(BIVN) – During a recent meeting in Hilo, the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents approved new six-year strategic plan for the 10-campus UH system.

The University says the UH System Strategic Plan 2023–2029 – Hawaiʻi’s University for Today and Tomorrow “will guide the state’s only public higher education system and includes vision and mission statements, foundational principles and four imperatives with metrics to measure success.” The Regents took the vote during a November 17th meeting held at the UH Hilo Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.

The plan includes a set of “imperatives”:

• Fulfill kuleana (responsibility) to Hawaiians and Hawai‘i
• Promote successful students for a better future
• Meet Hawaiʻi workforce needs of today and tomorrow
• Diversify Hawaiʻi’s economy through UH innovation and research

“This is a roadmap to getting our institution where it should be,” said UH Regent Alapaki Nahale-a in a news release. “Is it aspirational, and at the same time, does it outline the right issues that will take us to our aspirations? I think that we have accomplished that. I feel confident that if we follow this roadmap we will be a better institution progressively, year after year.”

The plan is based on feedback gathered during meetings and town halls from students, faculty, staff, and the community. According to the University, the plan contains the following:

Vision statement:

“The University of Hawaiʻi is the world’s premiere integrated higher education system, advancing the quality of life for all the people of Hawaiʻi through robust educational offerings and world-class discovery while modeling how institutions must embrace responsibilities to Indigenous people and place in the 21st century.”

Mission Statement:

“With a focus on creating a healthy and thriving future for all, the University of Hawaiʻi provides broad educational opportunity for all as the higher education destination of choice in the Pacific that nurtures the personal success, leadership capacity and positive engagement of every resident of Hawaiʻi. It engages in world-class research, scholarship and service that promotes the welfare and sustainability of Hawai‘i’s people and environment while achieving global impact by enriching the fundamental knowledge of humankind. Woven through all it does is an appreciation of and commitment to Indigenous Hawaiian people, culture, values and wisdom.”

Foundational principles:

Hawaiian Place of Learning

UH champions the principles of aloha, caring for people and place, as we integrate Hawaiian language, culture, history and values across the institution and its work.

Statewide Need

The UH System’s primary responsibility as the only public provider of post-secondary education is to support the needs of the state of Hawaiʻi.

Diversity and Equity

UH System upholds its commitment to provide higher education opportunities for all, especially those historically underrepresented including Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander, Filipino, economically disadvantaged, first generation, LGBTQ+, rural and students with disabilities—as well as continue to diversify its faculty, staff and leadership.

Sustainability

UH recognizes its responsibility to the ʻāina through its own practices, through education, and by developing solutions to the complex global challenges of climate change, sustainability and resilience.

Stewardship of Resources

Including facilities, processes and human resources—UH will align institutional resources with the goals of the strategic plan.