Rose Tseng, chancellor at the University of Hawaii at Hilo, says she’s got plenty of things on her to-do list before she steps down from her current position in December 2009. Since Tseng became chancellor in 1998, outside grants for scientific research at UHH have increased from $3 million a year to about $20 million. - Photos By William Ing/Hawaii Tribune-Herald

UHH chancellor Tseng has projects to finish before departing post

by John Burnett
Tribune-Herald Staff Writer

Published: Monday, July 28, 2008 9:15 AM HST

It’s been nearly two months since Rose Tseng informed the University of Hawaii regents that she would step down as chancellor of UH-Hilo in December 2009.

Tseng, who has presided over a decade of unprecedented growth at UHH, talked to the Tribune-Herald last week, discussing her plans and hopes for the 17 months she has remaining in the school’s top spot. Attired in a tasteful black dress and long-sleeved red jacket and impeccably coiffed in her trademark semi-wedge, Tseng radiated the energy of a woman half her age and carried herself like the long-time institutional CEO she is.

“Whatever you do, please don’t describe me as a lame duck,” said Tseng, who is in her mid-60s. “I’m too young and there’s too much still to be done.”

Tseng said she gave the regents more than a year-and-a-half notice “so they can take their time and find a good permanent replacement,” adding that she will probably not have a role in the search for her successor. She’ll take a sabbatical for the entire 2010 calendar year, then return to UH-Hilo in a still-to-be-determined capacity for two years before retiring.

“I was a (United Nations) consultant,” she said. “I could use my international connections for the university. I could do fundraising. I’m very big on grants, getting foundation money — and I would have more free time to do that. I could do (technological consulting). I have a lot of connections in Silicon Valley. … There are a lot of possibilities. Then, there’s teaching. There’s nothing wrong with that. I love to teach, too. There are just too many options (laughs). … There are still 21/2 years before I have to decide.

“There’s also what the new chancellor wants, how he or she thinks I can best help.”

If Tseng returns to the lecture hall or the lab — which seems unlikely — she is a full professor with a Ph.D. in nutritional science who minored in biochemistry and physiology. She has spoken extensively on leadership and said it’s possible she could teach leadership at the school’s College of Business and Economics.

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In yesterday’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald:

The University of Hawaii at Hilo will use a $2 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to build a campus resource center for Pacific Islanders.

The two-year project will turn a third-floor Campus Center lanai into an enclosed 2,700-square-foot facility where multicultural training and workshops can be conducted. The Center for Pacific Islander Education and Retention will also house a library of cultural education material, with an overall aim of increasing success and retention of the university’s approximately 200 Pacific Islander students.

Students will be able to use the center for peer mentoring, tutoring, networking or to relax.

“We seemed to be lacking a gathering place for these students to call their own, and where visiting scholars and performers can use the space — something less stuffy than a classroom,” said Jim Mellon, UH-Hilo’s director of student development.

The lanai being eyed for the space has been under-used and isn’t a functional space, Mellon said. The grant specified that the money must be used to renovate an existing facility. But it does also allow $10,000 to be used on art, Mellon said.

“I think there’s room in the grant to furnish the place, buy some electronic equipment and some art to put on the wall,” Mellon said.

The project is in line with UHH goals of bolstering the study of Hawaiian, Pacific Islander and indigenous cultures and a system-wide goal of being a “training hub of Oceania,” Mellon said.

“One of the things that our graduates say is that they learned a lot about people from other parts of the world,” Mellon said. “I would envision this as a place for all students.”

Congresswoman Mazie Hirono announced the first installment of the two-year grant on Monday. Planning and design will begin in the fall, with the center opening in 2010.

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In yesterday’s Honolulu Advertiser:

Congresswoman Mazie K. Hirono (D-Hawai’i) has announced that a $682,982 U.S. Department of Education grant has been presented to the Native Hawaiian-Serving Institutions Program at the University of Hawai’i at Hilo.

The money will be used for the planning and design of the proposed Center for Pacific Islander Education and Retention, according to a news release from Hirono’s office. The University of Hawai’i at Hilo will renovate an existing campus facility to establish the center.

It will be used for peer monitoring, tutoring and learning communities; for multicultural training and workshops; and for a library of relevant education, leadership, and cultural materials and resources — all in an effort to increase Pacific Islander student success and retention, according to the news release.

The total cost of the two-year project is $1,994,557. The bulk of the cost is for the the actual conversion and renovation of the campus facility to create the center.

