Two-dozen faculty, staff and student mentors from Hawaiʻi Community College, Kauaʻi Community College and Kapiʻolani Community College traveled to the Salish coast of Washington June 25–July 2 as part of the Hawaiʻi Pāmaomao Indigenous Exchange Program.

“Visiting with other Indigenous communities reminds us that while every nation has its own histories, stories, worldviews and ways of life, those relationships deepen our understanding of our own kuleana (responsibility),” said Drew Kapp, a Hawaiʻi Community College associate professor of geography.

The University of Hawaiʻi is inviting nominations and self-nominations for the position of interim chancellor to lead Hawaiʻi Community College during the national search for a permanent chancellor. This follows the retirement of Chancellor Susan Kazama on July 31 after more than 40 years of service to the University of Hawaiʻi.

For more than three decades, Richard Stevens has been an educator, mentor and environmental steward, inspiring generations of students at Hawaiʻi Community College–Pālamanui.

Now, the beloved professor is sharing the deeply personal tales that shaped his life in his new book, Storyland.

The Japanese Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hawaiʻi (JCCIH) recently presented Hawaiʻi Community College with a $20,000 donation raised through its annual Taste of Hilo fundraiser, providing expanded support for student scholarships and initiatives across the college.

Beginning this fall, Hawaiʻi Community College’s Kō Education Center in Honokaʻa will offer a new pathway for North Hawaiʻi students to begin college close to home through the “First Year Here at Kō” program.

The program allows students to complete their first year of general education courses locally through face-to-face morning classes designed to support students balancing academics, work, family, and community commitments. The program also gives students an opportunity to explore future academic and career pathways while completing transferable general education coursework.

As Hawaiʻi works to eliminate more than 83,000 cesspools by 2050, Hawaiʻi Community College and UH Maui College are preparing the workforce needed to help make it happen.

Hawaiʻi Community College Chancellor Susan Kazama will step down on July 31 to retire, concluding a 40-year career with the University of Hawaiʻi that has spanned five campuses and nearly every level of higher education leadership.

Kazama, a Hilo native was appointed as the permanent chancellor of Hawaiʻi CC in July 2024 after serving a year in an interim capacity. She is retiring in part to spend more time caring for her elderly parents.

For most of his life, Troy Branco-Liu never imagined leaving Lahaina. But after the Maui wildfire upended his community and a University of Hawaiʻi scholarship opened a door he never expected, the Lahainaluna graduate found himself starting over at Hawaiʻi Community College on Hawaiʻi Island — pursuing an education that would ultimately change the course of his future.

“When I was in high school, I didn’t think about leaving,” Branco-Liu said. “I love the place I come from. I’m all about Lahaina. That’s always going to be home to me.”

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University of Hawaiʻi faculty received top awards for their excellence in teaching and engagement and groundbreaking research.

Fifteen UH faculty members from across the state have been awarded the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Teaching, and three received the Regents’ Medal for Excellence in Research.