provide by working together proactively and intentionally. 129 00:22:32.620 --> 00:22:43.449 KauCC: You know, what I found is so much of higher education is reactive, particularly in this time of crisis after crises where we seem like we just leap from one thing to another. 130 00:22:43.600 --> 00:22:55.179 KauCC: It is absolutely imperative that we take the time to come together, identify the pain points on the individual campuses and identify collective solutions where they exist 131 00:22:55.250 --> 00:22:57.670 KauCC: for our students, and that can be done. 132 00:22:58.060 --> 00:23:14.940 KauCC: Oftentimes. The four-year universities, like Manoa, have a bigger influence on system directives, programs and policies as president for both manoa and the community colleges. How do you plan on bringing balance and equity to these issues. 133 00:23:16.000 --> 00:23:28.890 KauCC: I think, in any system there is a belief of favoritism, whether it be an individual campus, or it'd be more commonly what I've seen between the community and comprehensive colleges and the senior colleges. 134 00:23:29.060 --> 00:23:36.120 KauCC: and it starts from a place of respect for the role that each of us plays in our student progression. 135 00:23:36.280 --> 00:23:43.130 KauCC: and the thing that brings us together is a love of students and a love of mission. And when we can get back to that 136 00:23:43.260 --> 00:23:44.950 KauCC: with data. 137 00:23:45.060 --> 00:24:05.169 KauCC: it's amazing what we can accomplish. So I'll give you a quick example. We all know that there's some. Sometimes there's some elitism that comes from the from the senior colleges toward the community colleges, as it relates to courses that are taken in community college, and for that reason sometimes they're denied transfer. 138 00:24:05.220 --> 00:24:12.620 KauCC: I can tell you numerous cases that have come to my attention, of courses that use the same book 139 00:24:12.640 --> 00:24:20.410 KauCC: that cover the same material. And when that student transfers the answer is sorry it doesn't count. 140 00:24:20.630 --> 00:24:46.539 KauCC: I can also tell you stories about students who have signed up for many, many electives because the courses are not aligned to transfer. They're crafted, if you will, as an independent standing degree of an associate's, without the recognition that, in fact, it should be designed to articulate, unless it's an aas degree or a technical degree which has different 141 00:24:46.600 --> 00:24:48.359 KauCC: requirements. And so 142 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:55.890 KauCC: one of the things that I worked on was bringing those disciplinary heads together from the community colleges and the senior colleges. 143 00:24:55.920 --> 00:25:08.640 KauCC: and said, you need to have conversations, because I'm going to show you the data about what they cover. The excellence of instruction at the community colleges, and how our students perform when they transfer. 144 00:25:08.720 --> 00:25:15.179 KauCC: you know, cause that's always the answer I hear. Well, they don't do very well, and they transfer, if we don't we? If we don't, we don't teach them 145 00:25:15.880 --> 00:25:22.630 KauCC: it. It doesn't work well. And the amazing thing with that is because we share a love of students. People listen. 146 00:25:22.790 --> 00:25:31.279 KauCC: and when they talk to their colleagues, who are excellent and experts in their fields, and do research and all kinds of exciting work 147 00:25:31.570 --> 00:25:37.840 KauCC: in the community colleges, the respect level grows and the collaboration grows. And so. 148 00:25:37.890 --> 00:25:43.329 KauCC: you know, it's all a balancing act again, because there are never enough resources to go around. 149 00:25:43.340 --> 00:25:49.630 KauCC: But when it starts from a recognition that we all play a critical role in the system, and if it doesn't work. 150 00:25:49.720 --> 00:25:57.180 KauCC: It doesn't work for anybody. That's when you start to operate collectively and really move the needle for students. 151 00:25:58.000 --> 00:26:05.409 KauCC: These next couple of questions, similar in nature. So I'll read them back to back and then turn it over to you for a response. 152 00:26:05.510 --> 00:26:23.129 KauCC: The 1st one reads, what do you believe is your role in ensuring equity and shared governance for staff and faculty across our 10 campus system. The second question from the Faculty Senate Executive Committee states, What do you see as the role of shared governance. 153 00:26:23.170 --> 00:26:25.080 KauCC: Is it a real thing? 154 00:26:26.160 --> 00:26:27.640 KauCC: Great questions. 155 00:26:27.870 --> 00:26:41.990 KauCC: you know. I will start by saying that as the Provost at Georgia, State as the Executive Vice Chancellor at Cuny, I still see myself as a member of the faculty and as an advocate for faculty. 