Sheila Estanique鈥檚 path to a college degree wasn鈥檛 smooth by any stretch of the imagination. Many experience potholes and bumps along the way, and Estanique鈥檚 rough years as a teen and young adult almost shut the door on her journey before it could even start.

She dropped out of high school in what would have been her sophomore year. She battled an affinity for drugs that began at age 15. She had the first of her six children at age 19. She ran away from home. She experienced domestic abuse with past boyfriends. The list goes on.

“It was a very horrifying and dark time for me,” notes Estanique, who is about to celebrate her 44th birthday. She doesn鈥檛 sugarcoat her past history, and her agonizing tale doesn鈥檛 obscure her story of redemption in the classroom.

On Saturday, May 4, Estanique will walk with other graduates, having earned a bachelor of arts in social sciences with a concentration in psychology. She plans to pursue a master鈥檚 degree and sees herself working in an educational setting in the future.

“There were times when I wanted to give up (on pursuing a degree) when life, marriage, parenting and college became overwhelming,” said Estanique, who has children ages 9, 12 and 16 at home. “I would remind myself that my kids are watching me, that I am setting an example of what hard work, determination, and perseverance looks like.”

Getting her start at Windward CC

At age 38, unsure of whether she could do the work, Estanique enrolled in two classes at .

“School is not easy for me,” said Estanique, explaining writing papers might take her a week, where other people might finish in a day. “I struggle to get my work done.”

Even so, it appears Estanique has found her groove in higher education, and there鈥檚 little in her demeanor to suggest her past. Despite self-doubts about her ability as a scholar, Estanique graduated magna cum laude from Windward CC as a member of , the largest and most prestigious honor society for two-year college students. “I really, really progressed there,” said Estanique, who also is the recipient of numerous scholarships.

Continuing her journey at 东精影业 West Oʻahu

At 东精影业 West Oʻahu she continued to do well. Konstantinos Zougris, a 东精影业 West Oʻahu assistant professor of sociology, said Estanique was an exemplary student, delivering challenging assignments in a timely manner, working well and adapting to others in groups, while demonstrating leadership skills.

“I was really impressed by her diligence and academic work,” Zougris said. “She was one of my top students.”

Estanique chose to attend 东精影业 West Oʻahu for a variety of reasons and speaks highly of the faculty. She is thankful for her husband, who she says was a partner in her education by helping out with their three children. She has three older children ages 21, 22 and 24 as well as two granddaughters.

Estanique鈥檚 already setting her sights on her next educational goal and plans to apply to the College of Education at 东精影业 Mānoa to enter the in the fall 2020 semester.

To read the full article, go to .

Keren Motonaga of Hawaiʻi Island endured a long journey to become the first person in her family to receive a four-year college degree. Ten years after she started attending the , the 28 year old graduated in December 2018 with a bachelor of arts in Japanese studies and a minor in linguistics.

Born and raised on Hawaiʻi Island, Motonaga graduated from Kamehameha Schools Hawaiʻi in 2008 and was initially on track to graduate from 东精影业 Hilo in five years, while making the most of the opportunities available. She participated in a study abroad program, spending time in South Korea and a year in Japan. She took part in a national student exchange going to school for a semester at the University of Montana. Then came a series of life challenges that knocked her off track.

“The semester I was supposed to graduate, there was a car accident with me and my mom,” said Motonaga. “Also, there was a period of homelessness and unhealthy personal relationships that got in the way of my schooling.”

While out of school, Motonaga regretted not completing her college degree, knowing it was an unfinished part of her life.

“I felt like I wasn鈥檛 done, like I wouldn鈥檛 be happy with myself if I didn鈥檛 finish what I had started,” she said before making the decision to return and finish. “My family was my biggest motivation. No one has graduated in our family with a bachelor鈥檚 degree before, so it was a big milestone for me and for them.”

东精影业 is targeting returning adults

东精影业 is now actively targeting former students, like Motonaga, referred to as “returning adults” or “stopped out students,” to return and complete their post-secondary degree or certificate. According to the 2017 Hawaiʻi State Data Book, about 94,000, 25 year olds to 44 year olds in Hawaiʻi have some college credits but not a degree.

The Lumina Foundation awarded 东精影业 $400,000 in 2018 to support adults who want to earn college degrees, certificates and other professional credentials. The award has helped 东精影业 develop a system that supports adults returning to 东精影业 to finish degrees that includes personalized advising, credit for prior learning opportunities and expanded online learning options.

