University of Hawaii celebrates 2005 Convocation Awards

Interim President McClain addresses university

HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi celebrated its 12th annual systemwide Convocation Awards Ceremony at Orvis Music Auditorium today. More than 40 UH faculty and staff from all campuses were recognized and presented with various teaching, research and service awards.

Lt. Gov. James "Duke" Aiona was present to congratulate the recipients for their outstanding dedication and commitment to the university and their respective campuses.

UH Interim President David McClain praised the award winners for their commitment to excellence, but also took a moment to briefly reflect on the state of the university. "UH is better off today than it was a year ago, and we can all be proud of that," noted McClain. "But I‘m still not satisfied — and neither should you be."

"Our strategic vision is sound. We see ourselves as a university in an island setting, and the values we emphasize are the values that island peoples generally, and Native Hawaiians in particular, exalt: respect for each other and for the communities we create, and respect for the environment in which we live — both bound up in the Hawaiian concept of ahupuaʻa, where finite resources were shared for the benefit for all…we acknowledge and celebrate our multicultural heritage, and our role as a bridge between the cultures of West and the cultures of the Pacific and Asia."

His speech highlighted accomplishments and progress made within the past year, as well as new initiatives the university is embarking on. The president‘s remarks can be viewed in its entirety at: http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/op/2005/0913convocation.html.

The Convocation Awards Ceremony is a formal awards ceremony that began in September 1993 by former President Kenneth Mortimer who wanted a traditional systemwide event that recognized outstanding employees of the University of Hawaiʻi. The event also provides an opportunity for the president to address the university community at the commencement of the new academic year.

A webcast of the 2005 Convocation Awards Ceremony can be viewed at:
http://uhtv.hawaii.edu:7070/ramgen/encoder/convocation2005.rm

Profiles of the 2005 award recipients can be viewed at:
http://www.hawaii.edu/about/awards/index.html

About the University of Hawaiʻi
Established in 1907 and fully accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the University of Hawaiʻi is the state‘s sole public system of higher education. The UH System provides an array of undergraduate, graduate, and professional degrees and community programs on 10 campuses and through educational, training, and research centers across the state. UH enrolls more than 50,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the U.S. mainland, and around the world. For more information, visit www.hawaii.edu.

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/about/awards/index.html