156 00:26:42.510 --> 00:27:09.930 KauCC: I recognize they do not see me in that same role. But I've never stopped being a faculty member or understanding the expertise and the significance of the perspective of the people who sit in our classrooms day in and day out, and those that provide the services and the wraparound support without which our students will not succeed. No strategy that ignores faculty or staff input 157 00:27:09.930 --> 00:27:23.879 KauCC: is going to be successful, certainly not optimally successful for our students. So I not only believe in faculty, governance and shared governance and staff governance. I believe it's essential. 158 00:27:23.970 --> 00:27:50.639 KauCC: And I think if you spoke to any faculty group that I've worked with, they would confirm that I believe in transparency. I believed in shared data. It is not useful for us not to share difficult things with you. The people who work with our students, and who have great ideas often of how to solve some of the challenges that we face, that those of us sitting in a different seat will not necessarily have 159 00:27:50.830 --> 00:27:58.100 KauCC: you know I mentioned transfer a minute ago, and I'll use that as an example of of what I consider to be a monumental 160 00:27:58.260 --> 00:28:03.889 KauCC: testament to what can be done when faculty and administrators work closely together. 161 00:28:04.120 --> 00:28:07.729 KauCC: You know Cuny is a highly unionized and environment. 162 00:28:07.880 --> 00:28:09.080 KauCC: and 163 00:28:09.160 --> 00:28:14.031 KauCC: I know this will shock everyone. But New York City sometimes has sharp elbows. 164 00:28:14.450 --> 00:28:19.430 KauCC: as it relates to personal relationships. And so when the faculty 165 00:28:19.570 --> 00:28:31.970 KauCC: we're asked, or there was a mandate from the board 15 years ago or so to create a transfer seamless transfer for general education. 166 00:28:32.500 --> 00:28:36.029 KauCC: It resulted in numerous lawsuits. 167 00:28:36.100 --> 00:29:01.159 KauCC: It resulted in numerous grievances that were filed. It was widely considered an absolute disaster. Now, ultimately there was some articulation of general education, but it burned every single person that it touched, and when I came in, and the Board once again had said, We are really unhappy with transfer, you know. A lot of universities 168 00:29:01.160 --> 00:29:20.820 KauCC: say we have transfer, but what they mean is that elective credit transfers unarticulated credit transfers. Right? What that means is, students don't progress toward their major. They just have a lot of credits that don't actually help them, and they lose financial aid when it's not consistent. So our most vulnerable students are impacted. 169 00:29:21.160 --> 00:29:22.380 KauCC: So I said. 170 00:29:22.520 --> 00:29:24.589 KauCC: I'm I'm willing to take that on. 171 00:29:24.730 --> 00:29:46.350 KauCC: I was told by probably at least 5 people. You're out of your mind. This is a this is going to burn you. You just showed up. You are an outsider. This is going to take every scrap of political capital that you have, and you're going to waste it, and you're not going to be able to do anything, and you're going to end up with nothing at the end. 172 00:29:46.640 --> 00:30:00.509 KauCC: And being the ever optimist, I said, I'll chance that because our students deserve that that is what we should do, and the fact that it's hard is no excuse not to do it. 173 00:30:00.520 --> 00:30:05.819 KauCC: So what did I do? I went immediately to the head of the University Faculty Senate. 174 00:30:05.890 --> 00:30:19.609 KauCC: and I said, Do this with me. Make this your signature initiative. Make this the faculty and the administration on behalf of our students, not the faculty against the administration. 175 00:30:19.820 --> 00:30:34.139 KauCC: and sit in the driver's seat with me as the co-pilot. And let's let's get this done, and I can tell you I mean, there have been many bumps along the way for sure. I don't want to sing Kumbaya, because, of course, we have had disagreements. 176 00:30:34.370 --> 00:30:51.910 KauCC: and we will by the end of this year have achieved seamless articulation in the major for our students, for 85% of our students, and we are committed that we will not stop until we reach 100%. So hard things can be done 177 00:30:52.040 --> 00:30:53.799 KauCC: through shared governance 178 00:30:54.680 --> 00:30:59.060 KauCC: and avoiding shared governance is a fast ticket to 179 00:30:59.240 --> 00:31:09.389 KauCC: failure, in my opinion, so I'm very committed to it, and we'll look forward to working closely with the Faculty Senate, both at the system level and on the individual campuses. 180 00:31:10.460 --> 00:31:20.330 KauCC: You know, Wendy, we want to mahalo our audience online for joining us and ask them to continue to input their questions for Wendy into the chat. This one is coming in from Zoom. 181 00:31:20.520 --> 00:31:30.099 KauCC: It asks, what would you say? Are the major issues issues facing higher education today. And what are your plans to address those issues? 182 00:31:31.210 --> 00:31:37.589 KauCC: Well, there's a lot of them, you know. I'm not sure there ever has been a more challenging time 183 00:31:37.640 --> 00:31:44.979 KauCC: for higher education. We were talking this morning. My my colleagues say the only thing they've seen similar to it is maybe the Vietnam era 184 00:31:45.080 --> 00:31:50.859 KauCC: in terms of the again that feeling that we run from crisis to crisis, and and and 185 00:31:50.900 --> 00:31:55.940 KauCC: seem to be doing a whole lot of things that maybe none of us ever intended to do in these positions. 