Last year, Associate Professor of Mathematics Education Linda Furuto was asked by President Lassner and Nainoa Thompson to be the UH System representative for the Worldwide Voyage (WWV) as part of the larger Polynesian Voyaging Society (PVS) Education Hui. Along with the Hawai‘i State DOE, Punahou School, ʻIolani School, Kamehameha Schools, Mid-Pacific Institute, Chaminade University, Hawai‘i Pacific University, charter schools, ʻOhana Waʻa, and others, the PVS Education Hui has been working to strategically align the missions, visions, and values of statewide P–20 educational institutions with the WWV.
On December 4, 2015, the UH System convened for the first time at College Hill in Mānoa Valley to discuss the voyage and the UH System’s contributions moving forward. They met again on February 12, 2016 at UH Hilo to refine focus areas; develop action plans for project ideas; connect the voyage to ongoing work; and strengthen current UH System initiatives in STEM, sustainability, and becoming a model indigenous-serving institution. Visit UH Hilo Stories to read more and view a photo gallery.
This land wa‘a endeavor, led by President Lassner, covers all 10 campuses with attendance from almost half of the university and community college chancellors. College of Education (COE) participants include Dean Don Young, Curriculum Studies Chair Andrea Bartlett, STE Secondary Chair Tara O’Neill, Professor Pauline Chinn, and Associate Professor Patricia Halagao. O’Neill serves as the COE representative for the WWV.
Last month, UH students, faculty, staff, alumni, and the Board of Regents went sailing on Hawai‘iloa with the support of Friends of Hōkūle‘a and Hawai‘iloa. Asked about his experience, Regent Stanford Yuen said, “I have always had great respect for this work over the decades. Even though I’ve spent a significant amount of time on the water with the Navy, today was special and unlike anything I have ever experienced. Based on interactions with UH students, faculty, staff, and alumni, I will be able to make much more informed decisions as they pertain to UH and the State of Hawai‘i.”
For more of what’s happening at sea, read the latest Hōkūle‘a update.
