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A good higher education system can be used to help meet the needs of K-12 schools as well as those of the work force and overall economy. Civil Beat asked the three main candidates for governor about their visions for higher education in Hawaii.

The questions:

• Higher education: Do you have a plan to better prepare students to enter Hawaii’s work force and meet the state’s economic needs?

• Do you think the University of Hawaii System needs to be changed?

• What higher education initiatives would you launch as governor?

• What issue in higher education is most important today?


Of all the subjects on our questionnaire for the candidates, this one appears to have evoked the most lengthy and diverse responses from these candidates.

All three are interested in developing partnerships between the university system and the work force to ensure gainful employment for graduates and economic diversity for the state.

Democratic candidate Neil Abercrombie called higher ed Hawaii’s “most underutilized resource” and plans to integrate it into his economic plan. He said he would use technological resources to help the university system partner with existing businesses to diversify the state’s economy and encourage new businesses.

Republican candidate James “Duke” Aiona supports vocational programs for high school and college students to help get them into the work force quickly. He also favors attracting world-class scholars to the University of Hawaii‘s programs and promoting advanced course options for K-12 students so they are better prepared for college.

Democrat Mufi Hannemann, like Abercrombie, champions collaboration between the university system and both the public and private work force. He supports continuing programs that currently work (e.g., the Hawaii P-20 Initiative) and expresses a goal to provide local students with profitable jobs so they can stay in Hawaii. He also mentions helping the Hawaii Department of Education partner with the UH College of Education to equip K-12 teachers who will ensure their students are learning.

Read their ideas in more detail below.

Neil Abercrombie

I believe our higher education is our most underutilized resource in Hawaii. Higher education needs to be integrated in our economic strategy.

In my technology plan, I proposed better integrating the university system with business to drive economic diversification. Under this plan, there will be closer collaboration with the private sector to help leverage millions in federally-funded research and development activity into products and services that can seed world-class technology companies in Hawaii that will stay in Hawaii.

I am supportive of the UH president’s vision for the university system. This has to be part of a unified effort with the rest of state government and integrated with the state’s economic plan.

James “Duke” Aiona

We must continue to strive for a world-class higher education system.
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After all, a quality higher education system is critical to ensuring Hawaii can attract and retain a work force based on knowledge and innovation.

I strongly support the creation of opportunities for students to enter the work force promptly through state-of-the-art vocational education programs on high school and college campuses. Community colleges would be partners so that vocational students can receive advanced placement courses similar to college prep students.

In addition, by supporting and expanding the International Baccalaureate program and the Advanced Placement program in public schools, I will ensure that our public school graduates are academically prepared for college and competitive with their peers nationally and internationally.

As Governor, I will work with the University to attract top national and international scholars, including in key fields such as astronomy, medicine, marine biology, hospitality and travel management, and business administration. World-renowned professors can increase the academic and research stature of the University and ensure Hawaii’s students have the opportunity to learn from the best.

I am committed to improving the vital role of our universities and community colleges. I will ensure that the University of Hawaii system maintains academic and operational autonomy.
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I support the growth of virtual learning options that allow our students to take college-level classes offered online and receive academic credit. I would also expand the Music Education Learning Experience to spotlight and promote our rich tradition of Hawaiian musical talent.

Mufi Hannemann

As governor, I would champion collaboration between the university’s 10 campuses and the state’s work force (in both government and private sector) to ensure that the university’s programs and curricula are preparing our students for good jobs, and these entities are working together to place students in employment upon graduation. Through cooperation and collaboration, I believe we can improve the link between education and careers and make Hawaii a place where local students can get good jobs that allow them to stay in Hawaii and make a decent living.

I recognize the UH’s continued effort to be autonomous and believe the UH president is in the best position to guide the institution with the governor in support of those efforts. Further, the state needs to continue its support for on-going programs, like the P-20 Initiative that is building a pipeline of quality education from pre-K through college.ÌýI would also engage in and support the initiatives President Greenwood set out last year, especially those that look to increase the university’s role in Hawaii’s economic development, like her Tech Transfer Council.ÌýI would like to see greater collaboration among the DOE and the University of Hawaii to ensure that the College of Education curriculum best prepares prospective teachers to take charge of their classes and ensure their students are learning.



At the city, we instituted the Pookela Fellowship program, which gave university students the opportunity to gain valuable work experience within various city departments. ÌýThe fellows were paid a stipend, gained work experience, and were encouraged to consider a career in public service.ÌýSeveral of the fellows were hired by the city upon graduation.ÌýI would like to replicate that program at the state level. Last year, the Vice Chancellor of Academic Affairs at the University of Hawaii at Manoa began a legislative internship program, but the governor’s office did not participate. I would like to work with the university to include the governor and lieutenant governor’s offices in this program. 
I would also like to work with UH to create programs that would allow people to gain credit hours for work experience. I believe that as college degrees and technical certifications become more important to wages and promotion opportunities, we need to ensure that our existing work force members have the opportunity to earn the degrees and certifications they need to move forward in their careers.

The two most important issues in higher education today are college readiness and job placement. First, our incoming freshmen need to be college ready. Remediation should not be necessary.ÌýWe need to make sure that we are not simply passing along unfinished academic business from high school to college; we need to make sure they walk in the door the first day of college with all the skills they need to begin a rigorous educational experience and be able to graduate in four years. 
The second critical issue is job placement. It is not enough to simply focus on retention and graduation. While these things are important, it is equally important our students progress through college confident that there will be a good job waiting for them on graduation day. Students should approach graduation with a sense of excitement, not dread.