186 00:31:56.010 --> 00:32:04.209 KauCC: So I'll say the number one driver of change that I see that may have the largest effect on higher education is getting entirely too little 187 00:32:04.320 --> 00:32:16.259 KauCC: attention, and that is the impact of artificial intelligence. There is absolutely no doubt that AI, particularly generative AI, and the speed with which it is infiltrating 188 00:32:16.490 --> 00:32:26.979 KauCC: all of the jobs that our students are preparing for our classrooms literally everything and every aspect of of the world that we live in. 189 00:32:28.330 --> 00:32:49.640 KauCC: is mind numbing? I mean, it really is startling. I think the best analogy that I've heard is that it's like electricity, the invention of electricity, that everything will be touched by it and irreversibly be different. And we all know that Higher Ed is not a place that moves quickly 190 00:32:49.640 --> 00:33:03.940 KauCC: toward change, and this change will eclipse any kind of change. I think that we've ever experienced before, and so it requires strategy. It requires training. It frankly requires a lot of compassion. 191 00:33:03.940 --> 00:33:22.689 KauCC: because it makes a lot of people very uncomfortable, especially when you've been an expert in your field for a very long time and an expert in the classroom. And now you're grappling with things as a novice, both in terms of the technology that we're employing, but also teaching things that we have to be taught 192 00:33:22.690 --> 00:33:38.080 KauCC: from people external to the Academy, you know, particularly in technology, the locus of expertise is no longer here. It's external, and that requires new kinds of partnerships that requires new type of behavior and activity. 193 00:33:38.220 --> 00:33:57.000 KauCC: And I don't see a lot of that. But it's certainly an area that requires a great deal of attention. So I'll say, that's the 1st thing, the second. I think we need to adapt to the way that our students learn that is never going to be the same as it was before. Covid 194 00:33:57.040 --> 00:34:26.069 KauCC: online education will be a major piece of the product of the education of the excellence that the University provides. And I will say, I said this this morning, I want to be really clear. When we when I talk about online education, I don't mean what happened during Covid, right? Because Covid were students who did not choose to be in that format 195 00:34:26.469 --> 00:34:45.099 KauCC: taught by people, many of them who were not trained to teach in that format. That was emergency education. It was heroic. You know. We were talking today about how you know, at Georgia State. We had to prepare 11,000 courses to go online in a week. You know it's it's 196 00:34:45.219 --> 00:34:50.409 KauCC: bravo to every single educator across the country with the efforts that were done. 197 00:34:50.489 --> 00:34:54.200 KauCC: But now we need to move to the next phase of this development. 198 00:34:54.400 --> 00:34:57.039 KauCC: based on what I saw in your data. 199 00:34:57.430 --> 00:35:23.919 KauCC: only 5% of your degree programs are totally online. Only 5% more than 50% of your students in most of the colleges and most on the campuses are totally online. Students think about that. Disconnect. What that means is we are not providing a service for many people whose only means of accessing education is through an online format. 200 00:35:24.080 --> 00:35:31.410 KauCC: You know I've had this conversation many times with with my own faculty, Senate, because I know many of you believe strongly 201 00:35:31.480 --> 00:35:36.440 KauCC: that students learn best in person best in the classroom. 202 00:35:36.590 --> 00:36:02.579 KauCC: and what I've said, and what I will continue to say is that it's not an either, or it's a both, and you know the place where our populations are growing are adult learners. They're adult learners who have full time jobs or part time jobs. They have family responsibilities, and the only way. And I mean, sometimes it's just pure commuting right the ability to actually get to a place with the amount of time that you have. 203 00:36:02.830 --> 00:36:07.910 KauCC: The only way that those people will be able to access 204 00:36:08.390 --> 00:36:13.940 KauCC: higher education is through flexible formats that allow them to tailor 205 00:36:14.520 --> 00:36:19.270 KauCC: the program to what they need at that particular moment, and so providing 206 00:36:19.920 --> 00:36:29.570 KauCC: stackable credits, providing certificates that build to to degrees and doing them in formats that allow for online teaching asynchronously. 207 00:36:29.900 --> 00:36:39.020 KauCC: with tremendous resource, support, and training. This is not good luck. I hope it works for you, faculty member who's never done this before 208 00:36:39.040 --> 00:36:43.609 KauCC: you. I mean, then you have very low quality programs, and that's what nobody wants, right. 