MY COMMUNITIES
Freshmen class begins in fall
By Gordon Y.K. Pang
Advertiser Staff Writer
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Never mind that the actual campus won't be available for at least two years. The four-year University of Hawai'i at West O'ahu is coming to Kapolei this fall.
UH-West O'ahu officials aim to have at least 100 freshmen and sophomores onboard when it rents four to five classrooms on the Island Pacific Academy campus on Haumea Street in September.
The school went into high-visibility mode last week, launching its first-ever marketing campaign with television, radio and print ads that highlight two landmark points:
"We hope that in a year from now, we will be breaking ground out in Kapolei," said Kalowena Komeiji, public relations director for UH-West O'ahu. "The campus itself should be open at least initially for business in the fall of 2009." In other words, those entering as freshmen this fall will be spending their junior and senior years at the new campus.
The key to that happening lies with state lawmakers, who have shot down funding for the campus over a number of years. This year, there's a request for $35 million that will go toward initial construction. So far this legislative session, the funding request is still alive.
UH-West O'ahu officials hope to get an additional $100 million for construction through the sale of some of its land to a commercial developer.
That should be enough to put up the first phase of the campus, Komeiji said.
With 20 different programs coming out of four majors — business administration, humanities, public administration and social sciences — UH-West O'ahu officials feel they're ready to attract a younger audience.
Until now, Komeiji said, the typical age of the average student entering UH-West O'ahu is in the early 30s.
But it makes sense to try to reach a younger demographic, she said, given that the growing West and Central O'ahu regions are made up predominantly of younger families. The television ads are therefore aimed at drawing a younger crowd and feature a rap tune.
"We're trying to time it with the fact that right now, the high school kids are making their college choices," Komeiji said.
Meanwhile, UH-West O'ahu recruiters are busy visiting high school campuses around the state.
To meet the growth, UH-West O'ahu is beefing up its faculty by adding 10 new positions to its existing roster of 28 over the next two fiscal years, Komeiji said.
Reach Gordon Y.K. Pang at gpang@honoluluadvertiser.com.
