The University of Hawai‘i–West O‘ahu recently announced 10 projects selected for the inaugural Invest in UH West initiative, which supports creative and innovative projects that strengthen UH West O‘ahu’s capacity to improve student and institutional success.
Fueled by a strategic investment in UH West O‘ahu’s future, the initiative champions campus innovation by providing seed funding for projects. Faculty and staff can utilize these two-year start-up grants from July 1, 2026, through June 30, 2028, to bring groundbreaking ideas to life. Funded projects are expected to be self-supporting after the start-up funding has been used.
“I am incredibly proud of the ingenuity displayed by our campus community,” said UH West O‘ahu interim Chancellor Carlos Peñaloza. “When we challenge ourselves to remove traditional barriers and put students at the center of our design, the results are transformative.”
Peñaloza continued, “These 10 inaugural projects represent a powerful mix of modern technology, place-based learning, and workforce collaboration. Invest in UH West isn’t just a short-term funding mechanism; it is a catalyst for sustainable, long-term institutional growth that directly enriches the student experience.”
In late February 2026, a call went out to UH West O‘ahu faculty and staff for project proposals, which were due on March 30. Nearly 50 proposals were submitted. The 10 awardees were notified on June 1. (UH West O‘ahu is planning to offer a Round 2 in spring 2027; details to come.)
The funded projects, along with the leads and brief descriptions of each project, are:
ACM + MNHS Synergy Swarm
Lead: Esther Widiasih/MNHS
Description: This two-year pilot establishes an agentic AI marketing engine to scale ACM and MNHS concentrations. By automating ACM’s manual workflows, the project optimizes existing operations and allows MNHS to leapfrog recruitment hurdles. This creates a permanent, low-cost infrastructure that maximizes enrollment yield while ensuring strict compliance with UH data policies.
Classroom Revival and Multi-Use Space
Lead: Therese Nakadomari/Information Technology
Description: Reviving a classroom to be a multi-use space for hybrid to in-person collaborative learning, discussions, and more.
The HEMIC Academy and UH West O‘ahu Strategic Collaboration
Lead: Edward Keaunui/Business and Cybersecurity Division
Description: The HEMIC Academy and UH West O‘ahu’s “Learn and Earn” pipeline offers high schoolers a paid insurance apprenticeship with dual-enrollment credits. It creates a seamless pathway to a UH West O‘ahu Business Degree and Risk Management Certificate, cultivating local industry talent.
Ke Ala Kiakahi
Leads: Hōkū Kwan and Macie Remular/Student Excellence and Achievement (Nāulu Center)
Description: Ke Ala Kiakahi expands a culturally grounded pipeline supporting West O‘ahu students from high school through college and workforce pathways. Aligned with UH West O‘ahu’s Strategic Action Plan, it increases access, persistence, and workforce readiness through integrated, student-centered programming.
Ke Kāī Koi o ‘Ewa Transfer Project
Lead: Amy Bumatai/Office of the Chancellor, Office of Admissions
Description: The Ke Kāī Koi o ‘Ewa Transfer Project closes the “transfer gap” by transforming the Leeward CC to UH West O‘ahu transition into a unified, pre-commitment dual-admissions model. Through physical co-learning spaces, a digital hub, and proactive stewardship, this data-driven initiative synchronizes institutional resources to achieve a 30% enrollment increase from LCC by Fall 2028.
Mobile Student Success Hub
Lead: Carrie Larger/Student Affairs – Advising Services
Description: The Mobile Student Success Hub (MSSH) is an innovative Desk in a Box workstation, digital signage, and all-terrain wagon for single-person deployment. This tool will boost retention and support transfer student transitions from UH Community Colleges across O‘ahu to UH West O‘ahu.
Nālimakui – Ke Kula Mau Initiative
Lead: Kalikolani Correa/Nālimakui Council
Description: The Nālimakui Ke Kula Mau Initiative transforms UH West O‘ahu into a Hawaiian place of learning by centering ‘ike Hawai‘i, Indigenous innovation, and community well-being. Guided by four pillars — identity, academic visibility, community activation, and student experience — it integrates culture, scholarship, and engagement to create a place-based, rigorous, and forward-looking university environment.
Restoring Campus Mana
Lead: Jayson M. Chun/Humanities
Description: Restoring mana means giving students a campus worth coming to. This proposal funds two flexible, coworking-style active learning classrooms open to all students, and a Speaker Series connecting students with professionals. Both investments build the campus presence that makes a UH West Oʻahu degree more than a credential earned in isolation.
Virtual Campus Tour
Leads: Brian Miyamoto and Martin Motooka/Communications and Admissions
Description: UH West O‘ahu’s only virtual campus tour is a seven-year-old YouTube video that fails to reflect major campus growth. This project funds an external vendor to produce a modern, professional virtual tour, giving prospective students and families an accurate and compelling first look at our campus.
West Invests: Strategic re-enrollment targeting “stopped-out” adult learners who owe the university past-due balances by offering Incremental Debt Forgiveness through Hana Grants
Lead: Ka‘iulani Akamine/SA: SEA: Adults Returning to Education
Description: Strategic re-enrollment program targeting “stopped-out” adult learners who owe the university past-due balances. By offering Hana Hou grants, which can function as Incremental Debt Forgiveness, UH West O‘ahu can convert uncollectible debt into active tuition revenue and support the UH System’s mission to increase degree attainment among returning adult populations.
For more information about Invest in UH West, click here. The site will be updated with outcomes after Year 1 (June 30, 2027).