209 00:36:43.640 --> 00:36:49.579 KauCC: But with a very thoughtful, deliberative infusion of both 210 00:36:49.600 --> 00:37:05.179 KauCC: high quality, tech support and also training for faculty, we will reach people who never have been in a place to access the greatness that we have to offer, and frankly given the enrollment challenges that are inherent 211 00:37:05.200 --> 00:37:12.769 KauCC: in higher education. It's going to have to happen. So the question is, do we lead that 212 00:37:12.880 --> 00:37:29.690 KauCC: proactively? Or do we continue to to drag our feet and react to market forces. And I'll say 1 1 last thing about that. I by no means am suggesting that or or really any school that enters this arena at this point becomes a powerhouse in online education. 213 00:37:29.770 --> 00:37:41.230 KauCC: You know, we know that that is dominated by some massive players in the market who spend multiple multiple millions on advertising. That's not what that's not what we're talking about. 214 00:37:41.310 --> 00:38:02.420 KauCC: We're talking about the particularly unique Hawaiian culture that's infused into our curriculum that is desirable by our employers and by the people who live here. We can offer that product in a way that nobody else does, and I hesitate to use the word product I don't mean to suggest. I know that that's the fighting words sometimes with faculty, and I don't mean it that way. 215 00:38:02.460 --> 00:38:11.490 KauCC: But ultimately it is our service that we're offering, and we can do it in a way that's unique and will serve the needs of the students and the people of the State. So I think that's that's a huge issue. 216 00:38:12.910 --> 00:38:13.819 KauCC: For how long 217 00:38:13.990 --> 00:38:20.070 KauCC: you touched upon AI a little earlier in this last response. So we're going to go back to that. With this question. 218 00:38:20.090 --> 00:38:29.059 KauCC: what were some of the equity issues you were able to address with AI. And then how would you apply these to the system. 219 00:38:30.100 --> 00:38:41.480 KauCC: there are tremendous opportunities to use artificial intelligence and analytics to advance student success and eliminate equity gaps. And I'll give you just a few examples. 220 00:38:41.490 --> 00:38:56.100 KauCC: In less than 6 years Georgia State really pioneered. This was before generative AI, before analytics were really being used in this space and within the span of 6 years they increased degree completion by 67% 221 00:38:56.620 --> 00:39:05.710 KauCC: 6 years. So we're not talking about long time periods to grow these things. They literally can have an impact that quickly. So how do we do that? 222 00:39:06.550 --> 00:39:10.979 KauCC: We worked to create and use our historical data 223 00:39:11.030 --> 00:39:20.469 KauCC: to to identify the points at which students begin to leave the path of success in our classrooms. 224 00:39:20.550 --> 00:39:38.010 KauCC: Ultimately, over time, we developed 800 data points that we looked at every single day for every single student automatically that would identify that moment that our data told us. This is a red flag. This is the moment to intervene. 225 00:39:38.270 --> 00:40:03.820 KauCC: and it required a significant increase in advisors to be able to act on those early alerts and to intervene at that moment, and what we found I was speaking with several folks about this earlier today. You have to take an investment mentality with these things. People always said, we can't afford it. We can't afford to hire more advisors in this particular environment. 226 00:40:04.140 --> 00:40:14.469 KauCC: The amount of tuition revenue generated through retention of students who stay with us to degree completion is a victory. Not only for them. 227 00:40:14.520 --> 00:40:24.380 KauCC: it's a victory for us, and it more than pays for the increase in quality and service that are required to be invested in in order to execute 228 00:40:24.760 --> 00:40:29.730 KauCC: this. So I'll give you one quick example. It's 1 of one of my favorites. 229 00:40:30.050 --> 00:40:33.940 KauCC: A serious issue in urban environments is summer. Melt 230 00:40:33.990 --> 00:41:01.119 KauCC: the time between the time a student says I'm going to show up in the seat in the fall, and the time when the student actually does. We were finding that we were losing 20% of our students and overwhelmingly the reason these are equity issues. It was overwhelmingly our most vulnerable students, our black and brown students, our low socioeconomic students. We could tell by Zip Code, who is most likely not to show up in our classes. 231 00:41:01.430 --> 00:41:12.090 KauCC: And we developed, we took a multimodal approach, but we developed 1st a chat bot that we called pounce, and this was before Chatbots really existed. This was sort of the original. 232 00:41:12.120 --> 00:41:14.969 KauCC: and at 1st it answered about 233 00:41:15.080 --> 00:41:28.660 KauCC: 10,000 questions. We were able to program it with 10,000 questions. And the great thing that's so hard for some of us who are older to understand is, there are so many of our students who would vastly prefer to talk to a Chatbot. 