“For many ‘stopped out’ students, the top reasons for returning are personal—to achieve a goal that they set for themselves or to make their families proud. We also know that completing a certificate or degree increases earnings, job security and job opportunities,” said Tammi Chun, Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges. ”Studies show that a person with an associate degree earns about $500,000 more over their lifetime compared to a high school graduate and those lifetime earnings jump to $1 million more for someone with a bachelor鈥檚 degree. Re-engaging these former students is also critical in reaching the state鈥檚 educational goal of 55 percent of working age adults holding a two- or four-year college degree by the 2025.”

Balancing “real life” with academics

While completing her degree, Motonaga worked at two restaurants in Hilo while balancing her academics. She credits encouragement from her family, friends and church for her success and says her professors really played a big part in helping her graduate.

“They were very understanding that I was a returning adult and they want their students to succeed,” said Motonaga. “I felt that this semester and appreciate them a lot.”

Motonaga is now searching for a job where she can utilize her degree. “It鈥檚 been very competitive trying to find a job without one, but now having job experience and education will help change my living situation.”

The four-year graduation rates for Native Hawaiian and Filipino students at the have reached record highs. From 2010 to 2018, the four-year graduation rates for first-time freshmen increased from 10.3 percent to 32.3 percent for Native Hawaiian students, and from 13.8 percent to 37.7 percent for Filipino students.

The overall four-year graduation rate at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 is now at an all-time high of 35.2 percent in 2018, a 1.2 percent increase from the record set in 2017 and 17.4 percent increase from 2010. 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 was nationally recognized by the Association of Public Land Grant Universities in 2017 for its dramatic improvement in graduating students on time.

“We are, of course, very proud of the steady climb of our overall four-year graduation rate and are confident that it will continue,” said 东精影业 President and 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 Interim Chancellor David Lassner. “We are most proud of the graduation rate increase among Native Hawaiians and Filipinos. These two ethnic groups were long ago identified as underserved when it comes to higher education and we have worked hard to increase their enrollment and college success.”

Programs geared toward Native Hawaiians key to success

A number of support programs for Hawaiian students at 惭腻苍辞补 have contributed to the improved graduation rate. (NHSS) offers about 20 programs designed to improve student success, research and leadership, along with student-faculty engagement. One example is the that provides paid research opportunities for Hawaiian undergraduate students from all disciplines and majors.

“The students in the program are mentored by Hawaiian faculty members so, not only do they have these important role models and tremendous sources of information, they also develop research and critical thinking skills,” said NHSS Director Willy Kauai. “Developing student scholars is critical to our mission of preparing students to build upon the legacy of excellence from our ancestors.”

Filipinos flourishing thanks to focus on students

Student Equity, Excellence & Diversity (SEED) programs and initiatives also work to engage and support Filipino and Native Hawaiian students, and others from communities that are traditionally underrepresented at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补. The (HUI) is a summer leadership program providing a free 3-credit summer college course for a select group of incoming 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 freshmen. HUI also offers skill building workshops on using university resources, exploring academics and careers, and developing critical writing and math skills.

“Over half of the participants in HUI identify as Filipina or Filipino,” said Christine Quemuel, 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 interim vice chancellor for diversity and SEED director. “All HUI participants are paired with a peer mentor who supports them during their transition from high school to college. Engaging with students from when they first arrive on campus, educating them on the resources available and providing them a support structure are all critical to their academic success, all the way up to graduation.”

Efforts to improve graduation rates started years ago

The steady improvement of the overall four-year graduation rate can be traced back to 2006, when the was established. A team of administrators and faculty identified barriers to student success and developed the Student Engagement, Retention and Graduation plan, which consisted of more than 30 initiatives focused on improving student engagement and the quality of the student experience. These initiatives included:

• Developing an online degree audit system to engage students on their academic track.
• Establishing an academic policy of mandatory advising for all students.
• Creating four-year academic major plans to provide students with a clear path toward degrees.
• Establishing advising offices in the 东精影业 Community Colleges to better assist students transferring to 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补.

“Our success reflects a concerted effort on the part of faculty, staff, students and administration focusing their efforts on meaningful inclusive strategic change that impacts student graduation and retention rates,” said Ronald Cambra, 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 assistant vice chancellor for undergraduate education. “We are always actively seeking to improve our support of students on our campus, reflecting our themes of engagement, partnership and a stronger sense of stewardship of the campus. These are exciting times with real change, and we know we can do even better!”

Retention rates also reach record highs

东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 also reached a historic high in its one-year retention rate, the rate of freshmen returning for their sophomore year. The retention rate hit 79.1 percent in fall 2018, up from 76.6 percent in 2015. A commitment by the university to improve student recruitment, retention and graduation continues to pay dividends. Along with the graduation and retention rate increases, 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补 welcomed 2,209 first-time freshmen in fall 2018, the largest freshman class in the university鈥檚 111-year history.

The University of Hawaiʻi 10-campus system is participating in a new effort in which 130 public universities and systems have begun work together in clusters of four to 12 institutions to increase college access, close achievement gaps and award hundreds of thousands more degrees by 2025.

The (APLU) is organizing the collaborative effort, known as Powered by Publics: Scaling Student Success. APLU had recognized 东精影业 Mānoa last year with the national Project Degree Completion Award for Mānoa鈥檚 work improving graduation outcomes at the institutional level.

The new Powered by Publics initiative represents the largest ever national-scale collaborative effort to move the completion agenda forward. Collectively, Powered By Publics participants enroll 3 million students, including 1 million economically challenged students who receive Pell Grants. In addition to committing to common student success goals, participating institutions have pledged to share aggregate data demonstrating their progress to help spur lasting change across the higher education sector.

“The University of Hawaiʻi looks forward to working collaboratively with other institutions to increase college access, equity and completion,” said 东精影业 President David Lassner, who attended the Powered By Publics kickoff meeting at the APLU Annual Meeting last weekend. “Our faculty and staff have made a tremendous difference already, and when we partner with like-minded institutions we can learn not only from our own experiences but from those of others.”

东精影业 is part of the Western Region cluster which intends to focus on strategies to: increase success in the first two years of college; identify and remove barriers to student progress; and help individual faculty to be even more effective partners in student success efforts.

“Over the past few years, we鈥檝e witnessed a real and growing enthusiasm among public university leaders to advance college completion nationally,” said APLU President Peter McPherson. “We have to seize the moment and mobilize institutions to improve not just college access, but also equity in student outcomes and the number of students who earn degrees.”

Eighteen students from University of Hawaiʻi campuses across the state will receive their textbooks for free this semester as part of the 东精影业 Bookstores Promotion, which encourages incoming freshmen to take 15 credits per semester or 30 credits in a year to graduate on time.

The selected 18 winners from more than 1,300 eligible students and will continue this successful promotion. Incoming freshmen completing 30 credits or more this 2019–20 academic year will be eligible for next year鈥檚 drawing for free textbooks.

sophomore Madison Anzai, 19, saved more than $300 on her textbooks this semester.

“I felt a mixture of both happiness and relief that my books would be paid for,” Anzai said. This scholarship will help the kinesiology major be prepared to learn this semester. “There were some optional books for my class and because of this scholarship I was able to get them. I鈥檒l not only be classroom ready, but have the resources to gain so much more knowledge.”

When picking up his free books, Nemuel Palilio, 19, culinary arts sophomore said, “I was surprised and so appreciative.” He mentioned borrowing his books last year because of the cost, but thanks to the 15 to Finish scholarship, Palilio is able to start the semester with a savings of more than $400.

All freshmen who earned at least 30 credits last academic year and were in good standing (minimum 2.0 cumulative GPA) by May 30, 2018, were eligible for a drawing to win free textbooks for the fall 2018 semester. Winning students were randomly selected across the university鈥檚 10 campuses.

“We have found that students who earn 30 credits or more per year are more likely to graduate and graduate on time (four years for a bachelor degree and two years for an associate degree), earn better grades, continue to the next semester and complete more of their courses,” said Donald O. Straney, vice president for academic planning and policy. “We appreciate the 东精影业 Bookstores鈥� willingness to partner with us and promote 15 to Finish.”

“We enjoy partnering with the 东精影业 System鈥檚 15 to Finish initiative,鈥� said Tricia Ejima-Zane, 东精影业 Bookstores director. “We take pride in the bookstores鈥� mission of providing students everything they need for college life. Awarding students free books is one way for us to give back to our university community.”

The 15 to Finish campaign is part of the , a systemwide initiative to increase the number of 东精影业 graduates to meet the state鈥檚 55 by 鈥�25 goal, which strives to have 55 percent of working age adults hold a two- or four-year degree by the year 2025. For more information about the promotion, go to .

The University of Hawaiʻi has received a $3 million grant from national education non-profit to continue the advancement of career pathways in Hawaiʻi. In addition, the provided a $300,000 grant to amplify the work across the state.

The goals of the combined philanthropic investments are to:

• Sustain the industry-led sector partnerships to advance economic development and develop workforce solutions, while establishing a governance structure to provide oversight to statewide strategic planning.
• Enhance Hawaiʻi鈥檚 Science Technology Engineering and Math (STEM) career pipeline by:
  • Aligning the Department of Education鈥檚 Career and Technical Education pathways with 东精影业 and advancing initiatives to improve 东精影业 students鈥� math and English scores to better position them for successful careers as they transition from high school to postsecondary education.
  • Developing 东精影业 STEM academic pathways in Engineering, Information Communications Technology, Biological Sciences, and Environmental and Physical Sciences for the transition from community college to 4-year campuses.
  • Bridging the success gap in STEM for students from underrepresented groups.
• Provide integrated student support to help students face fewer barriers to achieving their academic and career plans.
• Enhance and promote the Hawaiʻi Industry Sectors website to be more user-friendly for students and policymakers. This includes linking to 东精影业鈥檚 nationally award-winning online graduation pathway system, STAR.

In 2016, 东精影业 received a to launch the Building Hawaiʻi鈥檚 Innovation Economy and Workforce initiative. The initiative builds on and advances two of 东精影业鈥檚 key strategic directions—the and . The overarching goal is to expand the state鈥檚 economy beyond tourism and military spending to create high-quality, living-wage career opportunities for residents, while working to ensure graduates have the skills that employers want and need.

“Our goal is to prepare Hawaiʻi鈥檚 students and our workforce for the jobs of today and tomorrow in a manner that is highly informed by employers and supported by educational pathways from K–12 to college to career,” said 东精影业 President . “Strada鈥檚 remarkable investments are paving the way for others like the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to join us and take the positive momentum even further. It is gratifying and energizing to partner with national and local funders who recognize and believe in our groundbreaking work that is increasingly becoming a model for other states.”

Impact highlights to date

• Eight industry-led sector partnerships in banking/finance, IT, engineering, food manufacturing, healthcare (Oʻahu and Maui), and agriculture (Hawaiʻi Island and Kauaʻi) launched in partnership with the Chamber of Commerce Hawaiʻi. The sector partnership convenings provide a venue for industry to collectively address opportunities for growth as well as challenges; and partner with economic and workforce development, education, and other stakeholders to build solutions.
• 237 state, county, and nonprofit employees received STEM training/certification through the STEM Workforce Fund.
• 16.2 percent increase in enrollment and completion rates for minority students under-represented in STEM fields across the 东精影业 System between fall 2014 (2,432 students) and fall 2017 (2,825 students). Degree completion increased 18.3 percent from 415 students in FY 2015 to 491 students in FY 2017.
• Developed and aligned STEM academic pathways to increase student enrollment, persistence and transfer. For example, the engineering pathway was aligned so that all associates degree coursework counts towards a Bachelor of Science in Engineering at 东精影业 惭腻苍辞补.
• The launch of the award-winning website which uses data visualization to align Hawaiʻi鈥檚 economic and workforce needs with degree offerings at 东精影业.
• Enhanced statewide data and reporting tools have allowed 东精影业 to create dashboards and develop a culture of data use to inform policy decisions. For example, the STEM dashboard allows faculty/staff to track progress on STEM enrollment, transfer, retention and graduation.

“Improving outcomes and opportunity for the students of Hawaiʻi has always been a critical part of our mission as we work to strengthen pathways between education and employment for all Americans,” said Bill Hansen, president and CEO of Strada Education Network. “The University of Hawaiʻi System has become a leading innovator in higher education, working alongside local and government leaders to improve student success and build the state鈥檚 talent pipeline. We鈥檙e honored to support this work and to be joined by collaborative partners like the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation to sustain and scale these innovative programs in Hawaiʻi.”

Terry George, Harold K.L. Castle Foundation president and CEO added, “For Hawaiʻi to truly thrive, K–12 and higher educational opportunities must reflect labor market needs and lead to family sustaining wages. We are pleased to partner alongside Strada Education in helping the University of Hawaiʻi enroll far more students in career pathways that prepare them for in-demand jobs and obtain a degree that employers actually value. Working together, we can help Hawaiʻi鈥檚 youth to fulfil their most ambitious dreams.”

Kalaheo Macadangdang is finishing something he started in 2011, the year he graduated from Baldwin High School on Maui. He is pursuing an associate degree in liberal arts at .

“I decided to take a break from school, which was supposed to be a semester, ended up being a year and a half,” said Macadangdang. He was only three credits shy of earning his degree but life happened. Macadangdang began working at Hawaiian Airlines in 2013 where he is now a flight attendant. One day in December 2017, he got a postcard from 东精影业 Maui College.

