Alohamika, Ko.
Aloha, we want to follow you for joining us at the University of Hawaii. President, search.
Public forum. Here at the University of Hawaii, at Mona.
As the search continues for the 15th president of the U. 10 campus system.
The new President will succeed.
President David Lazner, who will retire by the end of the year, after serving, since 2,014.
This forum is an opportunity for our campus communities on Oahu to connect with our finalists.
We welcome faculty, staff, or students who may be joining us from the community colleges as well.
Winward leeward Honolulu and Kapi, Olenny.
As well as West Oahu, and of course our campus community here at Manoa.
Mahalo, in Naili, or puhia.
Kovala, Americ, or local Umani.
Colonna, ikawa.
May Kamakani, Kahokuni.
Mahalo to the Eli of Puya.
Kovalea and Kane way within the of Manoa.
Renowned for the misty rains.
And the winds known as Caho.
I'm Owen EK. Eleanor's spokeswoman here at Manor.
And we not only have you our audience joining us here within the art auditorium.
But we also welcome our virtual audience, who are logged on via zoom.
And this forum is our in person. Audience, heard a little earlier, is being recorded.
It'll also be available for viewing a little later online.
So Ikea law. Today we will meet the second of 2 finalists for President.
Now the mission of these public forums over the next couple of weeks.
Has been to get to know both finalists through question and answer. Formats.
Aside from the forums, the board of Regents.
Is requesting feedback from students, faculty staff, and the general public.
Which they say will be imperative, as they engage in deliberations.
And making that very final selection.
Now, there are a couple of ways to do that, and we just want to go through that before we commence with our Q&A portion of our.
You can head on over to the president to access the online survey form. The survey will be open until 6 PM. This coming Friday, and will be kept confidential.
Another option for you. If you wish to provide feedback, that'll be posted online and made public.
You can submit your comments via email.
To bor testimony at Hawaii. Edu.
Those comments will be posted the week prior to the next Special Board meeting, currently scheduled for October.
Today's forum, as we mentioned, will be conducted via Q. And a.
And our in person. Audience. We already have.
A pretty steady stream of questions. If you can continue to write those questions on those index cards that were provided as you walked into the auditorium. If you're joining us on zoom, if you haven't yet already.
Please feel free to start sending questions.
To the chat.
And now to our candidate.
He's currently serving as provost and vice President of academic affairs.
For Western Michigan University, Wmu.
Prior to joining Wmu. He was the Dean of the College of Education at the University of Kentucky.
Part of is nearly 2 decades of leadership.
His experience includes fundraising and financial management and spearheading strategic initiatives.
That bolstered research and educational innovation.
He has earned Phd. And Master's degrees from Stanford University, and holds additional degrees from the University of Michigan. Ann Arbor.
Please, party Lima Kaku, put your hands together for Dr. Julian Vazquez.
And you know we're just going to talk story for a couple seconds. Here.
As he goes through getting miked up for our portion. We just wanna share with you. He's had a very.
Long past couple of days. We started together at Moi yesterday morning, then to Kauai Community College, and then moving on to Hilo and Hawaii Ecc this morning, and.
Here we are at mono, and it appears.
That doctor is Maco. He is ready.
And we would like to give you the time, Doctor, if you'd like to share any opening. Monoto.
As our audience joins us to listen in.
Testing. Oh, there we go!
I feel like I should sing a song that.
Not the sound. So thank you so much. We've been going since 4 o'clock this morning.
I think it might be.
10 or 11 o'clock East Coast time, but there's no place I'd rather be.
Then, right here, I wanna thank the faculty.
But this beautiful lay. I'm deeply honored by the thoughtful gesture in the warm welcome that it represents.
In the brief time that I have for this.
I'm actually not going to focus on my role as provost.
I'm now going to talk about my academic background.
Or all of the publications.
Nor will I extensively reference the details and narrative.
Found in my Cv. On the University of Hawaii system website.
Instead, I stand before you.
With humility, here to greet you.
And speak from the heart.
About service, family.
And community.
My focus today is actually on the deeper values.
That have been specifically conveyed and prioritized by the community.
In the leadership profile, and by the Presidential Search Committee.
By the regions values that must guide our leadership.
The Ina kapuna.
Oh, Kuleana!
Aloha, and an unwavering commitment.
To community.
It is my dedication to these values.
As expressed by the community.
That has brought me here today.
I'd like to start by sharing a photo that I recently took here on the island.
As we gather here in Oahu, we are part of a continuity.
Caring for the legacy of education.
Leadership and care for the island.
To the Ina just as the sun rises and sets.
Our responsibility is to ensure that knowledge and this place are passed on.
Not just for today.
But for generations to come.
As we reflect on the natural rhythms of.
The cycles that shape our lives.
I'd like to take a moment to honor the wisdom.
Of our Kapoa, our elders, and our ancestors, who guide us with their strength and resilience and lessons.
Our ancestors are the keepers of knowledge.
The link between past and present.
They have already weathered lifestorms.
Like the land itself.
Remains steadfast.
Through changing times.
I'd like to share this picture of my grandfather.
Picking cherries in Michigan as an agricultural worker.
Can you spot which person I'm related to.
Right there in the middle, towards the top.
That's my grandfather.
It's an image that tells a story. Like many families.
Perseverance, hard work.
It's a legacy that we inherit from those who came before us.
His hands, worn from labor, are the same hands that shaped.
Who I am today, just as our ancestors have shaped the communities that we live in today.
As the Hawaiian proverb reminds us.
Watch, observe.
Help, others, accept, help.
That is the way of living in a family.
We owe so much to our elders and our ancestors.
It's our responsibility to carry forward values and knowledge that they've entrusted to us.
They worked hard, not only for their own livelihood.
But the well-being of future generations.
For us.
Here in this community, in Oahu.
We have the privilege and responsibility to honor our elders and ancestors by continuing the work that they started.
Whether we're learning or teaching or building together.
We are shaping the future in a way that reflects the values passed down through the ages. Respect.
And Aloha, and the understanding that we are all interconnected.
Just as the sun, the moon, and the tides are connected to the life on this island.
Family. Ohana! It's the heart of who we are.
And store our families, that we learn our values, our traditions, the stories that define us.
Well, Hannah's more than just familiar relations.
It's a connection to community.
The land to the past.
It's a foundation upon which our identities and our futures are built.
As you reflect on the importance of Ohana, I'm reminded of the words of Professor Dick.
Dirk Soma. I saw him recently in Kuw.
He said, you're a no.
Your name identifies your honor, your family lineage you to others in the deeds of your ancestors. You also carry your family name, and must honor it.
This emphasizes the deep connection we have with our.
Our family is always with us, grounding us in love and shaping the path we can walk.
But living with integrity and the low we honor the values instilled.
Across our campuses. We are an extension.
Of O'hana, we support one another.
Learn from one another, grow together.
We build stronger community.
And it's our Ojana that reminds us who we are and helps us form.
The University of Hawaii.
It's our role here. And also.
The world.
Let's take a moment to reflect.
On Kulayana.
Value deeply woven into the fabric of Hawaiian Islands.
It's not just about responsibility, it's about understanding the sacrs we have not just to ourselves, but also to the land, our ancestors, our Ohana and those who come after us. It's the idea that what we do today and let me insert insert here as leaders.
As faculty as staff. It carries profound meaning.
For the generations that come.
As Dr. Aquino has beautifully said.
Kuleana defines the ethical basis.
Upon which we establish who we are.
In what we do. Layana embeds itself as the highest principle of respect.
An obligation, an every decision we make, and again, as a leaders, as faculty as staff, our responsibility calls us to act with integrity and with deep respect.
