Education briefs
Advertiser Staff
Regents cautioned to fulfill trust
Bert A. Kobayashi, with Kobayashi Development Group LLC, is the newly elected chairman of the University of Hawai'i Board of Regents, taking over from Allan K. Ikawa, president of Big Island Candies, whose term ended this month.
As Ikawa stepped down from the chairmanship, he told his fellow board members that the university is in "the midst of great change" and that he was concerned.
"Not in recent memory has the university been so active — so prominently positioned — in the public's eye," he said, citing recent corporate scandals that have rocked public confidence in large institutions.
Ikawa cautioned the board that it must fulfill its trust with great responsibility.
"Ultimately this board will be held accountable for the health of this university system," he said. "The recently approved constitutional amendment places an even greater responsibility with the Board of Regents. ... To do this job, I believe none of us can afford to view our role as 'honorary,' 'volunteer' or 'part-time.' "
HPU, Germans sign agreement
Hawai'i Pacific University has signed an agreement of cooperation to offer its first student exchange program in Germany through the Berlin School of Economics.
Beginning in spring 2003, students pursuing an undergraduate degree in business, economics or finance can spend one or two semesters in Germany.
HPU will also welcome its first exchange student from the Berlin School of Economics this fall.
For more information on the exchange program, call the international admissions office at 543-8088.
UH nominates three for state honors
Donald Bourassa, Diana Chun and Eric Tanigawa have been nominated by the University of Hawai'i system as its candidates for the 2002 Governor's Awards for Distinguished State Service.
Bourassa, director of the Pacific Center for Advanced Technology Training at Honolulu Community College, is being nominated as the state's employee of the year.
Chun, a specialist in information technology, and Tanigawa, a human resources specialist, are being nominated for the Award of Merit for team excellence. As a team they saved the university as much as $350,000 in development costs by designing and implementing UH's new electronic classification, compensation and performance evaluation systems for 1,400 personnel.
The UH nominees will compete against those from all other state departments for this year's awards, to be announced at an Oct. 4 ceremony at the Hawai'i Capitol.
