Bulletin No. 18
Date/Time sent: 09/14/2020 7:30 amAloha mai kākou!
Over the last 17 weeks, I have been providing information in this weekly bulletin about the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on our campus operations and budget. In August, more information about our budget was presented in this bulletin and in the August Ka Peʻahi Lono as well as at our Fall Convocation. In July and August, the campus executive team with each Vice Chancellor’s Office significantly reduced our operational costs while at the same time putting more energy into our enrollment efforts. In addition, over the summer months, our VCAA, AVCAA, and Division Chairs began to examine the productivity and efficiency of our academic programs. Their review has helped us to make operational and personnel cuts in a manner that still maintains the quality of our academic programs. This effort will continue through this fiscal year.
The hard work of prioritization that will streamline our efforts and address our fiscal situation now requires your feedback, your ideas. Mahalo Nui to those who attended the first two campus conversations (Sept. 8 and Sept. 10). These generative conversations are facilitated around three key queries that ask you to suggest ways that we can reduce our costs while maximizing access and affordability to quality signature academic programs and learning opportunities. This is not an easy conversation – we know – but your feedback is so very important. There are two more conversations – one today, Monday, Sept. 14, at 1 p.m. and the last on Friday, Sept. 25, at 9 a.m. RSVP for Friday’s session to uhwochan@hawaii.edu. You must RSVP 24 hours in advance to participate.
Please note that we are also meeting with students, our faculty senate executive committee, and other focus groups over the next two weeks. Our next steps will be to work on refining our current short-term strategies (2020-2021) and identify mid-range strategies (for 2021-2025) that are built on our Impact Strategies. Representatives from across our campus will engage in this process during the month of October. I will keep you posted and ask for your feedback through our weekly bulletin.
Again, remember our themes for the month is: E ala! E alu! E kuilima! Awaken! Come together! Join hands! Together we will succeed!
Mahalo nūnui! E mālama pono!
Maenette Benham, Chancellor
To put into context the impact of the pandemic on Hawaiʻi’s economy and the UH System, please view Civil Beat articles that describe how UH Mānoa is addressing the dire economic situation: