If we consider antecedents, the College of Education is the oldest part of the University of Hawai'i. In 1888, Principal Marion Scott began offering informal classes in pedagogy at Honolulu High School. In 1895, James Dumas, a graduate of Oswego Normal School, was hired to head the teacher training department of the high school, which became the Honolulu Normal and Training School a year later. With annexation of Hawai'i, the HNTS became the Territorial Normal School.
In 1929, the TNS, which had outgrown its buildings on the side of Punchbowl, acquired land at the corner of University Avenue and Metcalf Street, and a building plus an annex were erected. A large campus with several buildings was planned for the site. However, in 1931, the legislature merged the TNS with the University, creating the Teachers College, with TNS president Benjamin Wist as the dean. Wist retired in 1948 because of poor health and was made a member of the Board of Regents. While serving as Vice-Chairman of the Hawai'i Statehood Commission in Washington, he died on October 26, 1951. A month later the Regents named the TC Building Wist Hall.
Bruce White served as dean until 1956, when he became Dean of Faculties of the University. He was succeeded by Hubert Everly, who had been the first principal of the University High School and who Everly Hall is currently named after. During Everly's tenure, the name was changed from Teachers College to College of Education recognizing that it prepared school administrators, librarians and counselors.
When Everly reached mandatory retirement age in 1979, Andrew In was named dean. He resigned and retired in 1984. After brief periods of acting deans Peter Dunn-Rankin and Dan Blaine, John Dolly was selected as the new dean in 1986. Dolly resigned September 8th, 1995, and Charles Araki served as Interim Dean until the selection of Dr. Randy Hitz on May 4th, 1998. On April 19, 2006, Dr. Randy Hitz accepted a position at Portland State University in Oregon as Dean of the Graduate School of Education. Dr. Donald Young stepped in as Interim Dean until 2007. Then, in 2007, Dr. Christine K. Sorensen was hired and is now the current dean of the College of Education.
By Robert E. Potter, Emeritus Professor of Education
Updated in 2008 by Rebecca Meeder, MEd
