University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

UH Mānoa provides an environment where both faculty and students can discover, examine, preserve, and transmit the knowledge, wisdom, and values that will enrich present and future generations. Alongside the major, UH Mānoa’s General Education (Gen Ed) program facilitates student achievement of Institutional Learning Objectives to Know (breadth and depth of knowledge), Do (intellectual and practical skills), and Value (personal and social responsibility).

General Education at UH Mānoa involves a flexible and diverse multi-disciplinary curriculum. Through Gen Ed coursework, students are exposed to different domains of knowledge and modes of scholarly inquiry. Students develop skills in written and oral communication, ethical and quantitative reasoning, critical thinking, and information literacy that are transferable across the curriculum. Gen Ed coursework also fosters a deeper understanding of, and appreciation for, Hawaiian culture and history.

The GEO oversees the implementation of the General Education Program as an administrative office under the Office of the Vice Provost for Academic Excellence (OVPAE). The GEO Faculty Director is appointed by the OVPAE and MFS Executive Committee to oversee the GEO and its staff.

Among its core responsibilities, the GEO provides logistical support to the GEC and its Boards, and works with committees and offices across campus to ensure accurate listings of Gen Ed requirements and courses at UH Mānoa. The GEO keeps abreast of national trends and current research on Gen Ed in order to inform the innovative development and implementation of the Gen Ed program; provides institutional memory for the programʻs history and policy implementation; serves as the primary point of contact for students, staff, and faculty regarding Gen Ed; communicates with advisors, departments, the OVPAE, and others. The GEO staff and its Faculty Director also guide and promote Gen Ed assessment activities in coordination with many others on campus, and coordinates periodic academic program review for the Gen Ed Program in collaboration with the GEC. Please contact us if you have questions about these or any of our other areas of responsibility, or would like to be part of our collective work on promoting, supporting, assessing, or implementing General Education.   

SUMMER 2026 FOCUS PROPOSAL FORM DEADLINE:  FRIDAY, JANUARY 16, 2026

Summer proposals received by this January 16 deadline will have first priority for review by the Faculty Boards. Summer proposals requesting only one or two Focus designations may be submitted as late as January 23 but will be reviewed by the Boards only after review of earlier submissions is complete, with the understanding that there may not be time for the negotiation that is sometimes necessary to secure approval.

FALL 2026 FOCUS PROPOSAL FORM DEADLINE:  FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 6, 2026

Fall proposals received by this February 6 deadline will have first priority for review by the Faculty Boards. Fall proposals requesting only one or two Focus designations may be submitted as late as February 27 but will be reviewed by the Boards only after review of earlier submissions is complete, with the understanding that there may not be time for the negotiation that is sometimes necessary to secure approval.

Foundations Proposal Deadlines:

• Summer or Fall 2026 Foundations Forms due:
  Monday, September 22, 2025
  
• Spring 2027 Foundations Forms due:
  Tuesday, February 17, 2026

UHM Form Deadlines (send UHM forms to OVPAE at uhmcrse@hawaii.edu):

• For a Summer or Fall 2026 effective term:
  Wednesday, October 15, 2025
• For a Spring 2027 effective term:
  Sunday, March 15, 2026