“I got this awesome offer to come back to school and they offered the first class for free,” said Macadangdang.

That offer is part of a pilot project targeting “stopped out” students—former students who have earned some college credit but no degree. Macadangdang was one of 969 stopped out students identified from 东精影业鈥檚 seven community colleges. They had been out of school for two years or less and had already earned at least one semester鈥檚 worth of credits.

“We emailed, we sent out postcards, we did phone calls,” said Kyla Wayas, a 东精影业 Maui academic counselor. Macadangdang was one of 150 stopped out students who decided to return and who received their first three-credit class for free.

• Read more about the program in 东精影业 News: , January 18, 2018

“There was no hesitation,” said Macadangdang. “I was looking forward to trying to get back to school. I did not know exactly when, but this was a big pusher.”

“They just needed that little nudge, okay, I have this opportunity, I should take advantage of it and come back to college,” added Wayas.

There are a lot of stopped out students in Hawaiʻi—about 95,000 between the ages 25 and 44, according to state statistics from 2016. 东精影业 is planning a campaign to target about 34,000 of its stopped out students in a multi-year effort to get them to come back and complete their degrees. A community college graduate is estimated to make a half million dollars more over their lifetime compared to high school graduate. That increases to a million more over a lifetime, for a graduate with a four year degree.

As for Macadangdang, he鈥檚 only just getting started.

“I have about a year and a half to finish my bachelor鈥檚 degree in business administration through and I eventually plan to be a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines,” he said.

Leaders representing all 10 campuses of the kicked off a two-day planning session to craft a strategy to encourage thousands of former 东精影业 students to return to school to earn their degree.

According to the 2016 Hawaiʻi State Data Book, about 95,000 25–44 year olds in Hawaiʻi have some college credits but not a degree. 东精影业 is planning a statewide campaign to help more of those former students complete their post-secondary degree or certificate.

“From national and Hawaiʻi data, we know that higher education matters in providing choices, more secure employment, higher wages, better health and more civic engagement,” said 东精影业 President . “We have the responsibility and opportunity to provide higher educational opportunity and develop the workforce and community solutions for Hawaiʻi.”

The Lumina Foundation reported that today鈥檚 students are less likely to get a job that pays livable wages or reach their full potential. The report estimated that high school graduates would miss out on $500,000 in earnings by not getting an associate鈥檚 degree and $1 million over a lifetime by not earning a bachelor鈥檚 degree.

Ensuring economic competitiveness

Lassner opened the January 18 session acknowledging existing campus efforts and the workforce needs of the community in the not-so-distant future. He said planning was key to encouraging adults who already have college credits to return to school. First target is students who attended 东精影业 for an undergraduate degree within the last five years but left school, or stopped out, without a degree or a certificate. 东精影业 is initially targeting 34,031 of these former students, in a multi-year, multifaceted effort to return and complete their degrees.

“So we want to invite these students back to pursue their dreams. Obviously it helps us but more importantly it helps them, it helps their families and it helps their communities,” Lassner said.

Helping working age adults earn degrees will help the state to meet its that 55 percent of working-age adults should have a two-or-four-year degree by 2025 to ensure international economic competitiveness. The Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce projected that by 2020, 70 percent of the job openings in Hawaiʻi will require a postsecondary credential.

Re-engaging returning adults

During the last decade, significant efforts and progress have been made in improving Hawaiʻi鈥檚 educational pipeline. 东精影业鈥檚 has increased on-time completion and focused on achieving equitable outcomes for underrepresented students. In 2017, the Hawaiʻi State Legislature funded Hawaiʻi Promise to support college affordability at community colleges, and 东精影业 has actively participated in national networks to improve educational outcomes, such as Achieving the Dream and Complete College America.

“Re-engaging “stopped out” students, who previously invested time and resources into earning a degree, is critical to reach the state鈥檚 educational goal,” said Tammi Chun, .

The session included a presentation by Sean Tierney, Indiana associate commissioner for higher education, about Indiana鈥檚 “You Can. Go Back” campaign, which targeted 750,000 former students who have some college credits but no degree. Indiana鈥檚 program reached out directly to prospective returning adults with a variety of programs and incentives including $1,000 state-funded scholarships, flexible class schedules, online courses, debt-forgiveness programs and other support for working adults. Indiana credits its campaign for 9,000 students returning to complete their degrees in the last two years. Similar efforts have been launched by universities and states nationwide.

