UH Board of Regents Approves Degree and Certificate Programs at Manoa and Hilo Campuses

Administrators and BOR members remember

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents held its monthly meeting today at the University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo, granting permanent status to two degree programs at UH Mānoa and formally approving the Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program at UH Hilo as a post-baccalaureate certificate program.

Members of the board and UH administrators in attendance also took time during the meeting to pay homage to former chair and member of the Board of Regents Gladys Kamakakūokalani ʻAinoa Brandt, who passed away Wednesday. Brandt, affectionately known by many as "Auntie Gladys," served on the board from 1983-1989 and was instrumental in establishing the Center for Hawaiian Studies at UH Mānoa, which was named in her honor last year.

"Gladys Brandt was a celebrated member of this board. She dedicated her life to inspiring the young people of Hawaiʻi through education," said UH President Evan S. Dobelle. "Her passion for learning was immense and her dedication to UH will be cherished for generations to come."

With Brandt in their thoughts, it is fitting that one of the items acted upon by the BOR was the formal approval of the Kahuawaiola Indigenous Teacher Education Program as a post-baccalaureate certificate program at UH Hilo. Though it has been an official program at UH Hilo since January 1999, formal approval by the BOR was required for its students to be eligible for important scholarship assistance, such as the federal Stafford Loan program.

The program is accredited by the state of Hawaiʻi and is the only teacher education program in the state that provides all graduates with multiple licensure, the first in the state to grant the Department of Education‘s Hawaiian immersion, Hawaiian Studies, and Hawaiian language licenses, and is the only teacher education program in the state conducted entirely in the Hawaiian language. All Kahuawaiola graduates are licensed to teach through both Hawaiian and English, and all graduates receive at least two licenses, one for Hawaiian immersion and one from a broad list of areas of expertise that can be used in English medium schools.

The BOR also granted permanent status to two degree programs at UH Mānoa — the Bachelor of Science in Travel Industry Management and the Master of Science in Kinesiology and Leisure Science. The Bachelor of Science in Travel Industry Management program in the School of Travel Industry Management was established by the BOR in 1991 and received a positive accreditation report as a result of recent reviews by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality and Administration and the World Tourism Organization.

The BS program, which had 325 degree candidates enrolled during the 2001-2002 academic year, has been successfully instituted, developed, and improved over the past 10 years in line with the School of Travel Industry Management‘s goals for providing a high-quality education for current and future professionals in the travel industry, conceptual and applied research in the field, and service to the state and the Asia-Pacific region. Students in the program may elect three upper-level specializations — hospitality, tourism, or transportation — and all undergraduates work and study in an internship program.

The Master of Science in Kinesiology and Leisure Science is offered through the Department of Kinesiology and Leisure Science in the College of Education at UH Mānoa. It offers graduate training in three areas — athletic training, physical education and adaptive physical education, and health, exercise science and lifestyle management — and has graduated 44 students as of Spring 2002 since being granted provisional status by the BOR in 1999. The program received positive reviews recently from both the Council on Program Reviews and the National Council for Accreditation of Teacher Education.

The BOR also approved new contracts for UH Men‘s Basketball Coach Riley Wallace and UH Men‘s Volleyball Coach Mike Wilton. A separate news release with more information is available and was sent to sports media.