234 00:41:28.870 --> 00:41:37.640 KauCC: and they would like to talk to us, and it turns out that the time that they want to talk to the chat bot is between 12 and 2 in the morning 235 00:41:37.650 --> 00:42:00.709 KauCC: when we don't want to talk to them, even if they were in front of us. Right? And so what it allowed us to do is, answer the questions that were most routine most likely to come up instantly at the moment of asking, and where a question could not be answered, it would immediately flag an advisor to follow up the next day with a phone call 236 00:42:00.720 --> 00:42:02.660 KauCC: to have the conversation. 237 00:42:02.690 --> 00:42:30.429 KauCC: And it was amazing the things students didn't want to talk to us about that. They were embarrassed to talk to a live human being about. For example, with some of our students who didn't live with their parents. They lived with grandma, and we're trying to figure out, how do I do a Fafsa? If I can't get a hold of my dad? So it really served multiple purposes in that regard. And also we looked at how students consumed data using our analytics by how they were answering what we were sending them 238 00:42:30.590 --> 00:42:45.780 KauCC: turns out we were so excited that they were coming. We overwhelmed them with email. And that's assuming they even looked right. We know students often don't even look at their email. But they stopped looking at it because it wasn't tailored 239 00:42:45.780 --> 00:43:11.060 KauCC: to the moment that they needed that information and tailored to them specifically and with the advances in the analytics, for example, if you've already completed your Fafsa, you're not going to get 5 more emails from us. We know you did. You don't get those emails. If you're coming up on a deadline for a deposit and you haven't paid, we're going to make sure we get that in front of you, with a special kind of communication that will particularly get your attention. 240 00:43:11.200 --> 00:43:16.900 KauCC: So in literally in a single year, we reduced summer melt by 22% 241 00:43:17.342 --> 00:43:22.929 KauCC: so it essentially is taking tools that are out there, tools that can be combined. 242 00:43:23.000 --> 00:43:37.269 KauCC: tools that allow human beings to to target their time and energy to the place of need at the moment of need. It's not reducing human interaction, it's targeting it to who needs it the most at that moment. 243 00:43:37.330 --> 00:43:44.069 KauCC: and you know, I suspect that your students at many of them are like the students that I've worked with my whole life. 244 00:43:44.100 --> 00:44:01.399 KauCC: I worry less about the student who comes forward and asks for help. They're going to get it. We care about them. We will make sure that they hear from us. The student I worry about is the student who never comes forward. We have to figure out who those students are and bring our services to them 245 00:44:01.400 --> 00:44:14.219 KauCC: so that they have equivalent equitable outcomes. And there are. That's just a small piece of the work that's being done in that space, and I think tremendous opportunity here at to look at some of those techniques. 246 00:44:15.310 --> 00:44:22.759 KauCC: many questions coming in for you, Wendy, and we're going to try to get to as much as we can. I'm going to read these 2 247 00:44:22.780 --> 00:44:45.620 KauCC: quite similar. Some of the problems. Staff faces are inefficient procedures or programs, staff burnout revolving door employment and a lack of support themselves. How would you address these issues? The second similar question, do you have an idea of how you would help with having healthy and happy faculty and staff throughout the system. 248 00:44:46.160 --> 00:45:04.729 KauCC: Well, there really is a problem with burnout across higher education right now. And it's I think there are so many interesting similarities. I was saying this earlier today, too, between New York City and Hawaii, and you wouldn't think that right. You think it's apples and oranges. But the truth is, we live in really expensive places. 249 00:45:04.800 --> 00:45:14.769 KauCC: our public education is underfunded, and so that tends to mean that those of us who do this work, do it because we love the work and we love the mission. But we're not 250 00:45:15.040 --> 00:45:29.980 KauCC: in most cases the most highly paid for that work, and in a place like New York you are essentially training people in positions to then go on to better paying positions who can pay them much more especially staff. So you get that revolving door. 251 00:45:30.250 --> 00:45:41.380 KauCC: The answer to I mean, there's there's no simple answer, but there is a foundational requirement that I find is often lacking, and that is respect and professional development. Opportunities. 