Another presentation focused on how to improve the college experience for returning adults. A training team from the Aulani, A Disney Resort and Spa, where day one of the workshop was held, provided details on the resort鈥檚 intentional design and customer service for a world class guest experience.

Lassner said it is important to understand how to reach the former students, their goals and the support they need to finish school. “What mode of classes, what programs will be most effective for them and how do we make the experience inviting.”

东精影业 is using the lessons learned from the workshop as well as the prior campus efforts to develop programs and a statewide campaign to re-engage and support stopped out students.

The session was sponsored by the Harold K.L. Castle Foundation, Lumina Foundation, Hawaiʻi Business Roundtable, 东精影业 Office of the President and the 东精影业 Office of the Vice President for Community Colleges.

The University of Hawaiʻi, nationally recognized for its graduation initiatives, was one of six state entities that presented at the (CCA) 2017 Annual Convening, the preeminent gathering of nationally-renowned architects of college completion efforts. More than 700 higher education leaders and advocates from around the country attended the three-day November conference in New Orleans, the organization鈥檚 largest convening to date.

The 东精影业 session—Hawaiʻi: Going All In On Game Changers in the Island State—focused on the Hawaiʻi Graduation Initiative, , , Math Pathways, Corequisite Remediation and Early College. CCA President Tom Sugar says 东精影业 has shown a true commitment to student success.

“Everybody is doing pathways these days in higher education but Hawaiʻi is doing it the right way.”

“We consider Hawaiʻi to be one of the leading states, one of the first to implement, what we are calling now Momentum Pathways,” said Sugar during an interview between sessions at the conference.

“Everybody is doing pathways these days in higher education but Hawaiʻi is doing it the right way with built-in components that ensure that students have the momentum they need to succeed. And they are only one of handful states in this first group to do it, again, demonstrating their unique level of commitment,” said Sugar.

CCA challenged its members to commit to Momentum Pathways at the 2017 conference, citing research that shows that the best design for a pathway is one that ensures that first year students have momentum in multiple areas. 东精影业 also was part of one of the featured panels on Momentum Pathways.

“Hawaiʻi鈥檚 been doing reform of the remediation system, Hawaiʻi鈥檚 been doing alignment of mathematics to programs of study, because not every student needs college algebra or should be in college algebra,” said Sugar.

“Momentum also depends on accomplishing nine credits in your program of study so that what you are experiencing in your first year feels relevant and connected to your dreams. It also contains completing 30 credits over the course of a calendar year and of course, Hawaiʻi was already there with 15 to Finish and so that surges students forward,” Sugar said.

Recognizing innovative contributions to national efforts

CCA honored 东精影业 in 2016 with its President鈥檚 Award for 15 to Finish, a 东精影业-created campaign that encourages students to take 15 credits per semester to ensure on-time graduation, and the STAR system, technology developed at 东精影业 that provides students a clear pathway to graduation. The President鈥檚 Award recognizes innovation and outstanding contributions to national college completion efforts.

“The 15 to Finish campaign, that we took nationally, which is changing this country, originated in Hawaiʻi,” said Sugar. “You guys developed the highly respected STAR system, which allows students to, using technology, monitor their progress on their customized degree map, so they know where they are, they know what they have to accomplish, they know the courses they need will be there for them. That is truly remarkable as well, again proving that Hawaiʻi is a national exemplar.”

Established in 2009, CCA is a national nonprofit with a single mission: to work with states and consortia to significantly increase the number of Americans with quality career certificates or college degrees and to close attainment gaps for traditionally underrepresented populations. 东精影业 has been a member since 2010.

President made his report to the at their meeting on November 16, 2017.

Highlights include:

• ()
• Congressional visits ()
• Tax reform and higher education ()
• Programs serving Native Hawaiian and underrepresented students ()
• Defense-related programs ()
• ()
• ()
• Green-tariff initiative with HECO ()
• 东精影业 places third in cybersecurity competition ()
• Leeward CC‘s Waiʻanae Moku ()
• ()
• Agriculture grants ()
• ()
• 东精影业 Strategic Directions ()
• Hawaiʻi Graduation Initiative ()
• Hawaiʻi Innovation Initiative ()
• 21st Century Facilities ()
• High Performance Mission-Driven System ()
• Strengthen relationship with 东精影业 Foundation ()
• Indigenous-serving institution ()
• Sustainability initiatives ()
• 东精影业 Strategic Directions ()
• William “Billy” Richardson ()

View previous reports to the board.