For the people and the places that have shaped our lives.
When I think about engaging Hawaiian and indigenous students and their families within the universe. University of Hawaii system.
My leadership background is clear.
I sought to. I've sought to start with relationships.
With a native and indigenous community relationships built on respect and.
As an education, policy, scholar, and former ethnic studies. Professor, I understand that education in Hawaii must go beyond the classroom. It must honor ancestral knowledge. It's passed down to the generations and is still alive in hearts and minds.
There's a beautiful Hawaiian proper that comes to mind.
Let the Hawaiian knowledge live on.
This is our Culiano.
To ensure that native Hawaiian knowledge and culture not only survives, but thrives.
It's about creating pathways for success that don't require students to leave behind who they are.
But instead allows them to bring their full selves to the University.
Their communities and tell story into the learning environment.
Our multi-ethnic student population is something we should be so proud of.
Manoa, and the system.
Some of the most diverse campuses.
In the entire United States.
Our university must be culturally relevant and culturally engaged.
Whether it's through curricula that honors history and perspective, or through cultural spaces where students can practice tradition like healing with plants and care for the land.
Our University must be a place where our connection to their roots strengthens.
Our academic journeys.
Faculty staff and students.
Dr. Aquino also said, our Kulayana is to be better ancestors, to be stewards of wisdom.
And love and knowledge. I think it's Ok to say, love.
We must strive to leave legacies that inspire future generations.
And that's the Coulayana we share together.
And me, we must commit to further enhancing a university.
That reflects the richness of this place.
Where students not only are supported but embraced. I just met with the students talking about some strategies that we can increase student success, and I would love to address that.
In the questions following.
Or the journey in higher education strengthens the land, language, history, and the special special culture of this place.
Well, we can honestly tell parents.
Superintendents, principals.
Teachers, families.
And community that their students will find success.
On our campus.
On our campuses.
And we can deliver that for them.
In our approach we will lead with Aloha.
We will seek to understand.
To listen and learn from our elders.
And all who carry the knowledge and wisdom of these islands.
Together we will build a future, that honest.
Honors, our past.
This couleanna will be our guiding line, as we serve community.
Now I don't want to jump the shark.
And unilaterally propose solutions, and just a side point here that I haven't made in any other.
Forum is.
The phrase Jump! The shark comes from one of the final episodes of happy days where the fans tried to jump a shark. So I just wanna let you know that that's where that phrase I did some research on that.
So I do not want to jump a shark, and unilaterally propose solutions.
But rather introduce ideas for us to discuss.
What would it look like if the system facilitated communities leading the creation of new initiatives that blend academic excellence with deep cultural grounding? What would that look like.
These commitments would provide opportunities for students, faculty, and community members alike to engage in more mentorship.
Research hands-on experiential learning opportunities.
This vision draws inspiration from the legacy of Nainoa Thompson.
Whose way finding efforts have demonstrated the power of our future and community, and ancestral knowledge.
As we move forward together.
Community will be at the core of our work.
We will engage with.
Humility, listen.
Deeply build relationships.
And keep our promises.
And the system will deliver results. We will be present in communities. Hear your stories, support the events that matter most to you.
A look at my Linkedin feed over the years, show how important being present and engaged in communities is to me.
I want the University of Hawaii to be yours, a place you have.
Not something distant or abstract.
Each campus should feel alive.
A vibrant hum for students faculty in the communities it serves. I had a chance to be at Hila. We flew to Hilo and flew back this morning.
And that campus is.
In Kalamazoo, where we set all time for retention and graduation rate. The last 2 years.
We witness the revitalization of campus life that felt more dormant after Covid.
And the growth of online.
Together. Students. Faculty in the broader community can create a true sense of place.
Our system campuses can be more than centers of learning. We have to think about what our campuses will be like in 5 to 10 years.
Technology is changing. Modalities are changing. We want our campuses to be hubs for community.
Where students and families can come together to learn, grow, and connect.
Students of all ages.
Achieving. This requires our campus to enhance their deep rooting.
In communities.
Now, can we do a little bit of real talk? Is that okay?
Are you out there? Can we do a little bit of real talk? Okay.
Okay, I'm gonna do some real talk. I just wanna make sure you all are still awake.
The strategies that work on the Continent.
Whether the University of California system or the California State system, where I served as a campus leader.
Will not work here. This is real talk.
Hawaii.
Is unique.
And our approach must reflect this.
We need to create a system that is grounded in.
Community, facing and fully aligned with the.
Of this place.
Our leadership structure.
Must change the way information flows. I'm gonna tell you. Meeting with my Senate colleagues and meeting with the students.
That message was heard, loud and clear.
And how decisions are made must look different.
And how does this remain? The President's office must look different than any other system.
In the world. So I'm a systems thinker.
With a record of being committed to equity and serving the field as a thought leader.
And community based community engage education, policy and leadership.
I bring that expertise to this role.
Continuous learning drives my leadership, as I reflect every single day, and questions like.
How does my commitment to community help me think about the opportunity and challenges I face as an academic leader? That's 1.
2. How does justice guide the decisions we need to make for the future of.
And communities.
Leadership principles, grounded.
In the ina puna.
Oh, Han Kulayana!
Aloha and commitment to community.
Must be foundational for our leadership.
As academics.
A policymaker once told me.
That in the Hawaiian ethos.
The individual is secondary.
To the collective good.
My work in public policy and education.
And now academic leadership is centered.
On the common good.
Focusing on equity and creating policies that lead to collective outcomes.
That lift us all.
Thank you.
Mahalo doctor will now proceed with the Q. And a portion of the Forum, and our audience, both in person and online, have plenty of questions. We talk about plenty cause. Look, we, we've we've.
Set a standard, and that standard has been on every campus that we've answered. Every single question that has come in.
Now I'm a little worried, because when you said plenty, that seems like a lot. How many questions do we have right now for the next hour and a half.
We're we're gonna crunch the numbers
For you really quick. Let me see here, I think we.
Didn't answer all of the questions at but we got very close. We did.
31 questions so far. Okay, so who are the math faculty out there? How many math faculty can you calculate how much, how many minutes I have for each question. You said 2 min. Okay? Well, I think you'll probably put a couple together right.
Okay. Alright, we're gonna do our best to hit them all. I'm gonna do my very best. I'm gonna try. Okay? So that means my answers. I'm gonna try to.
Do 2 to 3 min. One of the things I was telling them earlier is, I used to do Msnbc quite often, and you would have 15 to 20 seconds to answer something profound. So I think I can do this in 3 min. Let's go for it. Okay, well, let's do. Let's mock Hoco and get it going. Here we go, the 1st one from Zoom. Doctor, it reads, do you think manoa should have its own chancellor like the other campuses.
Well, that's that's a great question. I'm gonna be honest with you. That's been asked in every form, and the students just asked me that question.
So this is how I've been thinking about this.
I think that the profile of a leader.
Of Manoa has certain characteristics.
Someone who has a really strong publication record.
Someone who has a strong teaching record, a strong grant making record, someone who has a national public profile. That is what you typically see in Chancellors of R. Ones of a top, 100 r. 1 of the stature of Manila.
And so, but ultimately, and I was. I was discussing this with the students today. The Faculty Senate makes certain decisions.
And Asu H makes certain decisions.
And then, in this particular case, this is in the purview of the regions.
So if asked, I will provide feedback to the regions. Now, what's really interesting about this question? I don't know how many read the book.
Who runs the university. Anybody read that book? Oh, there's a couple of you out there.
It was recommended by a community member for me to read that book, and I made my way mostly through it.
Now, what's interesting is in the 1980, S.
The the same discussion was occurring.
So history does actually repeat itself. So when, if the regions do ask.