252 00:45:41.440 --> 00:45:50.400 KauCC: There have to be pathways. There have to be pathways where someone can continue to advance in their career, and where their 253 00:45:50.530 --> 00:46:07.769 KauCC: their history and their experience continues to be rewarded with an elevation in promotion and rank. Good example. I was mentioning those advisors a minute ago we were losing them hand over fist, because again, we simply couldn't pay them as much as 254 00:46:07.810 --> 00:46:13.619 KauCC: Emory University or or the other. You know, private universities in the area could pay. 255 00:46:13.780 --> 00:46:38.760 KauCC: And so we created an entire career ladder for them that also allowed professional and leadership development training that opened up new doors in other student success areas and student affairs so that it wasn't a 1 shot. It was a pathway if you cared, and you did. Well, we wanted to keep you and continue to advance you, which also, of course, benefits us. So that kind of, I think 256 00:46:38.760 --> 00:46:55.279 KauCC: pathway makes a huge difference, and people feel. And of course, recognition right? And during Covid we did was really it was really a fascinating moment in Covid. We did Covid heroes. We actually created a website where that we would flash different folks on there 257 00:46:55.320 --> 00:47:11.119 KauCC: every few months and change them up. I could not believe how excited people got to get their picture on the website. But when you think about the fact that we so often are not recognized for the extra mile that we go and the dedication that we invest. 258 00:47:11.120 --> 00:47:25.960 KauCC: I think recognition goes a very long way. So, looking at different types of awards that can be done, we've added several at Cuny since I've been there, and I'm sure your campuses have some. But the system can also do that type of recognition 259 00:47:26.090 --> 00:47:34.130 KauCC: in terms of happy faculty and staff. It's it's it's a challenging environment these days. But I will say, there, I think 260 00:47:34.220 --> 00:48:01.890 KauCC: the collaboration and transparency are simply essential. If we are viewed as on opposite sides. If we are not viewed as teams working for the mutual benefit of our students, then it will always feel as if one person is talking down to another is not respecting the other person's perspective, and this goes both ways. I had a conversation with my Faculty Senate the other day. We were 261 00:48:01.890 --> 00:48:20.939 KauCC: having some pretty heated arguments about something where you know very important topics where we didn't disagree, I said, you know I respect that you, as faculty, own the curriculum. You are the experts. I see that value in what you bring to the table. Do you see any value in what I bring 262 00:48:20.970 --> 00:48:31.579 KauCC: to the table and the seat that I sit in, because I see things that you can't see based on the fact that I'm looking across 25 systems and hearing from multitudes 263 00:48:31.640 --> 00:48:38.969 KauCC: of students and faculty versus the smaller world in which you're operating. Couldn't we combine that information 264 00:48:39.120 --> 00:48:50.060 KauCC: and come to a better resolution on this issue, and it was, I think it was a really important moment. You know that that respect is important, and if you have it on one side and you have it on the other 265 00:48:50.443 --> 00:48:58.659 KauCC: people like their jobs a whole lot more. It is a challenging time. But but we have to work together as a team. If we're going to move forward. 266 00:48:59.560 --> 00:49:18.230 KauCC: we have about 10 min left for our Q&A portion. This question coming into us from our online audience has had somewhat of a problematic relationship with the State legislature for many years, despite our formal legal independence. How might you try to tackle that? 267 00:49:19.180 --> 00:49:21.360 KauCC: This seems to be a common question 268 00:49:22.070 --> 00:49:24.009 KauCC: that I received a couple times. 269 00:49:24.080 --> 00:49:27.569 KauCC: You know I have. I work with 270 00:49:27.670 --> 00:49:34.469 KauCC: many different types of legislative bodies. Cuny is is unique in that it is funded by the city 271 00:49:34.510 --> 00:49:53.469 KauCC: of New York and by the State of New York, divided between the community colleges and the senior colleges, and that means that we have 2 political bodies, that we are accountable to the City Council, which is a very, very politically active council, and of course, the State Legislature. 272 00:49:53.470 --> 00:50:17.180 KauCC: and add on to that. Of course, the City Department of Education and the State Department of Education. So multiple layers of regulators of folks who are deeply vested in what we do, and appropriately so I want to start by saying that it is absolutely right and proper that the legislature is engaged in what the work of the university is 273 00:50:17.653 --> 00:50:33.270 KauCC: because they are the elected representatives of the people, and they provide the funding for the university. We cannot exist without each other. It is a mutually beneficial relationship that hopefully, in the best of circumstances. 274 00:50:33.400 --> 00:50:50.759 KauCC: it's cooperative, and it goes back to what I just said, we are going to see things differently based on where we sit, what information we have and what voices we're hearing from, and the key, I think to affecting a beneficial relationship 275 00:50:50.760 --> 00:51:03.550 KauCC: is proactive engagement, that you don't come to the table only when there are crises and issues, or you're asking for something that you create those relationships with regular communication. 