Aloha mai kākou!
We are truly excited to announce Cohort Kumukahi, the inaugural cohort of schools, colleges, and other units that will engage with us, the Native Hawaiian Place of Learning (NHPoL) Advancement Office, in a multi-year process to support the creation of five-year NHPoL action plans.
This inaugural cohort is comprised of the following units:
- Cancer Center
- College of Arts, Languages & Letters (CALL)
- College of Engineering (CoE)
- College of Social Sciences (CSS)
- Division of Student Success (DSS)
- Hawaiʻi Institute of Marine Biology (HIMB)
- Institute for Astronomy (IfA)
- John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM)
- Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing (NAWSON)
- Thompson School of Social Work & Public Health
- Sea Grant
- School of Ocean & Earth Science & Technology (SOEST)
This webpage is meant to orient you to Cohort Kumukahi, invite you to learn about this professional development, and update you on its progress.
Cohort Kumukahi sessions for March and May 2024 are currently full. If you are from a unit (listed above) and are interested in participating in the future, please fill out the future interest form using the button below. If you have any questions please email us at: nhpol@hawaii.edu.
A short story on this inaugural cohort:
After the UH Mānoa campus approved the current strategic plan Mānoa 2025: Our Kuleana to Hawai‘i and the World, the Native Hawaiian Place of Learning (NHPoL) Advancement Office began working on our strategy to support the plan’s three goals specific to becoming a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning. One of the three goals is “100% of schools and colleges and other similar nonacademic units will have a five-year strategic plan to address each of the four Native Hawaiian place of learning strategic focus areas relevant to their particular units” (p. 19) by the end of the strategic plan period.
In spring 2023, we contacted the Provost’s Council and a set of deans, directors of ORUs, and vice provosts gauged readiness within their units and asked to participate. Cohort Kumukahi is the result.
A note on the name Kumukahi:
Kumukahi is the name of the easternmost point of Hawai‘i Island and thus the easternmost point of the Hawaiian archipelago. Because of this, Kumukahi is often referred to poetically when speaking of beginnings, of something new. Since this is the first of its kind, we thought Kumukahi was particularly fitting.
Cohort Kumukahi
NHPoL Professional Development Invitation Summary (March 2024)
No Data Found
Summary of May 2024 (Coming Soon)
Cohort Kumukahi
March 2024
Below is a recap of the March 2024 session of Cohort Kumukahi, including photographs, a day-by-day blog by Hope Matsumoto, and Cohort Kumukahi as featured in the news. Mahalo nui to all those who could join us for this week-long experience!
Day-by-day blog by hope matsumoto
Monday, March 18, 2024 As our team opened the space of Hālau o Haumea for our inaugural Cohort Kumukahi, we offered “Welina …
Tuesday, March 19, 2024 With the sun rising above the ridgeline of the Koʻolau mountains, we greeted the warmth of the day …
Wednesday, March 20, 2024 Our day at the ʻili ʻāina of Kaʻākaukukui began beneath the Waʻahila rain. As my team and I …
Thursday, March 21, 2024 Thursday is Isms Day! This was one of my favorite days as we finally were more comfortable with …
Friday, March 22, 2024 Our final day took place in the East-West Center, where we had a beautiful view of Mānoa stream …
Cohort Kumukahi in the News:
Leading UH Mānoa to become a Native Hawaiian place of learning
The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office (NHPoL AO) is leading the charge and has developed a multi-step process to achieve goals articulated in the UH Mānoa strategic plan (PDF) to advance the university as a Native Hawaiian place of learning.
UH Manoa spearheads efforts to cultivate a deeper connection to Native Hawaiian values
A team from UH Manoa is spearheading efforts to cultivate a deeper connection to the islands’ culture.
This week, students and employees from a variety of areas of the University of Hawaii are delving deep into Native Hawaiian values and traditions.
This is part of the University’s effort to become a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning.
For the next two years, this first cohort of leaders will work with the UH Manoa Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office to advance key areas on campus.
Journey to expand Native Hawaiian Place of Learning begins for cohort
A team from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa tasked with groundbreaking efforts to help advance the campus as a Native Hawaiian Place of Learning launched an immersive initiative with an inaugural cohort of executives, faculty, staff and students this spring. On March 18, the UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office (NHPoL AO) started a weeklong professional development series guiding more than 50 participants in activities focused around Native Hawaiian values and traditions such as mapping various moʻokūʻauhau (genealogies that shape us) mālama ʻāina (care for the land), oli (chants), and pilina (connection) circles.
Spring 2024 Invitation & Resources
We invite you to join a 5-day in-person professional development opportunity for students, staff, employees, community partners and UHF liaisons in a Cohort Kumukahi unit, as listed above. Our time together will be a deep dive into the Native Hawaiian principles outlined in the UH Mānoa Strategic Plan. You do not need to have a background in Hawaiian language, history, or culture and you do not need to be Native Hawaiian to join. This is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Native Hawaiian principles for your professional and personal life.
A note on the name Kumukahi:
Kumukahi is the name of the easternmost point of Hawai‘i Island and thus the easternmost point of the Hawaiian archipelago. Because of this, Kumukahi is often referred to poetically when speaking of beginnings, of something new. Since this is the first cohort of its kind, we thought Kumukahi was particularly fitting.