I will provide my best advice and counsel.
But ultimately they will make that decision.
If they decide that they would ask me to serve as Chancellor and President, I would be absolutely honored to do that.
If they decide they would go a different direction, then I would absolutely be I would absolutely be acceptable also. So really, that decision is outside of my purview, but I will absolutely provide feedback if they ask.
Second question from our in-person audience. Recognizing that staff are often the invisible group within the university community. What is your vision for enhancing staff engagement and increasing morale. How do you plan to ensure that their contributions are valued and recognized within the broader university culture? Yeah.
The team, the team, the team. I apologize. I'm gonna use a sports now. I attend the University of Michigan. They have a football team there.
And there was an old ball coach named Bosch.
And he's very famous for saying the team, the team, the team.
And really, it's about culture.
That that work is culture. And after Covid.
Faculty and staff. We really struggled.
We really struggled. There was. There was a lot that happened to us.
As communities.
Because of of Covid. And and so I think everywhere education is still trying to come back to normalcy.
And I I so I I think.
That that is important to say. Now let me, can I tell you something.
Then I think.
Relays, the importance.
Of team and staff to me.
So they had a watch party, and the Provost office.
Back in Michigan.
And we were in the van on the way. Here.
And my team sent me a group picture.
And they were all wearing.
And I think that says something about culture and community.
So I think there's a couple of things to say. I think one. We know that.
From the general economic research.
That staff. That retention of employees has to do with a couple of things. I think one is pay.
And that that's always a concern.
Are we properly compensating.
Educated.
Talented.
A staff across the spectrum.
So I think that's 1st thing, the second one is actually commute.
That really matters to folks, and with the prices of housing, especially around here.
Been near manoa. My my wife actually sent me a listing because she's looking around at the thing, and it was like 3 million dollars for one bedroom and.
One bathroom. And I thought to myself, Wow, that's that's pretty. Also matters we understand, that's related to commute. And then the final thing that they say really matters for.
For retention of staff.
Is leadership matters.
And that means that we need to invest.
In leadership opportunities and training and professional development for our faculty for our staff.
For for staff leaders. That's really important, because you want to know that you believe. And your team, your leader, the vision, the direction.
And that's vertical and horizontal.
So there's a couple of thoughts. But I always say to my team that you are the glue.
And there's a reason why they say absent, professor, that old Disney movie, because sometimes faculty, we get caught up in a lot of the responsibilities that we have.
And the staff really keep us on the straight and narrow. Make sure we don't spend money and ways. We're not supposed to follow the policies. And so, staff really are the glue of what we do. So I just want to underline bold italic that.
That staff are critical.
To our institution.
Thank you for your response. Second question.
I believe this might be the 3rd question.
3rd question can you provide a specific example of how you engage different groups, students, faculty staff administration, community legislature, when there are conflicting opinions about a proposed change or resolution.
Hmm.
Well.
I think, probably the most controversial one.
Is
What's happening with free speech.
An encampments.
Or had been happening last semester.
So if you did, you know that we had an encampment on our campus?
Did you know that anybody.
Okay, couple.
But the reason why most people don't know.
That we didn't have an encampment on our campus is because we weren't Columbia.
And we were in Indiana, and we weren't Ucla.
We didn't make the mistakes that they made.
And the way that we were able to do that.
Was collaborative work.
With community. So I'm not gonna tell you.
The conversation among the executive leadership on our campus, that we were all on the same page.
But when we began that conversation.
So that's 1, you know, just working with colleagues, I think 2.
Engaging with students around dialogue.
Around around the issues.
Engaging with the Union.
And with the faculty around.
Freedom of speech, not only for faculty on different sides of this conversation.
But also
For staff and for students. Faculty often lead that charge on behalf.
Of the community.
And so we're at a place where we have ongoing dialogue.
And just recently the students came to me.
And asked.
What kind of initiatives the Provost off of would be interested in being involved in.
And so we're thinking about, how can we have visiting scholars.
From institutions who have been completely destroyed.
Anywhere in the world. Due to war. Another conflict. How can we bring those scholars to our campus when they're.
place of.
Of academic learning has been completely wiped off. The map.
So we're also interested in creating.
I'm bringing to
Having stakeholders bring to us creative and unique ideas.
That we can support.
And puzzle through. We're not at that point yet, because this is a new development.
But I think that represents that sort of conversation, that collaboration. And then how do we think about unique action in response to an incredibly difficult.
Issue.
Thank you for your response. The next question reads, what is the role of the Research library in a 21st century.
Okay, I I absolutely love this question. I don't know who asked this question. I want to tell 2 library stories, and I told the librarians that, Hela. So the 1st library story is that the library's way better than Amazon? And here's why.
So the Pool Council.
Gave, gave us a syllabus.
And so there was one particular book that I was not going to be able to get.
On time from Amazon.
And so I went over to the library, and I.
I said, you know I'm I'm looking for this book. Where is the D section? And they said, Oh, it's on the second floor.
And they're like, would you like an escort to the D section? And I said, Well, I actually know how to navigate a library, so I can get there.
What I well, honestly, when I got there.
There was 13 other books about Hawaii that I took with me that day. Way better than Amazon, because it's way faster. And so I really appreciated
1st the syllabus, and then to the opportunity. I I felt like a history over the last. I was a history major, every faculty member, and I don't know if the other historians here.
I said, there's 1 back there. Do you sign 2 or 300 pages of reading in your class every week? I'm I'm just wondering because when I was at Michigan.
That was how every professor operated. So the evenings of the last 10 days I I took myself back to undergraduate. So I was doing a lot of lot of reading now to the more and serious stuff, which is that.
AI!
Is.
Going to change how universities operate in a lot of different ways. And if there's a follow-up question about AI, we can go really deep into that. But one of the things that I've been thinking about.
Is that the possibility that information that is delivered to you is inaccurate.
An inaccurate by mistake.
Or inaccurate on purpose.
And so what are gonna be the keepers of knowledge? I think one is, of course.
Our elders and our kapuna. Right? They're gonna be the keepers of knowledge. But I think the libraries are gonna be critical in this work because you cannot manipulate.
What's in libraries. But anything digital can be.
Manipulated. And so I think increasingly for students, we're gonna have to have these important.
Because you're going to have to center the knowledge that is coming to us through these different AI functions.
Now, I don't know if this is something you all have been thinking about, but I think this is something that we, as scholars have to be thinking about, which is that.
Libraries will be important repositories of information that cannot be manipulated.
Now 1 3rd comment, or completely in the opposite.
Which is that what we found is our library is one of the gathering places, one of the hubs of our campus. The students want to be there now. We have a coffee shop in there like I don't know. In my day the librarians like you're not bringing things to drink into the library, and now they're like there's coffee. So we we have this evolution of the library now, and there's a noisy floor and a not noisy floor, and then there's a floor where there's 3D. Printing and.
There are flight simulators. And so the library has really become a hub. We're also even thinking about moving our our diversity equin work in there, and some of our students success work because so many students flow through the library.
And so those are just. Those are 3 completely different perspectives on why libraries are are important.
Next question also comes from our in-person audience, and it reads, national trends, erosion of tenure and faculty governance. What is your position on these trends?
Well, can I just be frank with you all here.
And Florida decides that they want to abolish tenure.
Then we should go shopping in Florida.
Because 10 years are gonna be projected here.
Academic freedom is going to be protected here, I'm gonna tell you. I've been shopping in Florida.
I went to Fu to the Dean for our College of Education.
I want to effort you to recruit the new director and head.
Of our
Center for race and ethnicity.
And so, if if States decide.
