University of Hawaiʻi President David Lassner will donate $1 million to the $1 billion fundraising campaign publicly launched on November 1. Lassner made the surprise announcement at an evening event celebrating the campaign and received a standing ovation from the more than 500 people in attendance.
“I would like to take this opportunity to make my own commitment to the campaign, something I never thought I would be able to do,” said Lassner. “I am personally pledging today $1 million to support graduate students working in [the] areas of artificial intelligence, machine learning or data science in service to the environment or humanity here in our islands.”
“It’s not surprising when university presidents endorse the very institutions they represent,” said Tim Dolan, the 东精影业 Vice President of Advancement and 东精影业 Foundation Chief Executive Officer. “What is very rare, however, in fact I have not seen it in 25 years doing higher ed philanthropy, is seeing a president make a seven-figure commitment leading the charge by example and to model such personal credibility.”
The 东精影业 Foundation campaign is considered the most ambitious, comprehensive fundraising campaign in Hawaiʻi’s history. Donors can select the programs and initiatives that they support for students, faculty and researchers at all 10 东精影业 campuses. During his speech, Lassner explained how he came to 东精影业 from Illinois in 1977 on a one-year, half-time consultant contract and expected to return to the continent to complete his graduate studies in computer science.
“Like many who have been touched so deeply by Hawaiʻi and her people, I never went back,” said Lassner. “I have now spent my entire professional career here at 东精影业 and could not have asked for more, including these last 10 years giving back as an unexpected 15th president of 东精影业.”
President shares importance of 东精影业 in community
Lassner highlighted numerous 东精影业 strengths and accomplishments in his speech. He called 东精影业 alumni the backbone of our communities:
“Anywhere you look across our state you will find a graduate from a 东精影业 campus making Hawaiʻi better.”
He commended 东精影业 faculty for teaching students to ask and answer the right questions, even hard ones, and praised both faculty and students for their wide array of important research:
“As we educate, we also provide the deepest insight in Hawaiʻi on the challenges and opportunities we face locally and around the planet. Our research and scholarship helps Hawaiʻi understand who we are and how we can live our best lives.”
And he noted the benefits of higher education:
“College graduates live longer, live healthier, earn more, are more resilient in the labor marketplace, are less likely to be incarcerated, draw on fewer social services, pay more taxes, volunteer more and vote more. And this is a multigenerational effect: children of college graduates are themselves more likely to attend college, providing a way to break generational cycles of poverty and despair in some families.”
Lassner announced in September that he will retire at the end of 2024. For more information about For 东精影业 ? For Hawaiʻi, The Campaign for the University of Hawaiʻi, visit .