Time Commitment
We recognize how busy everyone is and that this work requires a high level of presence and commitment. This 5-day in-person professional development opportunity is designed to be immersive, and therefore, you are required to be present for the entire time. We are offering this experience twice in the Spring 2024 semester to be as inclusive as possible of the various schedules you all hold. The dates include:
- March 18-22, 2024 from 9am-4pm (UHM spring break)
- May 13-17, 2024 from 9am-4pm (The week between graduation and summer school)
We ask for your availability for both sets of dates, but you would only attend one of these weeks. Please note that the 9am-4pm is a firm time commitment. Exceptions will not be made because we want you to benefit from the full experience, and we want your fellow participants to fully benefit from your presence.
The Commitment to Engage
First and foremost, the invitation Google Form link provided below is meant to help you understand the time and energy that will be expected of all participants and the content of the experience. A high level of commitment is important so that you and your fellow participants can have the most meaningful experience possible. After you fill out the form, the team who is designing your experience will review your responses to ensure that you will be able to fully engage. If we have any questions, we will reach out to you. If there is not space in your life right now, we encourage you to be honest with yourself and with us, knowing that you can join this work in the future. Everyone who fills out the form will hear back from us by December 2023.
Directly below you will find the Google Gorm link for you to complete indicating your interest and availability to participate in the 5-day professional development opportunity. Please read below to gain an understanding of the intentionality behind it.
We estimate 45-60 minutes will be required to complete this form. Please fill out this form by Sunday, October 1, 2023 at 10 pm.
Please read/watch/listen to the foundational resources. These resources will be referenced in the form. They are also listed here for your convenience (we suggest you review them in the order we have shared them):
- UH Mānoa Strategic Plan (pages 7-14)
- Read “Our Hawai‘i Grown Truth” (4 pages) or listen to it here (14 minutes)
- Watch TRHT Vision Video (9 minutes)
The resources are short but hold quite a bit of information.
Nothing in the form is a test, so please do not review these resources in that context. Instead, we invite you to be present with the resources. The questions in the form related to these resources are purely reflective; there are no right or wrong answers.
Importantly, these resources are meant to invite you to spend time with the Native Hawaiian principles described in the strategic plan (Resource #1). The next two resources give some context for why and how they are relevant today given all of our current complexities and realities. You will see/hear reference to our Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation (TRHT) work. Our TRHT work is integral to everything we do. As you will see, it helps us honor the complexities of today while focusing on the Native Hawaiian principles.
Fall 2024 Invitation & Resources
We invite you to join a 5-day in-person professional development opportunity for students, staff, employees, community partners and UHF liaisons in a Cohort Kumukahi unit, as listed above. Our time together will be a deep dive into the Native Hawaiian principles outlined in the UH Mānoa Strategic Plan. You do not need to have a background in Hawaiian language, history, or culture and you do not need to be Native Hawaiian to join. This is open to anyone who is interested in learning more about the Native Hawaiian principles for your professional and personal life.
*Note: priority will be given to hui members in preparation for Fall 2024 offerings.
A note on the name Kumukahi:
Kumukahi is the name of the easternmost point of Hawai‘i Island and thus the easternmost point of the Hawaiian archipelago. Because of this, Kumukahi is often referred to poetically when speaking of beginnings, of something new. Since this is the first cohort of its kind, we thought Kumukahi was particularly fitting.
Time Commitment
We recognize how busy everyone is and that this work requires a high level of presence and commitment. This 5-day in-person professional development opportunity is designed to be immersive, and therefore, you are required to be present for the entire time. We are offering this experience twice in the Fall 2024 semester to be as inclusive as possible of the various schedules you all hold. The dates include:
- August 12-16, 2024 from 9am – 4pm (2 weeks before the academic year starts)
- October 4th, 11th, 18th, 25th and November 1, 2024 from 9am – 4pm (5 consecutive Fridays Oct-Nov)
We ask for your availability for both sets of dates, but you would only attend one of these weeks. Please note that the 9am-4pm is a firm time commitment. Exceptions will not be made because we want you to benefit from the full experience, and we want your fellow participants to fully benefit from your presence.
The Commitment to Engage
First and foremost, the invitation Google Form link provided below is meant to help you understand the time and energy that will be expected of all participants and the content of the experience. A high level of commitment is important so that you and your fellow participants can have the most meaningful experience possible. After you fill out the form, the team who is designing your experience will review your responses to ensure that you will be able to fully engage. If we have any questions, we will reach out to you. If there is not space in your life right now, we encourage you to be honest with yourself and with us, knowing that you can join this work in the future. Everyone who fills out the form will hear back from us by June 2024.
Directly below you will find the Google Gorm link for you to complete indicating your interest and availability to participate in the 5-day professional development opportunity. Please read below to gain an understanding of the intentionality behind it.
We estimate 45-60 minutes will be required to complete this form. Please fill out this form by Friday, May 17, 2024 at 10 pm.
Please read/watch/listen to the foundational resources. These resources will be referenced in the form. They are also listed here for your convenience (we suggest you review them in the order we have shared them):
- UH Mānoa Strategic Plan (pages 7-14)
- Read “Our Hawai‘i Grown Truth” (4 pages) or listen to it here (14 minutes)
- Watch TRHT Vision Video (9 minutes)
The resources are short but hold quite a bit of information.
Nothing in the form is a test, so please do not review these resources in that context. Instead, we invite you to be present with the resources. The questions in the form related to these resources are purely reflective; there are no right or wrong answers.
Importantly, these resources are meant to invite you to spend time with the Native Hawaiian principles described in the strategic plan (Resource #1). The next two resources give some context for why and how they are relevant today given all of our current complexities and realities. You will see/hear reference to our Truth, Racial Healing, and Transformation ™ (TRHT) work. Our TRHT work is integral to everything we do. As you will see, it helps us honor the complexities of today while focusing on the Native Hawaiian principles.