That they want to abolish tenure or put limits on tenure, put limits on academic freedom. If they want to ban books or tell us that we can't have Hawaiian studies or ethnic studies, or whatever those things are.
I say it's time for us to go shopping.
And and bring scholars to our campus, because those are values that we hold very dear. It's just as simple as that.
And excuses, doctor, these questions are coming in cold. So we just wanna make sure that we're doing our best to make sure that we get through them correctly. This one comes to us from the Manuala school of Pacific and Asian studies.
And it states.
The school has a historic and strong international reputation in the Pacific and Asian region and diasporic communities, with 2 academic departments and 8 study centres. Could you share your understanding of and experience with pacific and Asian studies? How do you envision advancing and supporting our mission.
Should you become the university.
So this work goes back a hundred years, I think 1930 or so, almost a hundred years.
We have a very special and unique position, being at the convergence of East and West.
That, of course, has caused all sorts of issues from 1893 up to statehood.
Colonial neo, colonial challenges.
But this center is is really special.
To the University.
And so, and.
The region especially is especially important to me. I was a student in China.
I had a forwarding fellowship from the National Institutes of Health when I was an undergraduate.
And was the 1st time I'd ever left the country.
And I was thrust into 1,900 Beijing.
Which, by the way, I was in Beijing this summer, I'll come back to that story.
Very, very.
Different than my home in Michigan.
And so that really brought home to me.
And actually the professor, who is my mentor for that nih experience was one of the, if I remember correctly, was one of the faculty. When Nixon opened China in the 19 seventies, was one of the scientists that went with Nixon. If I remember correctly.
And so Asia. Pacific studies are something that actually.
Has been a high priority for me. In fact.
I'm scheduled to spend about 3 weeks in Asia.
Over the whole year. So I was in Japan.
And china for about 10 or so days, a little more in.
In June. Working with partners there.
Being committed to our relationships in China. That's difficult.
I'll tell you. The Department of Defense is working behind the scenes.
Quite vociferously around some of those partnerships.
And so that creates a set of challenges. I see the administrators shaking their heads because they're aware they're getting these letters, too.
Had a chance to go to China and visit with our scholarships. There was a tragedy in the 19 sixties. One of our students from China died in a bus crash, and ever since that time our university has given a scholarship to a Japanese student, so meaning with our partners, there.
And I'm actually scheduled to go back to China in November for another 10 days. And it was several partners there.
So Asia, pacific studies and relationships special opportunity to do that work. I'm gonna tell you the flight is a lot shorter from here to China than from Detroit to China, so I would be committed to working with those faculty.
And those folks working to develop those.
Those relationships. It's it's something that's a part of my personal history.
And something that I'm I'm really invested in.
And it's something that's really special about this place where East and West meets.
Mahalo doctor next question reads, what intentions do you have toward maintaining position as an institution at which a Hawaii focused? Pedagogy thrives.
Do you feel prepared to lead an institution whose place and location exist in a historically indigenous land?
Incredibly important. Question.
And I had the opportunity.
Before I came on the plane.
To attend a lecture.
At the University of Michigan, at my Alma Mater.
I went to the lecture, and then I I got on the plane.
And it was Daniel who is a scholar at Ucla.
And he was talking about this concept.
Of shared cultural intimacy.
It was. It was new to the term.
And what he was talking about was that people from a place.
Or people from certain backgrounds.
Military, they have a shared.
Cultural intimacy.
Now I'm not going to tell you and stand before you here today.
And say that I have the shared cultural.
Intimacy of this place.
What I can tell you is that I have.
Shared values. So what are those? What are those shared.
Values so one.
Is respect for the environment.
Indigenous and native communities are the keepers of the water and the keepers of the land.
Valuing and protecting the Aina.
And it's cultural and spiritual significance.
Pick. Another value is.
Addressing inequality.
And a commitment to all communities, particularly native Hawaiians, indigenous folks, and also historically marginalised groups. Another shared.
Value prioritizing inclusive education. I know there's some educators in the crowd. How many educators do we have.
In the crowd in the education. Okay.
Barring both academic. Excuse me, and they told me not to hit the microphone if I call.
Apologize, sorry.
Teenagers in the house, so they get me sick all the time.
Honoring both academic excellence and indigenous knowledge, to empower students.
From all backgrounds.
In my introductory statements I talked about.
Preserving cultural respect and traditions. Also another shared value.
Honoring language, culture, and customs.
I also think, especially after.
The extensive reading that that professor in the back.
Assign me a history prefer? No, the pool account will assign me on the syllabus.
Is acknowledging the colonial history and the resistance of this place.
An understanding, and and recognizing that.
Promoting inclusiveness and diversity and and inclusion. People of all backgrounds.
And then finally, as I talked about in the introduction, also.
Embracing Ohana!
Community, and Kulaya.
Recognize the importance of family and community and responsibility to serve. So, while I may not have the shared cultural intimacy.
I've shared values.
Mahalo? This next question.
States. You may know that graduate student workers have been recognized by the Hawaii Labor Relations Board as public employees and by the State Supreme Court as having the right to form a bargaining unit.
Currently the approved salary steps for graduate assistance, a compensation that is less than half the living wage for Honolulu, as assessed by Mit recognizing that graduate students fill necessary instructional and research positions without which the university could not operate.
What steps will you take as President to support graduate workers in their efforts toward forming a recognized bargaining unit? And will you commit to meeting with graduate student workers and academic labor within the 1st 100 days. As President.
I will come into that meeting in the 1st 7 days, so we don't have to wait a hundred days.
So let me. Just. There was several.
Things to address in that in that. And I wanna try to hit all of them first.st I think it's important to understand.
We talked about the Kapoa. I want to talk about my ancestors. So my great-grandfather was a United mine worker.
He died of black lung disease.
From the minds of West Virginia.
My grandfathers were both U auto workers.
My mother was a grievance officer for the Michigan Nurses Association for almost 20 years, so you can imagine what the conversations were around our dinner table.
And then, finally, I was a Union member of the California Faculty Association, which was affiliated with the Nea.
And I even represented American unions at the International Education Conference in 2,019.
So I come from deep Union roots.
And so I.
Understand.
Intimately, the challenges.
Especially because I was a graduate student, too.
I eat ramen noodles.
For many meals as a graduate student.
I. And so I I understand the importance of a liveable wage. So what the graduate students.
Just an hour ago, and my response to them was, I need to understand the scope and scale of the problem.
With any issue that you face as an academic leader. You need to understand the scope and scale.
And are there any Deans in here.
Any Deans here today, couple of Deans. And so part of the challenges is that.
When we have increases in cost.
The colleges have to figure out how we're gonna fund those costs. The university has to figure out.
How we're gonna fund those costs. And so we also have to understand beyond just the strategy work.
Where does the funding come from? Now? I'm gonna go back to that book.
Runs a university. This is a conversation that was being had in the 19 eighties in the 19 nineties, but not just at Hawaii. This is a conversation we had the University of Kentucky, because certain colleges pay different levels.
Wealthier colleges have higher stipends for students. Schools like social work and education.
Historically in higher education, have had lower stipends. These are very complex issues.
But I am committed to trying to put a dent in this.
We want to. And this is part of the recruiting of graduate students. I understand that.
Faculty want to recruit graduate students. But when Michigan or Harvard, or.
Arizona State puts a better offer on the table that affects our ability to do the research because we don't have the most talented students.
So I know the faculty are also invested in this, because we want to be competitive out there in the market for students.
So. Yes, I will commit in summary. I will commit to meeting with those students in the first.st
Of of being here.
I will work very hard with our institutional research folks to understand the scope and scale. So we'll be prepared for that conversation.
So I am.
Prepared to commit to that absolutely.
