Posted on: Sunday, December 26, 2004

COMMENTARY
Centennial a chance for new ideas

By John Griffin

The 100th anniversary observance of the founding of the University of Hawai'i begins in March 2007 and extends into February 2008. Committees have started planning many events. It may seem premature — we're just about to enter 2005 — but lead time is needed.

What's envisoned is more than just centennial celebrations around the 10-campus system. The real challenge is twofold: to stimulate more community appreciation of the university, and to use this occasion to think about how Hawai'i fits in the globalizing world.

Despite progress in recent years, what I call the appreciation gap remains too wide. On one hand, the university is often called Hawai'i's single most important institution, not just for training our young and doing world-class research but also as an economic engine for our state.

Yet it is still not inaccurate to say, as some of us do, that UH remains "Hawai'i's best-kept secret," even from many of our own people.

Sure, athletics has fans and public support, often from people who never attended UH. That's a positive thing. And it was heartening to see so much community support after the recent flood hit the Manoa campus.

In addition, the still-small alumni organizations, some 40 chapters, are showing more life, even if many UH graduates are more attached to their local high school memories.

Still, that town-gown gap remains of concern. I don't begrudge parents who send their children off to college elsewhere for social broadening as well as education. But it is disturbing how many Hawai'i folks only see UH as an institution of last resort or just a cheaper alternative when it can be much more.

I'm not arguing for the various pockets of excellence and opportunities in the UH system, although many are there. Still, the university must be seen as an increasingly vital part of Hawai'i. It's said that one in five households on O'ahu has some tie to UH. The university system provides an important 10 percent of our workforce, often in high-end professional jobs.

All told, it's estimated that the university has about 218,000 former students in the 50 states and 80 countries. More than 122,000 graduates live in Hawai'i and are on UH records today.

Not only that, many Hawai'i residents who attended universities elsewhere could be "friends" or supporters of UH beyond just sports. A number contribute to the University of Hawai'i Foundation.

So the case is there for the centennial observances to focus on enhancing university-community relations, honoring the past and appreciating the present.

But clearly more is needed by way of programs and events that focus on Hawai'i's future.

This centennial occasion is a chance for more creative thinking in our total community about what makes Hawai'i what it is and how that fits in the globalizing world of the 7developing 21st century. Some are talking about an updated version of the futuristic "Hawaii 2000," the large-scale yearlong community conference held in 1970 with thousands of people involved.

This is an important time and maybe a chance to go beyond ordinary planning and to look at our possibilities decades ahead. There will be no better time.

"Globalizing Aloha" was a phrase that came to mind in a recent brainstorming session. Not only does that suggest that Hawai'i (and, of course, its host Hawaiian culture) has something to offer the rest of the nation and world. More important, it also implies that Hawai'i and its people must adapt and adjust in our own way. In more general terms, some say we must blend our local high-touch sensitivity with whatever versions of higher-tech development we can bring our way. Call it creative dreaming based on good research.

I am not an unbiased observer in all this. I am a UH graduate and member of two campus groups that seek to enhance community-university ties.

But, again, the most important thing about the centennial is what we can make it do for all Hawai'i. All community ideas should be welcomed.

John Griffin, a frequent contributor, is a former Advertiser editorial page editor.