Hawaiʻi Community College embraces the concept of Kauhale that traditionally means the Hawaiian village. Kauhale is an ʻohana of administrators, faculty, staff, students, their families, and the Hawaiʻi Island community that contributes measurably to the success of our college's mission and outcomes. Kauhale maximizes the "community" in our mission through dialogue, planning, innovation, and assessment across traditional college divisions and units. Kauhale enables all members of the college ʻohana to recognize and celebrate our own individual skills, knowledge, and experiences as well as the skills, knowledge, and experiences of others. Kauhale unites all components of Hawaiʻi Community College into an "academic village without walls" for the overall success of our learners, the learners’ communities and their families, in the spirit of E ‘Imi Pono (seeking excellence).
Mission
Hawaiʻi Community College (HawaiiCC) promotes student learning by embracing our unique Hawaiʻi Island culture and inspiring growth in the spirit of "E ʻImi Pono." Aligned with the UH Community Colleges system’s mission, we are committed to serving all segments of our Hawaiʻi Island community.
Vision
To promote student learning, Hawaiʻi Community College will emphasize the knowledge and experience necessary for students to pursue academic achievement. As lifelong learners, the students will become productive and engaged citizens capable of meeting the complex challenges of a global community.
Institutional Learning Outcomes
- Our graduates will be able to communicate effectively in a variety of situations.
- Our graduates will be able to gather, evaluate and analyze ideas and information to use in overcoming challenges, solving problems and making decisions.
- Our graduates will develop the knowledge, skills and values to make contributions to our community in a manner that respects diversity and Hawaiian culture.
A Rich Legacy
Hawaiʻi Community College will be celebrating its 70th anniversary in 2011. From its start in 1941 as the Hawaiʻi Vocational School, the College has provided access to higher education opportunities, trained a skilled workforce and supported economic development of the County. With the advancement in technology and expansion of educational opportunities into broader fields of technical training, the institution was renamed the Hawaiʻi Technical School in 1956.
In May 1970, the institution joined the University of Hawaiʻi as a comprehensive community college with the name Hawaiʻi Community College. Other significant developments for the College were the offering of college degree classes in Kona beginning in 1982, and the establishment of the continuing education programs throughout the island of Hawaiʻi in 1992.
Community Involvement
Community partnerships and collaboration are central to the mission of the College. To keep curricula and requirements current and relevant, the College has invited community leaders in business, industry, and the professions to serve as advisers to provide guidance regarding course content, selection of training equipment, employment needs, and the effectiveness of different programs.
Program advisory councils are formed for each degree program. In addition, the Chancellor of the campus seeks advice from community and business leaders on ways the College can assist in development for the community. Members of these advisory groups are listed throughout the catalog.
Accreditation
Hawaiʻi Community College is fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges. A comprehensive review is conducted every six years, with the most recent review being completed in Academic Year 2006-2007. The reviewers commended the faculty and staff for their dedication, and noted that they go beyond their normal roles in trying to make Hawaiʻi Community College viable and responsive to the students and the community.
In addition to the College’s overall accreditation, there are other specialty accreditations for certain programs:
| Program | Accrediting Organization |
|---|---|
| ECE/Children’s Center | • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) |
| Culinary Arts | • American Culinary Federation Foundation, Inc Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC) |
| Intensive English | • Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA) |
| Nursing & Allied Health | • National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission, Inc. (NLNAC) |
The Hawaiʻi Community College Learning Experience
The uniqueness of the Hawaiʻi CC experience is the focus on four complementary elements that frame the learning climate: Community work-based learning; using and learning Technology; perpetuation of Hawaiian culture; and caring for the Environment.
The College has a rich history of work-based learning, from he award-winning Model Home project where the construction trades programs design and build a house, to working on customer jobs, and including a wide range of internships, service learning and volunteer work. Students in every discipline have opportunities to apply what they have learned in the classroom, and give back to the community.
Technology is interwoven into nearly every aspect of the College and is used to support distance learning utilizing the Internet or videoconferencing. Technology supports classroom instruction such as the use of global positioning systems (GPS) in Agroforestry, computer assisted design (CAD) in the Architectural/Engineering/CAD Technologies Program, and in certificate and degree programs such as Information Technology and CISCO networking.
The College has made a commitment to become the center for the study of Hawaiian culture, with an emphasis on the practice, perpetuation, and evolution of the culture. This includes an Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Life Styles, and an Associate in Applied Science degree which is being delivered in Hilo, Waimea, and Kona.
An Associate in Science Degree and certificate program in Tropical Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management is a key component of our focus on caring for the Environment. The College also supports an Academic Subject Certificate in Environmental Studies and has numerous projects on campus to reflect our commitment to the natural environment.
Learning by doing through community work-based learning and expanding the classroom through the use of technology, spiced with the unique Hawaiʻi Island environment and the uniqueness of Hawaiian culture, equals the Hawaiʻi Community College Learning Experience.
HawaiiCC Degrees & Certificates
Download the current complete list of degrees & certificates or the entire college catalog in PDF format.