276 00:51:03.680 --> 00:51:08.809 KauCC: Frankly, what I found is, if I'm I'm incredibly regular with my communication, they get bored with me. 277 00:51:08.820 --> 00:51:16.659 KauCC: There's nothing I have nothing to hide. I'm going to tell you everything, and maybe you even stop listening to what I'm telling you. It's been. It's been sort of amusing 278 00:51:16.710 --> 00:51:31.149 KauCC: in that way, but but that's what the way it should be. We should be transparent. It is an open, every every state I've been has been a sunshine law. So there's there's, you know. You can ask for any of that public information and you can get it. 279 00:51:31.250 --> 00:51:55.129 KauCC: The challenge, of course, comes when there isn't respect for the role and the expertise of either party, and I think, being clear about where that line is between moving from a cooperative partnership to micromanagement or interference in ways that really hamper the business of the University, which is not a business right? I mean, it is a public good 280 00:51:55.130 --> 00:52:15.620 KauCC: that serves the people in simply a different format than the legislature, you know, and then we have to be communicating about those things. It's not easy, I know, every having been worked with a deep red legislature and a deep blue legislature, I can tell you they all have similar issues 281 00:52:15.710 --> 00:52:32.090 KauCC: and challenges, and also interest in higher education, that if it can be tapped in the right way, can be enormously beneficial for the university. So I think we need to work to reset a relationship that looks like it's been pretty contentious of late to the extent that we can. 282 00:52:32.120 --> 00:52:39.879 KauCC: and, as I said, really proactively, reach out to build those relationships in advance of conversations that necessarily will be difficult. 283 00:52:40.860 --> 00:52:53.250 KauCC: This next question is from a faculty Senate constituent, and it reads, how would you handle communicating faculty opinion to the Board of Regents in situations where it's in disagreement with your own opinion. 284 00:52:55.830 --> 00:53:00.820 KauCC: Well, I will say I actually really appreciate that type of dialogue. I've 285 00:53:00.910 --> 00:53:07.300 KauCC: for every leadership group that I've ever had in any context with faculty governance. 286 00:53:07.550 --> 00:53:19.929 KauCC: What I've I've been really clear about is it's necessary to tell each other hard things. And by that I mean when we don't agree, that's less of an issue with faculty senates and staff senates. Usually they're pretty upfront 287 00:53:20.060 --> 00:53:25.490 KauCC: different with leadership teams that often will just say Yes, yes, and reaffirm whatever you're saying 288 00:53:25.560 --> 00:53:38.129 KauCC: when the fact is, they are there, as I tell them to tell me that I'm wrong. I want to not be the smartest person in the room. I like being surrounded by people smarter than me, because it makes better 289 00:53:38.510 --> 00:53:46.750 KauCC: decisions at the end of the day. Right? They will see things I don't see. They will understand how it may hurt people that are not even in my line of vision. 290 00:53:46.990 --> 00:53:52.450 KauCC: and we have to be able to say those things in a way that's collegial and supportive. 291 00:53:52.740 --> 00:54:08.610 KauCC: but clear, so that we you know that you're not complaining to your neighbor that things aren't working. You're complaining to the people who can actually change it. I think that's really important. So you know so many of the issues in higher Ed these days, and that I deal with 292 00:54:08.610 --> 00:54:27.349 KauCC: it isn't as if there is a right answer. There are lots of nuanced answers where people of good faith can absolutely come to different conclusions about what the right thing to do is, and the Board of regents or any decision maker should have all of that information in front of them 293 00:54:27.440 --> 00:54:33.099 KauCC: in order to make a good decision on behalf of the University and all the constituents that it serves. 294 00:54:33.160 --> 00:54:40.630 KauCC: Their job isn't to to deliver what I think is the right thing to do. It's the to deliver the right thing for the University. 295 00:54:40.640 --> 00:54:44.089 KauCC: and there are many stakeholders who may have a different opinion. 296 00:54:44.120 --> 00:55:07.380 KauCC: And I'm very comfortable communicating those in my current role. We have a faculty member that sits on the board of regents. So that is usually done in a more direct way. I don't think you have a faculty member on the region. So I think that would be part of the report to make sure that balanced information is provided to the people who have to make best decisions in the interests of all of us. 297 00:55:08.840 --> 00:55:16.320 KauCC: We've received about 4 questions related to the next question, and so, for the sake of time, we'll read one of them 298 00:55:16.420 --> 00:55:26.690 KauCC: as a non-native Hawaiian and not local to Hawaii. How will you use your presidential role of service to move and specifically Kauai CC 299 00:55:26.700 --> 00:55:32.860 KauCC: toward a vision that fulfills its Kuleana or responsibility to native Hawaiians and Hawaii. 