Maui Community College receives $2.5 million grant to strengthen goals of its strategic plan

Maui College
Contact:
Lui Hokoana, (808) 984-3553
Maui Community College
Arlene Abiang, (808) 956-5637
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: Nov 18, 2005

KAHULUI, Hawaiʻi - Maui Community College has received a federal Title III Part A grant for $2.5 million from the U.S. Department of Education to initiate three activities that will meet the goals of its strategic plan. The five-year Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions Program grant is given to higher education institutions to become self-sufficient by providing funds to improve and strengthen their academic quality, institutional management and fiscal stability.

"The Title III grant will provide Maui Community College with the necessary resources that will build new and enhance existing programs," said Maui CC Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto. "The focus on a Native Hawaiian strategy and leadership will especially accommodate the needs of our Native Hawaiians and potentially benefit all of our students."

"I am excited about this new grant, its alignment to Maui CC‘s strategic plan and the implications it will have on student success," added Lui K. Hokoana, Maui CC‘s Interim Title III director.

One of the objectives of the Title III grant will be to strengthen the crucial role that the College performs for the indigenous people and general population of Maui County by actively preserving and perpetuating Hawaiian culture, language, and values. To meet this goal, twenty new Hawaiian studies courses will be developed to create leadership opportunities for faculty by Fall 2006.

The grant will also seek to achieve a shared institutional culture that makes student learning and success the responsibility of all. A Title III counselor will develop freshmen cohorts, freshmen experience activities, learning communities, and mentoring opportunities for students aimed at increasing success of program participants. If the program is successful, it will be replicated for the entire campus. Trials of these various activities will be conducted in Fall 2006.

Additionally, the grant will support the county and state economy, workforce development, and improve access to lifetime education by building partnerships within the UH system, and with other public and private educational, governmental, and business institutions. Over the last five years, there has been a shortage of teachers throughout Maui county and the state. To meet this workforce shortfall, Maui CC will establish an Associate Degree in Education in which all course work for the degree will be designed to be taught over the Internet, increasing access to the program in rural areas. Officials hope to have the program in place by Fall 2007.

About Maui Community College

Maui Community College is one of seven community colleges in the University of Hawaiʻi System. The College serves the educational needs of residents on Maui, Molokai, and Lanai islands. Classes are delivered on-site at the main campus in Kahului, Maui and at outreach educational centers on the three islands and statewide by TV and the Internet.

The College provides Associate degrees in Liberal Arts and Associate degrees and certificates in Career and Technical Education programs. Non-credit classes meet the special needs of the workforce and the community. The University of Hawaiʻi Center, Maui, located on the MCC campus, delivers bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Hawaiʻi baccalaureate institutions at Mānoa, Hilo, and West Oʻahu.

About the University of Hawaiʻi

Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state‘s sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.