Honorary degrees to be awarded at commencement on May 12

Posted: Apr 27, 2012

UH Mānoa alumni Dr. Claire Asam, Trustee of the Queen Lili'uokalani Trust and Dr. J. Kuhio Asam, Executive Director of Lunalilo Home & Trust, and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the University of Hawai‘i Foundation, will be the featured speakers at the undergraduate degree ceremony at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa on Saturday, May 12, at the Stan Sheriff Center.Dr. Claire Asam served as President and Executive Director of the Queen Lili‘uokalani Children’s Center for eight years prior to her appointment as trustee.  Asam received her Master’s in Education, a Certificate of Public Administration, and a Doctorate in Education from UH Mānoa. Her professional career began at the Kamehameha Schools where she served in various positions for 25 years.

 

Dr. J. Kuhio Asam is a graduate of UH Mānoa’s John A. Burns School of Medicine and is the Executive Director of Lunalilo Home, an adult residential care home in Hawai‘i Kai. Prior to joining Lunalilo Home & Trust, Asam was medical director of APS Healthcare Hawai‘i.  He is also the former medical director of Kahi Mohala Hospital.  

 

Bernard and Barbro Osher are international patrons of education and arts, business leaders and philanthropists whose contributions to higher education, arts and social service organizations have significantly benefited communities and students. Through the creation of the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) at UH Mānoa, learners older in age can enroll in special non-credit classes taught by retired faculty.  The UH Mānoa OLLI currently enrolls more than 1,000 members and has offered more than 300 courses since its establishment in 2006.

 

Graduate Ceremony Speaker and Honorees: 

Anton Krucky co‐founded Tissue Genesis, Inc., a clinical stage company in the high growth field of regenerative medicine, in 2001. Krucky has decades of management experience that include product development, marketing and sales for IBM.  Prior to leaving IBM, he served as General Manager of Pacific Operations. He has assisted and invested in entrepreneurial companies, as well as served as an executive coach for large corporate clients. In addition to his professional activities, he is very active in philanthropic and community affairs. 

 

U.S. Senator Daniel K. Akaka’s lifelong dedication and contributions in public service to the state of Hawai‘i and United States has spanned over 40 years as a senior leader in Congress and over 70 years including the additional public service as a U.S. veteran, former state educator and other public service positions.  Senator Akaka attended UH Mānoa where he earned a bachelor of education and later received his master of education.  He has championed initiatives and advocated for support for Hawai‘i, including for the rights of indigenous people and the excellence of education at both the secondary and higher education levels.

 

Haruki Murakami is a distinguished writer known for his enduring compassion and global contributions in postmodern literature through his fiction and non-fiction literary works. Born in Kyoto, Japan, during the post-World War II era, his works of fiction and non-fiction have been translated in more than forty languages and cover a number of sensitive, social, historical and cultural topics. With his translation skills, he has also introduced Japanese readers to many American and English writers. Murakami is currently a visiting professor in UH Mānoa’s Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures.