Invest In UH West
Invest In UH West
Invest in UH West supports creative projects that improve UHWO capacity to improve student and institutional success. This initiative provides up to $100,000 in start-up funds for faculty and staff over a two-year period starting July 1, 2026.
Deadline to apply was March 30, 2026.
The Invest in UH West submission process consisted of two components:
- Filling out and submitting an application form.
- Downloading and filling out the UH West Budget Sheet and sending it to dkinouye@hawaii.edu.
In the event interested parties wanted more details about the program, they were guided to the Invest in West PowerPoint presentation and the Invest in UH West FAQ sheet. If interested parties had any additional questions, they could submit their questions to dkinouye@hawaii.edu.
To view the original page announcing Invest in UH West and how to apply, the page can be viewed here.
Invest in West: Funded Projects
ACM + MNHS Synergy Swarm
Esther Widiasih/MNHS
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 & Multi-Use Space
Therese Nakadomari/Information Technology
Reviving a classroom to be a mult-use space for hybrid to in-person collaborative learning. discussions,
and more
The HEMIC Academy & UH West Oʻahu Strategic Collaboration
Edward Keaunui/Business and Cybersecurity Division
The HEMIC Academy and UH West Oahu’s “Learn and Earn” pipeline offers high schoolers a paid insurance apprenticeship with dual-
enrollment credits. It creates a seamless pathway to a UHWO Business Degree and Risk Management Certificate, cultivating local industry talent.
Ke Ala Kiakahi
Hōkū Kwan & Macie Remular/Student Excellence and Achievement (Nāulu Center)
Ke Ala Kiakahi expands a culturally grounded pipeline supporting West Oʻahu students from high school
through college and workforce pathways. Aligned with UHWO’s Strategic Action Plan, it increases
access, persistence, and workforce readiness through integrated, student-centered programming.
Ke Kāī Koi o ʻEwa Transfer Project
Amy Bumatai/Office of the Chancellor, Office of Admissions
The Ke Kāī Koi o ʻEwa Transfer Project closes the “transfer gap” by transforming the Leeward CC to UH West Oʻahu 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
Carrie Larger/Student Affairs- Advising Services
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
Kalikolani Correa/Nālimakui Council
The Nālimakui Ke Kula Mau Initiative transforms UH West Oʻahu into a Hawaiian place of learning by
centering ʻike Hawaiʻi, 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
Jayson M Chun/Humanities
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 UHWO degree
more than a credential earned in isolation.
Virtual Campus Tour
Brian Miyamoto and Martin Motooka/Communications and Admissions
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
Kaʻiulani Akamine/SA: SEA: Adults Returning to Education
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
Oʻahu can convert uncollectible debt into active tuition revenue and support the UH System’s mission to
increase degree attainment among returning adult populations.