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Farrah-Marie Gomes has been named director at UH Hilo’s North Hawai‘i Education and Research Center in Honoka‘a.

Gomes has been interim director at the center since January 2006, presiding over a period of rapid growth for the educational outreach facility, which offers credit and non-credit courses from UH Hilo and Hawai‘i Community College. The center also serves as a community meeting place.

“People in North Hawai‘i have been waiting for the educational service that NHERC provides for a long time,” said Gomes, a Pa‘auilo native who lives in Waimea. “The rising price of fuel plus the distance to Hilo have made our mission to bring higher education to North Hawai‘i even more important.”

The University of Hawai‘i at Hilo College of Pharmacy was recently awarded Candidate Accreditation Status during the June Executive Board Meeting of the American Council on Pharmaceutical Education (ACPE). Dean John Pezzuto said this is an important step that will help the one-year-old program address a nationwide shortage of pharmacists.

“This second phase in the accreditation process is a critical milestone that takes the College of Pharmacy to the next level, and we are very pleased,” Pezzuto said. “As the first and only pharmacy school in the Pacific Basin from Samoa to Guam to Alaska, we fill a significant gap that provides opportunities for Pacific Islanders to earn their Doctor of Pharmacy degrees locally. This makes it more likely they will stay to serve the community and hospital pharmacy needs of the islands.”

ACPE accredits all pharmacy programs in the U.S. through a three-step process: pre candidate status for programs that haven’t enrolled students, awarded to UH Hilo in June 2007; candidate status, awarded to a program with students enrolled pending graduating its first class; and full accreditation, for which UH Hilo is on track and eligible in May 2011 when the first group of Pharm D. students will graduate.

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Letter to the Editor in today’s Hawaii Tribune-Herald:

‘Imiloa Is The Best

My wife and I recently spent two weeks on the Big Island, usually in the Hilo area, visiting with family and friends. I made my usual pilgrimage to the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center, and wanted to express my enthusiasm and appreciation for the exhibits and for the work of ‘Imiloa’s staff.

Quite simply, ‘Imiloa is one of the crown jewels of the Big Island. The quality of the material at ‘Imiloa is very much the equal of anything done by the Smithsonian Institution at the National Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. Air and Space is much larger than ‘Imiloa, of course, but in terms of quality, ‘Imiloa is easily the equal of its larger counterpart.

Especially gratifying is the way in which ‘Imiloa seamlessly blends the indigenous mythology of Hawaii with the contemporary insights of astronomy and cosmology, and does so in such a way as to enhance one’s respect for both. Perhaps best of all, though, ‘Imiloa does not “talk down” to visitors. Many of the “hands-on” exhibits range from challenging to downright difficult, especially those concerned with simulating how astronomers set up observations on the Mauna Kea telescopes. I spent well over an hour setting up a simulation of the Gemini telescope for an observation of the Crab Nebula — and finally getting the hang of it!

As a former amateur astronomer and as someone who has a master’s degree in physics with an astrophysics emphasis, I think that an educated layperson willing to invest the time at ‘Imiloa could come away with at least an “101″-level education in astronomy. The day I was there, I only left because my wife and in-laws were waiting dinner on me.

I urge folks in Hilo to not be like people in Philadelphia — I have met several — who have never seen the Liberty Bell. Become ‘Imiloa patrons and discover the stars!

James R. Cowles

Kent, Wash.

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Here’s a web cam shot taken this afternoon at the construction site of UH Hilo’s new Student Life Center. At the forefront here is the Olympic-size swimming pool. Located at the athletics complex, facilities also will provide students with a wide range of health, fitness and recreational activities including exercise and weight rooms, classrooms and a café.

New director of the center Tim Moore took the helm in June.

“UH Hilo’s commitment to becoming a premier residential campus is evident with the construction of the new Student Life Center,” he says. “I’m honored to have been selected for this position, and look forward to fulfilling the center’s vision of creating a comprehensive and thriving recreation program that will become the focal point of an involved and connected campus community.”

Link to cam.

Longtime Hilo residents Jim and Anne Sadayasu always intended to give back to UH Hilo, where they started their college careers in the early 1960s. But first they needed to put their three sons through undergraduate and graduate school on the mainland and the UH Manoa Law School. When they read recently about the UH Centennial Campaign and UH Hilo’s goal to increase the size of its endowment, they knew the time was right.

The Sadayasus stepped forward in May with a $50,000 donation to UH Hilo, inspired by the example of Barry Taniguchi of KTA Super Stores and Larry Isemoto of Isemoto Contracting, each of whom earlier donated $50,000 to fund endowments to support the recruitment and retention of faculty at the university. The gift will support two $25,000 endowed faculty funds at the College of Arts and Sciences and the College of Business and Economics.