Doctor. This next question also comes from our in-person audience here at the Art Auditorium, and it reads, what is your position on online teaching. What would you do to protect faculty, strength, and the quality of in-person education?
Yes, great question. And you know, for the community colleges.
You know, 8,000 students are trying to.
Get into leeward community college. Just a few years ago.
But with the rise of online the traffic problems are fixed because less students are now coming onto campus.
And that changes the character of the campus.
When you have this very heavy online portfolio and faculty want to be able to have the ability to decide if they want to be online if they want to have students in the classroom, and they want to have the technology.
To make that possible. So they don't have to dial the tech guy every time I have a technology snafu in my classroom.
And and so there's a lot a lot of.
Software and hardware issues that we need to address. But I also think we need to support faculty, because you know what's around the corner.
Spatial, computing.
AI. And so we need. And one of the things we've really undertaken in our current is, how do we tackle professional development for our faculty around these emerging issues and topics. And how do we translate that into curriculum and pedagogy for our classrooms? How we support fact, you're getting a new learning management system in January.
Right, how are we gonna prepare you for that? So that when January comes you're not okay.
How am I going to figure this all out.
Someone's and spending a lot of time doing it.
So how do we provide the support and training.
So that this is a 15 min project instead of a four-hour project. Because we all know as faculty, there's always these technological silver bullets flying by. And then next year, we're gonna do a different Lms, right? And I'm just saying these are the things that we experience as faculty.
And so we want to make sure that the support is there.
And we have the software and hardware support that we're making faculty aware of emerging technologies. What's possible for their classrooms. I was thinking about
Talking about. Excuse me with the students. How spatial computing.
Allows us to now.
Change and manipulate things in space, in in space.
And so what that means is Hawaiian airlines. You can now learn how to fly a 7 with spatial computing. You can work in the cockpit. So we have one of the top aviation colleges in the nation typically rate top 3 and a simulator is millions of dollars. But now I can give a simulator to every single student for $3,000. I mean, that's the current going rate, right? Maybe we could get a better deal if we negotiate it with apple. But my point is.
Is that their new technological opportunities? You could. You could use this space right here.
And you could bring in your nursing students, and you can turn this space into a hospital.
And you can touch the pace and dissect the patients. Deliver a baby. You can do all those things in this space.
And then the next class can come in.
And now it's an art gallery in Rome that you filmed while you were on a project in Rome with your iphone 16.
And the students can walk around the statues and all of the art.
And so these are the kinds of things that are coming our way in one year. In 2 years.
And how can we give faculty to support those kinds of really cool technological capabilities that are just around the corner for us?
Mahalo and doctor. We've had more people come and join us this afternoon. May welcome to the president. Search public forum, if you. Haven't been informed you have those index cards. So continue to write your questions so that we can share that with our candidate if you're just joining us online as well feel free to enter those questions into the chat.
This next question, doctor says, tell us a little bit about your interest in the University of Hawaii.
Yeah.
Well, I talked a little bit about the values.
In the introduction. I talked quite a bit about it.
And that's really what attracts me here.
It's a place that is focused on community.
My work as a scholar is on community engaged community based.
Education, policy, and leadership. One of the things that I really appreciated, my current institution.
Is that the President has unleashed me on community, whether it is going overseas and working with partners.
Working with civil rights organizations, working with nonprofits, thinking about how we can collaborate on.
Branded educational opportunities asked me about that later.
And so that is one of the parts I really enjoy about the portfolio. And, most provost, they don't actually get the opportunity to do all that outward facing external work.
Really excited about that here.
I'm also really excited about working with the legislator. Oh, don't sign, please don't sign.
I really enjoy working with policymakers.
I worked with policymakers in Texas.
Diego Bernow, who's a a house member, one of my favorites to work with.
Christina Garcia.
In in California.
Senator Gerald in Kentucky.
And now we're starting to work with legislators.
In in Michigan.
Also done a lot of work.
With with the
I want to say Federal legislatures, but the legislative branch. I'm sorry.
And testified at the at the House Education Committee.
Done briefings in the Senate in the House. I really enjoy that part of the work as a policy. So I'm looking forward.
To working with the legislators on budget, making the case for faculty and staff.
Making the case for addressing the one.
1 billion dollars and deferred maintenance, and also strategizing around what the priorities should be. As the needs of our campus, as community hubs changes over time.
And so I'm really attracted to that that part of the work.
I also appreciate the important focus on.
On equity and inclusion. It's 1 of the 5 core principles in the strategic plan.
And we've been able to deliver results on that front.
And I won't go through all the different data, because I don't want to get it wrong, because I don't want someone to say the data. You didn't say it exactly right, but I'll just say one thing.
There's a teacher. Shortage.
And one of the things that we also know is that there's also a shortage of.
Features of color. So one of the things we're able to do at Kentucky was increase the percent of teachers of color by 300% triple the number of teachers of color. There.
At Western. We've been able to increase the teacher Ed program by.
By parting with districts and grow your own programs.
One of the interesting things about that is, we have tripled the number of Latino students.
In that relative to the State proportion, which is pretty exciting.
And we now have more than 1,000 teacher edits.
And that's really bucking the trend. And one of the things that I'm really proud of, and I'm.
This is not something that's public. So can we do. Vegas rules even you folks that are on zoom Vegas rules with this.
Is that diverse issues and higher education is going to do a cover story.
On our work for Hispanic heritage month.
In middle of October, and the progress that we've made with retention for students of color and graduation rates.
And so I'm really excited that that that works gonna happen. So I'm excited that that work.
Is valued here. So that's just 3 quick things.
And, doctor, we've received 2 questions on this next topic.
We're gonna read this one that came in from Zoom.
Why are you interested in leaving a position at Western Michigan University after a short tenure as Provost fair question.
So that's a good question.
I want to tell you a little bit about the history.
Of of of.
Of my interest in this position. A local civil rights leader.
Reached out to me this summer.
And said that a person of color hadn't served as President in 50 years.
And he asked if I would be willing.
To express interest.
In the role. And so I I submitted my.
Cv. And cover letter.
Not thinking I would hear back, because I truly believe that leaders are called.
They don't volunteer.
And so when I heard, maybe a few weeks ago that they wanted to have a conversation.
Like said.
I'm just gonna speak from the heart.
I'm just gonna tell them about the things that our team has done that our community has done.
And if it's something.
The search committee and the regents.
Aligns with the values of this place.
And I'd be honored to serve.
And so here we are today from a civil rights leader.
In your community reaching out to me.
And nominating me.
For this position, and accepting that nomination.
To having these conversations about.
How we can do this work.
Together.
And we've also received a few questions similar in nature and out of respect of our submitters. We'd like to read them out loud and then send them over to you, Dr. For your response.
What would you say is the most important function of the University today? Do you think it should be collaborating with the military? Would you commit to transparency and open dialogue regarding the Uark contract.
Second question, will you work to continue or terminate the you are contract? If you continue it, how will you.
Work with one of the most genocidal organisations toward indigenous people in the world fulfill or native Hawaiians, and this 3rd one, coming in from zoom.
Students, faculty and staff have opposed the Uart contract since its inception as President, will you continue or terminate the Uark contract.
I think for many of you that watch
The recent discussions at the regions.
Meeting.
I want to 1st say that.
I was incredibly impressed.
By the very.
Strong case and well, our U. Case, that the students made.
Around this issue.
We know that.
Going all the way back to 93.
That.
This land, and the people of this land had a fraught relationship.
We know. We talked about the convergence of East and West.
And we understand that the interest in the Pearl River.
Drew the Us. Military to this place, and still does.
But I also think it's important to understand the roles that the President has.
And the role that the regions have.
These are these are separate roles.
