Dr. Deborah Zuercher and Ivy Yeung, Directors of the College of Education Master of Education in Curriculum Studies with Pacific STEM Focus Degree Program (PACMED), were presented with the Pacific Circle Consortium’s Arthur R. King Jr. Award for Curriculum Innovation on September 9, 2022 at the PCC Annual Meeting.

Established in 2010, the award is presented to a member(s) of the PCC for excellence and exceptional work in curriculum innovation in the Pacific. A founding member of the PCC, Art King exemplified the ideals of a liberal education based on the disciplines of knowledge through his contributions to curriculum innovation and education.

“We accepted this award on behalf of all of our PACMED Program candidates and staff,” Zuercher said. “PACMED shares in the Pacific Circle Consortium’s initiative to create international cooperation between educational research and development institutions in the Pacific Region through collaboratively produced curriculum materials, broader issues of policy development, and relevant educational research.”

The PACMED Program has made significant contributions to curriculum innovation in the Asia-Pacific region.. A collaborative, multicultural program, PACMED was created on the foundational United Nations Declaration of Rights of Indigenous Peoples (2007) that Pacific leaders are willing and able to solve Pacific problems.

“The ocean does not divide us; the ocean unites us,” Zuercher said. “There is solidarity and sovereignty in united place-based and culturally responsive Pacific education initiatives. This award recognizes that the PACMED Program is aligned with the UHM Strategic Plan to serve our neighbors in the Pacific.”