The University of Hawai'i is hoping that former Olympic track star Jackie Joyner-Kersee's golden touch rubs off on its athletic program.

The school will feature the three-time Olympic gold medalist as the keynote speaker at an Aug. 30 fundraiser designed to produce as much as $500,000 to endow athletic scholarships for women, athletic director Herman Frazier said yesterday.

Kersee won gold in the heptathlon and long jump at Seoul in 1988 and in the heptathlon at Barcelona in 1992. She also won a silver (heptathlon) in 1984 at Los Angeles and bronze (long jump) in Atlanta in 1996.

Her appearance is timed to coincide with the 35th anniversary of Title IX and women's athletics at UH. Details will be announced shortly, Frazier said.

"I'm just elated because she is one of the greatest athletes in the world and she is very familiar with Title IX and the impact it has had on women in athletics," said Marilyn Moniz-Kaho'ohanohano, associate athletic director and senior women's administrator at UH. "You couldn't ask for a better role model."

UH said it currently awards 107 athletic scholarships to women, less than 10 percent of which are endowed. Frazier said the scholarship money would be spread among the UH women's sports.

Frazier said he expects the event to raise $300,000 to $500,000. "That's very important because no matter what the financial (health of the department) those scholarships can be taken care of," he said.

Scholarships for the 2007-08 school year are valued at $5,100 (in-state) and $14,400 (out-of-state) exclusive of books, fees, room and board.

Reach Ferd Lewis at flewis@honoluluadvertiser.com.