UH to unveil goals for decade

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

The University of Hawai'i-Manoa campus has set a course for the next decade that includes a commitment to increasing Native Hawaiian enrollment by at least 50 percent, raising faculty salaries from the 20th percentile to the 80th percentile of peer institutions, doubling dorm space and establishing a film school.

After more than six months of work and input from several thousand people, the strategic plan for Manoa sets lofty goals that administrators hope will turn a sleeping giant into an institution capable of holding its own with any in the country, while celebrating its Hawaiian, Pacific and Asian strengths. The first draft will be unveiled this morning in a celebration on the Bachman Hall lawn.

Goals include a commitment to energy self-sufficiency on campus; restoring and managing the nearby Manoa stream ecosystem; and offering all undergraduates a chance to be involved in research, with emphasis on work that benefits the Hawai'i community.

The plan incorporates not just academic programs but a new sense that the university must be an instrument of social justice for the community, including hiring from under-represented groups.

"We have a much larger role to play in terms of leadership," said Karl Kim, interim vice chancellor for academic affairs, who headed the plan's development. "Part of this is recognizing our commitment to deal with the digital divide. We should be sharing new technologies and resources with underserved public schools."

The imperatives and benchmarks Manoa has set for itself also include:

• Making the campus bicycle- and pedestrian-friendly, and creating a Hawaiian sense of place through improved landscaping, architectural design, signage and the creation of gathering spaces.
• Increasing Manoa's share of the gross state product from 3 to 4 percent as part of the university's commitment to being an economic engine for the state.
• Beating peer institutions on Yahoo's Top Wired Campus survey, and adding wireless network capability to classrooms.
• Adding new learning centers, such as public policy and environmental sustainability, that respond to societal needs.
• Adding an integrated summer program and evaluating a residential Honors College for gifted undergraduates.
• Restoring library ranking by the Association for Research Libraries from 67th to 40th.
• Providing more attractive dining opportunities, including late-night venues, and working with the surrounding community to develop a "College Town" around campus.
• Partnering with the Department of Education to improve the effectiveness of Hawai'i's public education system.
• Increasing undergraduate enrollment by 5 percent annually and undergraduate retention by 20 percent annually.
• Reducing energy and utility costs by 10 percent annually.
• Increasing contracts and grants by 10 percent annually.
• Increasing graduate enrollment by 15 percent annually.
• Increasing financial assistance by 10 percent annually.
• Spending $20 million annually on repairs and maintenance, compared with deferment. This year's budget — up for final approval at the Legislature today — calls for $10 million in repairs in the next fiscal year, plus $35 million for long-deferred repairs.
• Increasing alumni giving by 20 percent annually.

After the first draft of the Manoa plan is released today, a period of additional comment will continue through the summer, with a revised plan going to the Board of Regents in October for adoption.

An overall strategic plan to set priorities for the statewide UH system is in its final stages and should be available for comment next week.

Individual community college strategic plans are also under way, but may be modified once the overall plan is available for comment.

Reach Bev Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.