In a morning dedicated to bringing together faculty and staff to welcome the start of the 2025-2026 Academic Year and a charge to “E kūlia i ka nu‘u” – or to “Reach for the summit,” more than 200 faculty and staff gathered for a morning of reflection and renewal at the University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu’s Fall Convocation. The event celebrated a year of progress, honored achievements in teaching and service, and updated the attendees on enrollment and institutional data points.
Chancellor Maenette Benham, who will step down in December 2025, reflected on her nine-year tenure by celebrating the collective accomplishments of the campus through that time. She spoke of the Strategic Action Plan that established the campus’ value proposition and pahuhopu, or institutional values. She shared stories of academic and institutional innovation, community-engaged scholarship, operational stewardship, and culture and collaboration. She highlighted several alums as proof points of pahuhopu in action. She explained how shared values helped the campus to overcome challenges such as the COVID-19 pandemic and federal funding uncertainties. She closed with “E kūlia i ka nu‘u” – a reminder to “Reach for the summit.”
As is the custom in the fall, Convocation recognized new hires and faculty and staff who received awards for years of service, tenure, and promotion. Teaching award winners Joy Mahiko (Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching); Koeun Park (Laulima Teaching Innovation); and Katherine Nakahara (Lecturer Excellence in Teaching) were also recognized.
Institutional Research Director John Stanley shared the following data points in “By the Numbers”:
- In Fall 2020, enrollment reached a record high of 3,168 students, even at the onset of COVID-19. This marked 16 increases over the previous 17 years.
- Since 2017-18, UH West O‘ahu has awarded over 5,000 bachelor’s degrees – a remarkable achievement that places the campus among the highest degree producers per capita in our peer group.
- In 2024, UH West O‘ahu achieved record highs in both student success measures – a retention rate of 77.9% and a six-year graduation rate of 49.5%. These gains also include notable milestones, with Filipino student retention reaching 90% and Native Hawaiian transfer student retention at 81.3%.
- In 2024, UH West O‘ahu earned some of its strongest U.S. News & World Report rankings to date – including #15 Best Regional Colleges West, #3 Best Public Colleges West, #26 Top Performers on Social Mobility, and #4 Best Colleges for Veterans (2025 rankings are not yet available).
Admissions Director Martin Motooka shared current enrollment data and successful recruitment and orientation events to help drive UH West O‘ahu’s numbers. He thanked faculty and staff for participating in engagement activities that assist in sustained enrollment growth.
Convocation also featured a tabling activity that showcased various campus units and their services.
To see more photos from the event, visit the Fall 2025 Convocation photo album on Flickr. (Mahalo to Terri Ota for assisting on photos!)
Click here to see the Convocation PowerPoint presentation.