University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel visited 东精影业 Hilo on February 18, her first visit to the campus since taking office on January 1. This was part of her systemwide tour of 东精影业’s 10 campuses and five education centers, during which she is meeting with students, faculty and staff across the state in her first 90 days.
Hensel met with key campus governance groups, including the Hanakahi Council—a caucus of Native Hawaiian faculty and staff—along with the staff council, faculty congress and the campus executive leadership team. Discussions covered key issues such as technology adoption, staff development, transparency, student fees and expanding interdisciplinary collaboration.
“I felt that having that personal connection in a meeting and being able to ask her the essential questions for our campus is important,” said 东精影业 Hilo Professor Celia Bardwell-Jones after Hensel’s meeting with the faculty congress. “That demonstrates good shared governance practices for the system. I felt her answers were thoughtful—I was pleasantly surprised.”
东精影业 Hilo Student Body President Chelbi Espiritu shared a similar sentiment, stating, “I think she was very open to listening and hearing us out.”
Campus open forum
More than 80 people attended a campus open forum, where Hensel addressed questions on issues including the impact of recent Executive Orders, the role of the 东精影业 System in supporting individual campuses and what it means to be a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning.
“I think it has been incredibly engaging and thoughtful,” Hensel said. “The questions were challenging and important, and we had a really good conversation about what matters to the people on this campus. That’s important. We don’t have all the answers, but we should be able to discuss the questions and how we come together as a community. I was really impressed with the level of engagement.”
Traditional welcome, Maunakea visit
The visit began in the morning with a at Hawaiʻi Community College to welcome Hensel to Hilo. The welcoming ceremony, conducted primarily in ʻōlelo Hawaiʻi, included an ʻawa ceremony, hula and an underlying message of unity.
During her time on Hawaiʻi Island, Hensel visited the summit of Maunakea on February 17, where she met with representatives from the 东精影业 Institute for Astronomy and the 东精影业 Hilo Center for Maunakea Stewardship (CMS), including the Maunakea Rangers.
“The staff was very appreciative that she took the time to visit and understand how the Center for Maunakea Stewardship and the Institute for Astronomy work together,” said 东精影业 Hilo CMS Executive Director Greg Chun. “This is a very unique research enterprise that takes extensive collaboration for the groundbreaking science and commitment to stewardship to work together.”
On February 19, she visited Ke Kula O Nāwahīokalaniʻōpuʻu, the largest Hawaiian immersion school on Hawaiʻi Island serving students from kindergarten through 12th grade. That evening, she attended a reception for donors and alumni at the Hilo Yacht Club.
Hensel’s visit concluded on February 20, when she attended the monthly 东精影业 Board of Regents meeting at the 东精影业 Hilo Daniel K. Inouye School of Pharmacy.
President Hensel’s campus/education centers remaining schedule:
President Hensel campus visit recaps
- Monday, February 24 –
- Tuesday February 25 – and
- Monday, March 3 – and
- TBD –
- Wednesday, March 5 – and
- Monday, March 24 –
For more information about President Hensel, visit the Meet President Hensel webpage. She is also active on social media and encourages the 东精影业 community to connect with her on , (formerly Twitter) and .