So my role as the President.
Is, provide good advice in council.
On these issues to the regions.
Cause. Ultimately the regents make this decision, and and actually, as you saw, the regions.
Chose a direction. In the last.
Meeting, but my role will be to give my perspectives.
To the regions. If they ask.
And do that privately.
I think one of the difficulties.
Of some of these very difficult issues.
Is that you can't see the conversations that are happening behind the scenes.
And advocacy for different approaches to different topics.
And part of our responsibility as leaders is to be able to do the whatifs.
For the regions. We went this direction.
Here are the political, bureaucratic, and financial.
If we go this direction. Here's the political bureaucratic.
And financial.
So what I can commit to doing on this particular topic, because this is a purview of the Presidency.
Is expressing.
My perspectives and the best information.
And historical context, to the regions.
As they will revisit this issue down the road, because this.
They've they've made the decision for this.
Particular time period, and I I understand.
The concerns about the indemnity of the Us. Military.
And the expressions about different environmental.
Issues that have been raised. I.
I understand those issues, and I will provide the best advice and counsel and perspective.
To the regions. When asked.
Because this is not in the purview.
For the Presidency at this time.
And, doctor, we have a little under 30 min left.
In our public, forum.
This next question comes to us, saying, How will you address the 1 billion dollar maintenance budget when the legislature will not give the money, and the administrators have no clue how to address the issue.
Tell me how you really feel.
Thank you for that question. It's an important question. And I actually think the question has to do with.
How we develop our strategy.
Our strategy has to be aligned with our strategic plan.
And how we see this, this campus.
The other campuses, which, by the way, I had the chance this weekend to visit every campus.
On on Oahu.
Really enjoyed, actually took me 2 days to come to complete that circuit.
There's a couple pictures on Linkedin in case you're interested of of that of that trip.
You have to align the strategic work.
To the facilities master Plan. These cannot operate separate from each other.
So it's interestingly.
We've also hired lines.
Similar to Hawaii. To do this work.
And that work has to be.
Then it has to have short term and long term.
And our priorities also have to be right.
Because we still need to make investments in students and financial aid. And we can prioritize.
Facilities at certain moments over some of our big priorities, too. So I think that's important to say. Also.
So the answer to that question is, you don't solve 1 billion dollars.
Overnight. We have to assess what's in that 1 billion dollars profile. What are we going to need 5 years from now? Because you don't want to make investments in something that you that's just gonna come down in 5 years.
And so you've got to understand what that long term plan is.
And how it aligns. Sustainability is one of the core tenement of sorry, not tenement. Obviously I was a history major, one of those core tenants of of.
Of the Strategic Plan.
And so that's what we've got to do as a community is, we've got to make sure.
That we are aligning our strategic.
With our facilities now on our campus. We hadn't done a master plan in 20 years. Now I know you've recently done one.
But quite frankly, that should have gone.
On before on my campus, and.
And so we tomorrow is the one thing that's guarant we is. Tomorrow's gonna come.
And so we have to articulate.
That alignment between the strategic plan.
And the facilities master Plan.
And I think that's what's been lacking in higher. Ed for some time.
My Alma Mater Michigan, just recently released a plan that aligned strategic plan.
And their facilities, operations and deferred maintenance plan. That's where we need to be.
This next question is related to the last.
U has autonomy yet we have some members in our State legislature who want to.
What we do with our budget and operations. How would you decide how much energy should be given to their directives?
Well, I I 1st I think.
There is a set of of.
Stakeholders in.
The Legislature, Senate, Side House, side.
That we need to build relationships with. And I wish I could start right now.
But we're not through the process yet.
So I I we I need to sit down and understand.
Because you can read and civil beat, and you can read and.
In the papers and the blogs that about that relationship.
But I really need to take measure of those conversations in person.
They need to take measure of us.
And so that that's really where that work starts.
Is understanding that and working with your team.
Working with the team.
Working with our relations folks.
And understanding. What what those priorities are. Cause, you know I've read the news clippings.
Right. I've I've read them and so that's really where that work has to start.
And then being able to make the case.
To legislators. What's critical for our campuses.
What are the critical needs.
One of the things, and and I understand that.
President Simone back in the 80 s.
Had his his critics, including Dr. Trask.
Head critics. But one of the things that you see from his leadership was he was able to increase.
Each year, 5 to 5 to 9%.
Over prior administrations support from the legislature.
So how can we channel?
That.
How can we channel that skill that he had.
So that we can channel
His his foresight.
On that front.
To create more opportunities across our campuses.
We gotta build those relationships.
And make those asks.
One of the things.
I want to be critical of my current institution.
But sometimes we haven't articulated in the strongest terms.
What would resonate.
With a legislator.
You got to think about what legislators are thinking about? They're thinking about. They want to go back home to their district.
And they wanna say, Look, we did X.
And so how do we work with legislators? So that when they go back home to their district they can say, Here's what I'm doing with
We want to give them easy wins and projects.
That are gonna be valuable to our campus and our institution.
Campuses in our institution, the system.
Last year mono brought in 465 million dollars in extramural funding. Can you share your experience with supporting research and the value research provides to the educational experience. Yes.
So, as you, as you know, I have been in an r 1 au.
I've been in an r. 1. Land.
I have been at a system. Msi.
I've also been at an R 2.
That's giving me very different perspectives on this particular topic.
Being an r. 1 au the University of Texas at Austin.
Being at r. 1 land grant by the University of Kentucky.
The key is making sure that faculty have the support to pursue. Knowledge.
How we provide
Pre-support, how we create the infrastructure.
How do we support the financials on grants after they come in.
How do we make sure that all of our financial processes.
Are efficient, so that faculty are motivated and incentivized to bring dollars to the campus.
So what we wanna be able to do is really facilitate for faculty. The ability.
And the incentive to go after.
funding.
More, 600 million dollars.
And so, how can we support faculty? A new.
Ways to bring research opportunities to here. And I think one of the other things here, too, that I want to talk about. I want to add in here.
Is there a lot of funders that are allowing us now to put undergraduate research.
Students into grants.
And so that's something I think I will hope become part of our culture.
Is, how do we grow that next generation.
Of researchers. I would not be standing before you here today if I hadn't had that opportunity. As an undergraduate researcher at the University of Michigan.
So it's not just about whether the infrastructure that we we should provide and the support we should provide.
But how are we going to create that next generation of researchers.
The next faculty members for our system.
Folks who are invested in this place.
And so I would love to see.
A system-wide initiative.
Where we're doing undergraduate research.
Across institutions.
Community College, Gila West Oahu. That is one of the roles that I think system.
Could take on is a new undergraduate research opportunity park. Now, I wanna say.
I think all ideas have to be run through the traps.
We have to engage with communities around ideas. I'm not proposing solutions today.
I'm just talking about ideas that we can mull over.
Some people may love the idea and a system-wide undergraduate research program. Others may not.
But that's where we go to communities. That's where that relationship with the students, the students and I agree to meet regularly.
That's where we go to Faculty Senate.
And we'll we'll do cascades of conversation around different ideas that are coming into us.
From community and from different parts.
Of of the system.
So couple thoughts there, one.
The typical answer, which is, how do we develop better infrastructure.
The other part of that answer is.
How do we create the future researchers? And how do we get them involved with your projects?
Mahalo, doctor. This next question reads.
Well, Hello! For your words of commitment to this place with all due respect. Why should we trust your words.
Can you tell us how you've been an ally to other indigenous populations in your current or past work?
No, don't trust me.
Call the indigenous.
At my institution, call them.
Reach out to them, reach out to the indigenous students at my institution. Don't trust me.
Call home and.
It's my hope.
