We use a lot of jargon in higher education, and we often forget that not everyone speaks the same language as we do. Try as I might, I find myself using this jargon because for me these words have particular meaning that is difficult to express in other ways.
One of those terms I use all the time is “Regional Stewardship.” Universities like UH Hilo, especially those institutions that serve rural communities, have an obligation to serve our region in a variety of ways. Our health as an institution is tied to the health of our community, and we are an educational, cultural, and economic anchor for Hawaii Island.
In talking to the team on campus about us being an anchor institution, we debated whether we wanted to use the word “anchor.” Anchors provide stability, which is a good thing, but some see an anchor as something that holds things back or weighs things down. I like to think of us as being anchored in this place, but that does not mean we cannot change and evolve. We are anchored in space, but not in time. We learn from our history, but we are not bound by it. We look into the future, in partnership with our community, and together, we move ahead.
We provide some stability to the region through the fact that we are one of the largest employers and we are a hub of activity: performing arts; athletic competitions; applied research with local impact; and community service — all on top of our primary duty of contributing to the workforce and civic health of the community by educating students. Regional Stewardship means that we listen to our community and help close the gap between the realities of our region and its aspirations. Where does our community want to go? This question cannot be answered by the university in isolation, but through our role as an institutional member of our community. We have lots of expertise in a lot of areas and can help many initiatives along, but we also have to make sure we are listening to our neighbors, who also have lots of expertise and experience that we may lack.
Our official title is the University of Hawaii at Hilo, but we educate both local students and students from across the state, the nation, and the world. While our students are here, we want them to see through our actions that place matters. We are not just at Hilo, but we are of Hilo and of Hawaii Island. Our employees live and work here, some have lived here their entire lives; others, like me, are relative newcomers, but we came here wanting to make a difference. We are here to improve the life of our community, but we also want all of our students to be responsible citizens whether they are of this island or from elsewhere. Our programs are designed for them to learn our Hawaii Island values and take them back home with them, down the road, across the island or across the world, multiplying the impact we have on our environment and our human family.
At UH Hilo we are indeed fortunate because we do not hold all this kuleana alone. We have a great partner in Hawaii Community College. In the coming weeks, we will resume our joint administrative meeting where we discuss how we can best partner, efficiently use our respective resources, and help each other fulfill our respective responsibilities, all in service to Hawaii County and the state, i.e. our regional stewardship. Each institution has its own set of programs, and we also have pathways between many of those programs. We share students, we share employees, and we share the desire to be good citizens.
We both act locally, but we have a global impact through the work of our faculty, and the future work of our graduates. The fact that that work starts here is important, no matter where it goes. This place matters, and what we do within it will have an impact of many generations to come.
Bonnie D. Irwin is chancellor of the University of Hawaii at Hilo. Her column appears monthly in the Tribune-Herald.