With the theme The Power to Make a Difference, the Brigham Young University Hawaii President's Council thanked the faculty and staff ohana [family] who filled the McKay Auditorium on August 20 for past achievements and reviewed the changes and initiatives in the coming school year.
BYU-Hawaii President, Steven C. Wheelwright, [started by crediting the faculty and staff for their work on the recent Western Association of Colleges & Schools (WASC) 10-year accreditation. "Thank you all for all that you did to make this possible, and for the blessing that it continues to be for all of us here."
"I would especially like to thank you for your desire to work, teach and learn with inspiration," he said. "We've had plenty of challenges this past year, but we've also had great blessings, and I'm thankful for that."
President Wheelwright emphasized that the mission of BYU-Hawaii is student-focused, with the dual objectives of integrating spiritual and secular learning, and preparing "students with character and integrity so that they will provide the leadership that will be needed in their home, community and profession, and in building the Kingdom of God."
In reporting on initiatives launched a year ago, President Wheelwright [pictured at right] said, "We are building on our heritage, focusing on our students, and better utilizing sacred resources." For example:
- Inviting the Spirit by starting all of our meetings and classes with prayer: "I can tell you that the students noticed immediately," he said.
- Upgrading student employment on campus and at the Polynesian Cultural Center: "We believe that as we raise the standards...they will be better prepared for a lifetime of service and work in the Kingdom, because they'll know how to take responsibility, be held accountable, deliver results and really make a difference to the people they work with and the organizations around them."
- Strengthening the Honor Code and making the ecclesiastical standards for admission equivalent to missionary requirements: The Honor Code "is an important element of the learning that goes on across this campus," President Wheelwright said. He also noted a new online application form would go into effect on October 16, with instructions in all of the primary target area languages for the benefit of local Church leaders.
- He recognized the work of the Design Team in drafting the reorganization plan for the university.
- "The planning and implementation of the new year-round calendar is well along," he continued.
- "We've been working closely with HRI [Hawaii Reserves, Inc.], architects, and people in our own ohana to develop a long-range plan for the campus and additional housing."
- "Finally, we've been making great progress with distance learning."
"Our charge from prophets and apostles is to bless the lives of our students and to prepare them for a great future," President Wheelwright said. "I'm grateful that we have the opportunity to follow our inspired leaders and to work together to carry out the mission of the university."
Academics
Dr. Max L. Checketts, Vice President of Academics [pictured at right], next reported that a recommendation for reorganizing the university into four colleges with their respective deans, has been submitted to the Executive Committee and Board of Trustees. Their decision would be announced as soon as it's available.
To better visualize strategic planning, Checketts has developed a "pineapple pillar" model. "The pineapple references Hawaii," he explained, and lists the three imperatives (as shown in the logo above) along with eight focus areas:
- Faculty contracts, which must be adjusted in relation to the upcoming new academic calendar.
- The new year-round academic calendar, which will take effect in 2009.
- Curriculum management: The BYUH catalog contains about 2,100 course listings, but "we can probably handle between 600-700 on this campus, so we have some work to do."
- Distance learning, with three initial objectives: Improve the preparation of students before they arrive on campus; develop an online minor in business; and make about 20 percent of coursework available online to on-campus students.
- More multi-use instructional facilities, as well as renovation of older facilities.
- Housing: "We need to not only get more, we need to improve the existing housing for our students," he said.
- Three additional degrees: A bachelor's in university studies, and associate degrees in general studies and business.
- Teaching traction: "We need to focus about 90 percent of our faculty efforts toward the responsibility to teach, to help bless the lives of the young people."
Student Development and Services
Debbie Hippolite Wright, Vice President of Student Development and Services [pictured at right] noted changes and initiatives under her new division include:
- Student Work, Career and Alumni Services have been merged into one department led by Kimbrelyn Austin.
- Counseling and International Student Services will be consolidated over the next two months.
- Food Services, led by David Keala is a new addition to the division.
- The Housing and Residential Life Department, another new addition, has developed a quick-response team to handle all complaints within 12 hours.