That they will talk about the work that we're doing together. I think.
The other measure of this word.
How this work is. If our Kuliana.
Is being fulfilled.
It will be reflected in the community's response.
To the Presidency, being welcome to share in spaces.
Well, tell us a lot about our actions.
We must be guided by Aloha, and respect.
And if that work resonates with the people of this place.
Then they will accept the presence.
Thank you. This next question from our in-person audience. What is the role of athletics at U.
This is the 1st athletics question we've had.
I love it so, you know.
And this is this is this is a.
Rapidly changing environment.
I was
Taking a look at the bookstore.
At Hilo. I've looked at the bookstore here. One of the interesting things that is happening.
Is that you can now get your T-shirts or Jersey printed.
With the players from our teams.
Proceeds from that go to those.
Student, athletes.
I remember, when I was at Michigan, that the athletes.
Didn't have all the resources that they needed.
And it's a different environment. Now.
As you saw Conference.
Expansion. I think you tap.
Joined our conference today or recently.
See some head shaking. I'm hearing that.
So a conference, realignment.
We're seeing dramatic changes.
You saw the pack? 12.
Fell apart in a matter of weeks.
And so there's this is a moment of very rapid.
Change. And so I'm just gonna be really frank here.
We have to decide as a community.
Whether we want to have elite.
Athletic programs.
And what that's going to take is our community being involved in new and different ways and supporting student athletes.
What it's going to take. To be quite frank.
Is some type of revenue sharing.
With athletes. I understand that what I'm saying right now, especially for some scholars, is very difficult.
For us to digest.
Because sports in 2,004, and the.
Collegiate atmosphere is very different now, but it's important.
Because those students are ambassadors.
When they play Ucla or Michigan. We get a lot of visibility.
Those students work very hard at their craft. Sometimes from sun up to sundown.
We're setting records for Team Gpas on our campus.
Because of the supports that we're providing to those students.
But this is a rapidly changing environment.
And so we have got to find ways.
To think creatively and provide support. Now the stadium is a big problem.
That's a big problem. And so it's it's gonna be very important for us.
As a community to work with the legislature.
And think about what other possibilities there are for a stadium. Besides, just our football team.
And whether it's housing or.
Partnerships. And so these. There is no easy solutions here. Otherwise they would have been enacted already.
But I think these are some concepts that we need to think about.
Mahalo doctor. We have a little less than about 10 min, because we'd like to reserve some time at the very end for you to offer some closing remarks and apologies in advance, if we will not be able to get to your questions. But we appreciate those coming in from our audiences, both in person and online.
This next question doctor reads regarding the humanities, how important do you feel the humanities are, and what would you do to augment existing programs.
Another question that I love.
So I'm a humanities degree.
Now I ended up in public policy and education, but I started as a history Major.
The hannies are really really important, and I think part of our challenge is that.
When students come to the university, they're thinking to themselves, well.
I'm pre-med, or pre-law, or pre, etc. And maybe philosophy is not the first.st
Thing on their mind or history is not the 1st major on their mind.
Our arts and science.
Colleges across the United States have really taken a hit to enrollment, and I think part of that is how we communicate about what options have.
Turns out that philosophy majors have a really high average salary.
Compared to many majors.
Really high for a lot of different reasons.
And so what we have to be able to do is we have to have.
Organized storytelling.
Around the humanities, so that students understand the value of that work. And this is really important for teacher education, too.
Because they manage programs are often the backbone of some of our especially high school and secondary.
Programs. And so these things go together.
And so the challenges is that you get history classes or philosophy classes or other humanities, classes where, because our cohorts are small, we can't offer the classes that we wanna offer, or if we offer them sometimes they're very small, and they may get canceled.
And so we have to have an articulated.
Strategy, of how.
The humanities is going to have a Renaissance.
In the next 5 years. Now this is really important, because when I was meeting with Apple a couple of weeks ago, maybe more than weeks at this point.
I've been talking to them about spatial computing, and where we were headed in higher education, with spatial computing.
They made the point to me that they don't just hire the computer science types.
They hire the humanities, types.
Because when they're putting together their project teams.
They need creative thinkers. We need the folks that can write the code.
Etc. Would your parents know that their kid, if they get a philosophy, Major, that they're gonna get hired at Apple or have a shot at that.
They may not know that, so we also need to profile our alumni.
From our different humanities programs and our social and new media.
Tell their stories so that students can see, okay.
If I get a history, Major, I just might just might have an opportunity to be president of the University of Hawaii. One day.
And so we have to do. We have to tell story.
We have to inform parents and students, I think about the Steve Jobs story. Many of you probably heard this.
But he took a
Calligraphy class, and I think Foothill College don't quote me on the exact place, but I think which is a community college near Stanford.
And that's why we have fonts on our computers today.
Did he draw a straight line from taking that calligraphy class to.
Changing the world with fonts and our computers. I don't think so.
But that's the kind of work that we have to do is we have to tell story about.
What your life can look like and what the opportunities are humanities. Scholar, I actually have the humanity center in my portfolio currently.
And one of the exciting things that they're doing. And this is kind of a side point. But I really wanna talk about this.
Is, we're doing a prison education.
In cold water, Michigan. And I mean, I'm gonna tell you, in the Humanity center is doing this work. They're teaching a generalities degree. There.
And I had the opportunity to go speak to those students, and I gave them my Harvard Education Review paper about the representation of people of color and social studies in Texas.
It's about 10 years old.
Tell you those prisoners.
Those incar, and that's not the right way to say those incarcerated folks.
When that article, so carefully, more than any other student ever did, made me cry.
I'm known to shed a tear now and then. Almost it just now.
That's how passionate. And the Humanity Center is leading that work.
Why can't we do that here, too.
Thank you so much for your response.
The next question for you, Dr. Reads, based on what you have learned or know.
Please describe the relationship you hope to build system and manoa.
Right.
While each of the campuses in the system.
Has a unique importance. Special place.
The community colleges have.
An important role.
Whether it be around technical work or career work.
And and sometimes what happens.
Is, students go, and they do technical work. And then they say to themselves, You know what I can do this college thing.
I might want to go on the Hilo. I might want to go into Wasa or Manoa.
And that's important. I'm gonna tell you what's really interesting is if you look at the data.
The transfer graduation rate is actually higher than the 1st time student graduation rate at Manila.
Which tells me that the institutions that they're coming from actually doing a pretty damn good job.
Preparing those students to to come here when they do come.
I think that's that's pretty exciting.
So a system offers us the opportunity to off to have a spectrum.
Of opportunities for students.
The type of student that is interested in West Oahu may be different than the type of student that interested in Manoa.
The type of student that might come from California.
Might be interested in one of the different campuses because of the unique things that are offered there. And that's what's beautiful about the system. But I do think that there's important areas for articulation. Let me give you an example.
I was at Leeward College, and they were telling me.
That the teachers program has a 3 plus one. Of course we know what a 3 plus one is. It means 3 years in one institution and then a plus one in another institution. Right? That's a 3 plus one.
Well, it turns out that this teacher education program you do 3 years at leeward, and then that plus one, is that.
Shamanaut, Shaman.
Why are our students going from leeward.
The Shamanov. Why are they not going to West Oahu?
Why are they not going to
Hilo, or even here to Manila.
And so we also had to think about the articulation.
We want those students to stay in our family, in our, in our institutions.
Now all no disrespect to Shamano.
But that? And so I asked, well, why is that the case?
Well, 10 years ago a decision was made, and that's just.
How this is functioned. And so those are the places where we need to think about and work with faculty around articulations, so that we have pipelines.
And this work, and no one asked me a question about enrollment.
Or how we work with communities or these types of things.
