Have you checked out The Hot Seat?

It's our new opinion-page blog that brings in your elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions.

On The Hot Seat this week was UH-Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan, who answered readers' questions during our live blog chat on the future of the university as it marks its 100th anniversary next year.

An excerpt from that Hot Seat session is printed here. To see the full conversation, go to The Hot Seat blog at blogs.honoluluadvertiser.com and click on "In The Hot Seat: UH-Manoa Chancellor Denise Konan." (Names of questioners are screen names given during the online chat.)

Richard Brislin: I would like to see the University of Hawai'i take steps to move into the first rank of U.S.A. state universities, putting UH in the same class as U of Washington, Indiana Univ., U of Wisconsin, other first-rate state universities. I believe the people of Hawai'i deserve a first-rate university. What are your feelings about such a goal?

Denise Konan: I'm glad that you asked about the UHM becoming a first-rank university.

In fact, in many ways we are a world-class university. Just this year, we were ranked among the Top 25 public universities in terms of federal funding for research, reaching $400 million this past year. We host more than 20,000 students with 57 doctoral programs.

Some of our programs are very highly ranked. For example, our international business program was ranked by the US News and World Report as 13th in the nation. Jay Shidler's recent gift of $25 million is aimed at moving our entire business school to a Top 25 program in the next 7 years. We strive for that kind of achievement across our many programs.

I would say that our international reputation often exceeds our local recognition. Perhaps that is because we have started with humble roots and have grown quite rapidly in the past decade.

We need to now move to build the excellence of our undergraduate experience, our local outreach, and our research. We also need to better promote all that is happening on campus today. There is much here of which to be proud.

Coffee: As a Leeward resident, I would like to see UH-West O'ahu really take flight. I think that it would really help alleviate a lot of our traffic woes as well as make it more convenient for those of us living on this side of the island. Do you think that we will see more of a push to get the campus out here?

Denise Konan: The UH-West O'ahu falls under the responsibility of my colleague, Chancellor Gene Awakuni, and he is doing a terrific job of articulating the value that UHWO could offer our Leeward coast. As chancellor of Manoa, I would just say that we welcome UHWO and support their mission within the UH system.

Pualani Kauila: The University of Hawai'i sits on Hawaiian ceded lands. Do you have any plans to increase the amount of tuition waivers offered to Hawaiian students? If so, what is this amount? If not, why?

Denise Konan: We know we have a responsibility to support and advance the educational outcomes for Native Hawaiians. We have multiple programs to promote student learning among our indigenous students. We also support advancements in research, language and culture.

My big goal for the coming year is to advance a new School of Hawaiian Knowledge that would unite the study of language and culture. I strongly believe that if UHM does not focus on the perpetuation of Hawaiian knowledge that we are not fulfilling a core mission.

Tuition and the cost of education is just one part of supporting Hawaiian students. We are looking at many ways to provide student support. We are very proud that, for the first time, our Native Hawaiian student population has reached 12.6 percent of our student body. This is something to celebrate!

John: As a person born and raised in Hawai'i, but went to a Mainland university, I want to know what are you doing to attract top-notch students to the UH? It wasn't till I was listening to HPR that I learned that the UH has some world renown scientist in astronomy and oceanography who are doing some very existing things here in Hawai'i. Also, there is now new life in the business school. What are you doing to get the UH story out to potential undergraduate and graduate students and the public in general?

Denise Konan: I'm glad that you asked! Just this morning, I signed a thick stack of "congratulations" letters to outstanding high school seniors, encouraging them to come to Manoa. We are dedicating substantially more scholarship funds to recruit local students with merit. President McClain announced a Systemwide Centennial Scholarship fund, and we are going even further to support excellence.

We need to do more to really brag about our excellent faculty and programs at Manoa. As a public institution, it is so easy to take us for granted. But just this past year we added two new National Academy of Sciences scholars to our growing list.

With our centennial, I hope we can promote all the good things about UHM, and SHARE THE PRIDE!

Kealoha Swatek: I am a non-traditional, independent, married, older student. I will be traveling to Manoa from UH Hilo for the spring semester to complete my graduate studies. I currently reside in Adult Student Housing at UHH.

My question has to do with housing for graduate students. As I recall, a few years ago, UHM opened a dorm specifically for graduate students. Yet as I was searching for housing for the spring '07 semester, I was told by the housing office that all housing is for general students, and that all graduate students are mixed with the general population.

Fortunately, as of yesterday, at the last minute and after many months of searching, I was able to secure housing adjacent to the campus at a very high monthly rate. Therefore, the university receives no monetary benefit from my temporary residence in Honolulu. I wonder how many other graduate students find themselves in the same predicament.

Given the above, I have the following questions:

1. What happened to the graduate housing and the money that was dedicated to this graduate housing?

2. Given the intensive studies of graduate students and their particular needs for quiet and a studious atmosphere, why is there no longer housing dedicated specifically to graduate students?

Denise Konan: You are correct. We have combined undergraduate and graduate housing in our current inventory of about 3,000 beds.

When I first came to Manoa over a decade ago, we saw ourselves as a "commuter campus" and housing was not really a priority.

Times have changed. Our students say they want to live near or on campus. Our Board of Regents has supported a transformation of our campus to support more residential opportunities.

We are currently building a new dorm, which will provide 800 additional beds for students and we have further plans after that. My new vice chancellor for students is currently assessing the demands that students have and I can assure you that he is planning to expand appropriate housing for graduate students.

I'm very glad to hear that you found a place near campus.

Jackie: What are UHM's plans to assist with the horrid parking situation (aside from waiting for mass transit)?

Denise Konan: Parking, parking, parking!

The outlook for more parking spaces on campus is not great. We have been encouraging students to take alternative means to get to campus by offering discounted bus passes, shuttle service to key destinations and parking off campus, and by moving to have more students live on campus.

Our future plans may increase parking somewhat, but we hope to build a culture of sustainability by improving our walkways, bike paths, and other means of moving around campus and through the neighborhoods.