- Student Leadership and the Honor Code office have been consolidated under David Lucero. "We are looking at a graduated response to Honor Code violations," Hippolite Wright said, "to help make the consequences for certain behaviors explicit." She added focus groups conducted by student leadership show that their peers "wish that staff and faculty would enforce the Honor Code more, that there were clear expectations."
Administrative Services
Michael B. Bliss, Vice President of Administrative Services [pictured at left], pointed out his area, with over 40 percent of BYUH employees, is "an auxiliary to the main purpose of the university." He added that "over the past six years we have cut hundreds of thousands of dollars out of our budget." Other changes include:
- The Financial Aid office has merged into Financial Services. "The improvement from the student standpoint will be significant," Bliss said.
- He noted the successful implementation of the campus-wide PeopleSoft™ enterprise resource planning (ERP) software system in both Financial Services and Human Resources.
- The new Campus Safety and Risk Management area combines those two functions administratively, with a new director and two assistants to be named soon.
- Student Insurance has been combined with Student Health Services. "This means the students have one less step to go through when they're registering," he said.
- Human Resources now takes care of all the paperwork for students who work at the Polynesian Cultural Center, and "the front end of student employment has been moved" into the Student Development division. "The processing and paperwork still remains with Human Resources," Bliss said.
- Scheduling has moved from Physical Plant into Admissions.
- "Some of the maintenance and custodial people from Housing have been moved into the Physical Plant area," Bliss continued.
- The Purchasing and Travel office has moved its location within the Snow Administration Building.
Assistant to the President
William G. Neal, Assistant to the President [pictured at right], has assumed several new responsibilities as part of the reorganization, including:
- The creative Internet communications, editorial, photography and graphics functions in University Relations previously overseen by Napua Baker, who retired at the end of June; Duane Roberts serves as the director over these areas.
- Special events and VIP hosting, coordinated by Lila Magalei.
- "The Campus News Center, headed by LeeAnn Lambert, has also been moved into our area," Neal said.
- "Media development was moved to the VP for Technology (Jim Nilson), although we'll remain one of their biggest customers."
Neal will also continue to oversee testing and assessment, directed by Paul Freebairn, Institutional Research with Kathy Pulotu, and the work with missionaries and volunteers on campus.
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In concluding the reports, President Wheelwright quoted from a recent address by Elder M. Russell Ballard of the Quorum of the Twelve when he said the vision BYU-Hawaii's role in Asia and the Pacific "is far beyond what perhaps any of us will be able to see when we see them as struggling students... You need to start looking at these students who come from these far-off parts of the world, not as students but as Relief Society presidents, Elder's quorum presidents, high councilors, bishops and stake presidents.... Developing these leaders is one of the great destinies and responsibilities of BYU-Hawaii."
He also quoted President Henry B. Eyring, who last November on campus said, "Success at this university will be realized as young people gain greater power to make the world better for others."
CES Commissioner Elder Paul V. Johnson
Elder Johnson, a member of the First Quorum of the Seventy, spoke of the many changes which have taken place both in the CES and at BYU-Hawaii since he last visited the campus before spending a year in the Chile Area Presidency.
Reflecting on the recent change in the First Presidency, for example, Elder Johnson said, "I thought about how the Lord governs His Kingdom by raising up people who are needed at certain times. They focus their gifts and talents to accomplish what needs to happen in His Kingdom."
"President [Thomas S.] Monson has been raised up for this time. I don't know all the things he will accomplish, but the Lord has brought him there at this particular time. When we look back through history, it's always been that way."
"I loved [former BYUH President] Eric Shumway and all of the wonderful things that happened here because of him and his service; and now it's President Wheelwright — a person whom the Lord has raised up, with a certain set of talents and abilities to help further the work on this campus, and by extension the work of the Lord and His Kingdom in the Pacific and in Asia."
"I'm grateful for each of you, for your dedication and service," Elder Johnson said. "There's something special about Church educational people, and I love you. I love the missionaries who are dedicating their time and effort, in the end for these young people who come here — ...the future of the Kingdom and the world."
— Photos by Monique Saenz
:: A longer version of this article can be read in the August-September 2008 Alumni eNewsletter...