Maybe we'll have another opportunity to talk about that.
But my point here is that we want to be able to create pipelines into our institutions, either from the early colleges, from the community colleges.
We know that Minoano have more capacity and more opportunity. I'm sorry Hilo and Wasa have more capacity.
And so we've got to think about how we articulate these relationships better.
And I'm gonna say one more thing. Students should not be disappearing from our institutions.
I asked the students that I've met along the way.
Were there students when you were a freshman, that you don't know where they are now.
Yes? I asked. Faculty other students.
That disappeared from your class, and you don't know where they are now.
The answer was, yes. One of the things that we've been able to do is really focus in on student success.
What do I mean? We are using big data.
And people power to make sure that we know what's going on with every single student.
Our students had 25,000.
Challenges last year you're saying, well, what are you talking about? We know that they're having. They had 25. Whether it was midterm.
Food, insecurity, homelessness, a health issue in parking tickets, $17,000 that they owed the University.
We know what's going on with each student.
So a lot of institutions, we had the quantitative data. We know what the retention rate is, the graduation rate. We don't know why we don't have the qualitative data.
And so now, because we know that.
We can address the issue, the specific issues that each students have.
We can. We can connect them with the part of the university that can address the food, insecurity.
They can address the homeless. They can address the $200 parking tickets. Actually, I can just pick up the phone and call it a parking and say, Can you take care of this? So we can get the student registered.
And so these are the. This is the kind of articulation.
That Arizona state has. They have 7 instances of salesforce. They use big data to help their students succeed.
And so that is the modern approaches. The student. Success is us knowing what's going on with each student.
And marshalling the resources of the institution to address that issue. We can do that here, and we can do that in the 1st year.
And systems should have an important role, because I don't think the Provost wants me to send them a bill for a million dollars for salesforce.
No, I don't think so. And so that's work that we can do. As a system. We can have an instance of salesforce that is focused on student success.
So that we know what's going on with each student.
And I'm gonna just stick this in here. I know you didn't ask this question. But this is really important. We also need to use big data to understand how to recruit students.
And be recruiting them like we would recruit a quarterback for high school.
And as students come onto our campus, we collect information and we ask them, what would you like to major in.
History. Okay, so that means that over the next 4 years we're gonna talk to you about studying history.
At Manoa or some other another campus, right? And so that work has to be articulated. That's what the University of Cincinnati is doing. That's what Arizona State is doing.
Is, they have very articulated efforts.
So that they know they're they don't go out and just buy names from testing companies and then try to cold. Call those folks.
They have been recruiting those students for a long period of time, and the 1st institution that comes to mind is Manoa, the 1st institution that come to mind is West Hilo.
They're not thinking about unlv.
They're thinking about the University of.
And so that's important work that we could get done, and we can get done fast.
And, doctor, it looks like we.
Are now to our final question. We have about.
Maybe 3 min left before we open it up to you for closing remarks.
It reads, how will you advance the University's Land grant Mission.
Great. Thank you for that question. This is actually one of the questions I've been thinking about.
Having been at.
Land grant at the University of Kentucky.
So I want to tell you the 3 things that I thought about. Okay. So 1st is.
I'm on base learning, integrating Hawaiian knowledge and systems with a cutting edge. Research.
Gives us a competitive advantage.
Most land grants are not thinking about that. In fact, I want to tell you a piece of very sorted history.
It turns out that most land grants the land that was purchased for land.
Was purchased by the sale of very specific native American land.
So I don't know if you knew that.
It's really part of the really challenging history of land grants.
And they're they're actually websites which parcels were sold.
To buy the land for Michigan State.
etc. So I think that's important to say.
Experiential learning. This is one of the core competencies that we have to have in the AI.
How do we give students the actual experiences? Because AI can't give you experiences? It can only give you information.
And so, as AI starts to integrate itself into universities.
What's going to make us special is the experiences that students have.
With the aviation program at Honolulu Community College, the actual experiences on campus, and not just that. The experience of being a student.
The sororities, the football, because they can just go to school online.
So they wanna have that experience, that life experience. I think that's another thing to say.
And then 2, we need to expand outreach. I actually am the son of an extension agent. Anybody in here from extension.
Anybody, nobody.
Oh, there's 1 in the back. My my father was actually the Ingham County extension.
And this is part of that Land Grant Mission which is working with communities, agriculture.
Farmers. That's an important part.
And something I truly believe in. And that extension work.
Works with rural folks, it works with.
People who are members of orchid clubs and.
Of a a flower. Clubs and communities.
So I think it's important that we emphasize that extension work and empowering local residents to address challenges that they're facing like climate change and sustainable resource management, economic development. We have to focus on the important issues of our time.
I think we all have seen.
The devastation that's happened in North Carolina.
And Florida, and and the path of the storm.
It's up to us and our in our land. Grant, Michigan, and our Land Grant Mission.
To really attack the big problems of our age.
And on that note, before we offer a time, Doctor, for some closing remarks. How about a live call for Dr. Julian Vazquez? Highly.
And at this time, doctor, any closing, but not all or thoughts that you'd like to share. Thank you. Thank you for this opportunity.
To conclude, I'd like to 1st say.
Mojo. So all the
Folks that have been traveling with me since very early this morning.
Morning, Kayla, Dan, Yvonne, Lorena, and Christine. Thank you for your tireless efforts behind the scenes.
I also wanna thank all the folks here on this campus.
That have made this.
Opportunity possible, this visit possible. Thank you for your commitment.
To the system and being here today.
I would say we probably had a hundred or so folks here today.
Absolutely incredible. Thank you for joining us for those of you that are online.
Also. Thank you.
So in addition to this conversation today, the system has also C-v's online.
I welcome you to go to the search website. I didn't walk down my Cv. Today, and I hope you will take a look. But I've sought to narrate my academic background, but also include very detailed information about what our teams have accomplished for communities and leadership roles in California, Kentucky, and Michigan.
So please, if you're interested in more sort of data, if you're a data kind of person, please go there.
But my focus today has been on the deeper values.
Specifically conveyed and prioritized by the community.
The Presidential Search Advisory Committee.
The regions.
These values must guide our leadership.
In the Academy.
China, kupuna, oana.
Kulayana, Aloha.
And deep commitment to community.
Maya Angelou once said, you don't often remember.
What someone said. You just remember.
How you felt. And so what I want to tell you today is that this.
Well, it's not a job.
It's not work, it's love.
It's love for community.
And love for the people we serve.
To end. I'd like to share a haiku.
Guided by our roots.
We rise with hope and purpose.
Tomorrow! Oh, wait.
Thank you.
Oh, and we're gonna have you wait right there, doctor.
We'll just help you. We'll call you Mahalois.
Another round of applause for our President finalist, Dr. Julian Vasquez. Highlight.
Drake in my lamello, and.
You know, before we depart, another reminder on behalf of the board of Regents. They're asking for plenty of feedback from students, faculty staff.
And the general public, which they say will be critical.
As they undergo deliberations to make a final selection.
2 ways to do that again. Another reminder. You can always head over to the president, search the online survey form.
That survey will be open until 6 pm. This Friday, and will be kept confidential. You can also provide feedback.
If you prefer it, to be posted online and made public.
Submit those comments via email to beor testimony at Hawaii Edu. Those comments will be posted the week prior to the next Special Board meeting scheduled for October 16.th
As well on behalf of the Board of Regents and the Office of Communications. We, Mahalo, you again, our community colleges as well windward, leeward, Honolulu and Capiolani, as well as west Oahu, for your patience, your time, and aloha! This is Forum number 8.
And it's truly been a pleasure to be on this journey. We hope everyone gets home safely, and we send you off with warm aloha.