300 00:55:34.010 --> 00:55:56.310 KauCC: You know I I said this morning, and it's worth saying again, I feel tremendous Kuleana in my position. Now I didn't call it that until I realized that that was the Hawaiian concept. But these are. These positions are awesome in terms of their their privilege and responsibility, and I feel that deeply in terms of 301 00:55:56.480 --> 00:56:04.810 KauCC: what I need to do to ensure that I fulfill the ethics and integrity of these roles and meet the needs of the people that it serves. 302 00:56:05.180 --> 00:56:06.449 KauCC: You know I 303 00:56:06.970 --> 00:56:13.370 KauCC: I recognize the particular unique responsibility to native Hawaiians 304 00:56:13.450 --> 00:56:29.839 KauCC: both from my time here, but also in the in the learning that I have done, simply because I'm I'm so interested in it in the time. And I mentioned this morning I was excited to see that there actually is a associate's degree 305 00:56:29.840 --> 00:56:45.049 KauCC: in Hawaiian culture and language that's fully online. So that actually something that I am committed to taking and learning, because all of this really is about listening. It would be the height of hypocrisy for me to tell native Hawaiian populations here how I can serve them. 306 00:56:45.190 --> 00:57:09.249 KauCC: It is my duty to listen to their ideas about what that service looks like to try and effectuate the promise of and the commitment to Kuleana for native Hawaiians. So I would expect. You know I'm excited by that responsibility. I think it's so incredibly important and unique to elevate the culture here of the people who were here first, st 307 00:57:09.320 --> 00:57:11.340 KauCC: on whose land we sit. 308 00:57:11.360 --> 00:57:17.469 KauCC: and to eliminate the disparities. That's 1 thing I would say very clearly that I think I 309 00:57:17.980 --> 00:57:44.830 KauCC: I would focus on immediately, and that is eliminating equity gaps in some of the graduation and retention rates experienced by our native Hawaiian students and and figure out, what is it that we are doing that is causing that because it's never the students, it really is the institution that doesn't see the barrier that's presented, so would look forward to doing that work with enthusiasm. But I really I in this in this particular case, while I feel. 310 00:57:45.225 --> 00:58:01.850 KauCC: You know all of my work has been done in a highly multicultural environment. You know I would come to this particular question as a learner with with humility, and look forward to working collaborative, to identify how to fulfill that mission. 311 00:58:02.900 --> 00:58:24.039 KauCC: And with that response that wraps up our Q&A portion of our forum. We now would like to ask you if you can share with us closing remarks, any thoughts or manao, as you will learn that word in your future online Hawaiian language class. So closing, remarks Mahalo. But I will never say it as nicely as you do. 312 00:58:24.960 --> 00:58:40.680 KauCC: I love listening. Just thank you. As I said before, Mahalo, it is an enormous privilege to be here. I really appreciate the time that you're taking out of your day. I know how busy it is, how many hats we wear in our communities here at the University. 313 00:58:40.680 --> 00:59:01.859 KauCC: and the fact that you came today speaks volumes about that you care for for this institution and the future of the entire system. And I look forward to hopefully interacting with you again. The one thing that I promised to every one of my 25 visits is it's not a 1 and done. It's the beginning of an ongoing conversation that I look forward to having with you. So thank you. 314 00:59:02.530 --> 00:59:06.980 KauCC: Have another round of applause for Wendy at Henson, Mulhalla. 315 00:59:12.800 --> 00:59:35.189 KauCC: Mahalo nui Laura, you know, before we depart, another reminder that the Board of regents would really like to hear any feedback and comments that you might have. So just remember to head over to the President, search webpage to access the online survey form, I'm told, for our audience that's joining us on Zoom. You will see a QR. Code 316 00:59:35.190 --> 00:59:55.659 KauCC: that will take you straight to that survey. That survey will remain open until 6 o'clock this Friday. You can also submit comments that will be published online to the Bor via email. That's Bor testimony at Hawaiedu, another reminder each and every forum 317 00:59:55.660 --> 01:00:23.519 KauCC: featuring both of our finalists for President over the next couple of weeks will be recorded, and you are welcome to rewatch or view it again. Live on the President, search website for more information you can head on over to the site or news@uhnews.org, and with that for welcoming us to your beautiful island. 318 01:00:23.520 --> 01:00:35.559 KauCC: we thank you so much for joining us, and just wish everyone home safely and just continuing to share Aloha Mahalanui, a Mala, Mapono.