For supporters of the University of Hawai'i-West O'ahu, Wednesday's groundbreaking for its new campus was a strong symbolic step forward.

And even though some progress has been made on laying down the infrastructure, new buildings to serve students from the rapidly growing West O'ahu communities remain a tantalizingly close but unfulfilled goal.

But even in these tough economic times, it's imperative that state and UH administrators keep the momentum moving forward to secure funding to complete the first phase of campus construction.

UH-West O'ahu Chancellor Gene Awakuni says he's confident that the first classrooms will open by spring 2011. It will cost about $50 million to put up the five buildings of the first phase, he says.

Awakuni is hoping for a combination of federal public works money — U.S. Rep. Neil Abercrombie is seeking $30 million — and income from developing commercial property near the campus. He's also negotiating a partnership with Tokai University.

Whether these efforts will be successful is uncertain. The crumbling economy has made real estate development a dicey proposition; the recession was blamed for the collapse of a $100 million deal with Texas-based Hunt Development. And the competition for federal stimulus money will be fierce.

Clearly Awakuni has a difficult job ahead. He'll need to find creative ways to raise the money. That includes smart public-private partnerships, tapping private donors and carefully leveraging the value of the West O'ahu property to maxmize investment.

The new campus is sorely needed. It will double the university's capacity at a time when demand is growing. West O'ahu's enrollment last fall showed a 19.8 percent increase, the highest percentage increase of all UH campuses.

A robust four-year university program in West O'ahu can be a powerful new addition to developing a strong, educated workforce in Hawai'i. It's time to build toward that goal.