“The Sadayasu family wishes to thank the people of the Big Island for their support throughout the years,” they said at a recent gift acceptance ceremony.

“We in turn are indebted to the Sadayasu family for a gift that will help us attract and retain the highest caliber faculty members, while building UH Hilo’s reputation as a top quality educational destination,” said Chancellor Rose Tseng.

Chancellor Tseng gave a talk last week on “Higher Education’s Role in Addressing Women and Aging” to the Organizing Committee for the 4th World Women University Presidents Forum. The international forum will be held in Beijing in 2009. Chancellor Tseng is the United States representative on the committee, which met at Josai University in Japan, June 3-6, to discuss higher education issues and plan for the forum. Below are her remarks on higher ed’s role in addressing women & aging.

The 3rd World Women University Presidents Forum (at left) was held in Beijing in 2006. More than 100 women university presidents from 34 countries and regions attended. Chancellor Tseng currently represents the United States on the committee organizing the 4th World Women University Presidents Forum to be held in Beijing in 2009. Xinhua Photo. Link

University of Hawai‘i at Hilo Chancellor Rose Tseng’s Remarks

“Higher Education’s Role in Addressing Women and Aging”

Organizing Committee for the 4th World Women University Presidents 2009 Forum

June 4, 2008

Japan

Aloha! Thank you for inviting me to speak to you today.

I’ve been asked to talk to you about the role of higher education in addressing the problems of women and aging.

I’m not a sociologist, but I do have experience in starting gerontology programs– I understand the importance.

I also consulted with colleagues who are experts in gerontology, and they helped me to put together some data for you about women and aging in America and the state of Hawai‘i.

Today’s Talk on Women & Aging

Today I’d like to share with you:

• Trends and projections about women and aging in the United States and Hawai‘i.
• Some ideas about how universities can help older women improve their quality of life, with examples about programs and research at UH Hilo.
• And I will conclude with some ideas about how we, as women leaders, can help address the problem of women and aging.

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Sunday, June 8, 2008

Our View

Thorns and all, we love Rose

The University of Hawaii at Hilo will lose its best-ever chancellor next year.

Rose Tseng, a tireless champion of UHH, will step down in December 2009 after 11 years at the helm. It will be a loss for the university and for Hilo.

Under Tseng’s bulldog leadership, UHH blossomed from a small, unappreciated satellite school into a respected liberal arts institution.

During her tenure, enrollment grew 34 percent, research and grant funding soared, and new degree programs were created. In addition, UHH added several impressive facilities — including the University Classroom Building, the ‘Imiloa Astronomy Center and the just-finished Student Life Center.

But most importantly, Tseng helped drag UHH out from under the oppressive thumb of UH-Manoa by being a unrelenting advocate for Hilo. She made it clear from Day One that UHH didn’t need to be the red-headed stepchild of the University of Hawaii system, and she conveyed that message with the determination and stubbornness that became her trademarks.

Strong leaders often draw fire, of course, and Tseng’s approach wasn’t always appreciated. She had her share of detractors in Honolulu, where she frequently stole headlines and attention from the larger school.

Even in Hilo town, Tseng was sometimes criticized for being outspoken and pushy, and some professors and staff quietly questioned her administrative skills.

While those criticisms might contain some truth, we wouldn’t change a thing. In Tseng, UHH got exactly what it needed: a tireless leader with the ability to get things done.

In fact, Tseng delivered on the top priorities she identified early in her tenure.

In a column published in this newspaper in 1999, she said UHH needed to improve in three areas if it hoped to escape the shadow of Manoa: image, enrollment and infrastructure.

At the time, she said shortcomings in all three areas were barriers to UHH’s success, and she made it a goal to bolster all three. A decade later, the university’s image, enrollment and infrastructure have — without question — dramatically improved under Tseng.

For all her success, however, Tseng has had her share of disappointments. Although enrollment has grown steadily since she became chancellor, UHH failed in 2007 to reach its longtime goal of 5,000 students. And the U.S.-China Center — a cornerstone project of her administration — spent a decade in limbo before finally moving forward this year.

That said, Tseng’s legacy will still be outstanding, and the next chancellor — whomever it is — will have mighty big shoes to fill.

“A rose is a rose is a rose,” author Gertrude Stein famously wrote. Not so, in this case.

This Rose is one in a million, and she will be missed.

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