Mission
First Year Programs (FYP) strives to support freshmen students in their transition to the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa (UHM). Through our affiliated programs: UNIV 110 & Peer Mentorship, we share academic success strategies, foster social interactions, and form campus communities. Through partnerships with faculty, staff, and upperclassmen student mentors, we create the space for students to define how they will engage, learn, and thrive.
Core Values
FYP upholds the following principles in all of our programs:
- Aloha - We support relationships and consistent reciprocal care among students, faculty, and the campus community to sustain pono and well-being. [adapted from the Summer 2018 Kūali‘i Council Statement on UHM as a Hawaiian Place of Learning]
- Diversity & Inclusion - We acknowledge our responsibility to create a positive culture and safeguard equity, inclusion, dignity, and respect for all. We work to be role models for others and take action when we observe others being belittled or demeaned.
- Active Learning & Discovery - We are constantly seeking new, interactive educational techniques and activities, in order to promote learning and discovery in both our office and in the classroom.
- Innovation - We work to maintain a degree of novelty in our programs by consistently exploring and implementing new ways of delivering services and teaching.
- Empowerment - We are committed to empowering our students through promotion of self exploration and nurturing positive relationships.
Current FYP Components
- Facilitation of Academic Learning Communities - Academic learning communities, offered through UNIV 110, are made up of no more than 20 students. When registered for a learning community, students meet once a week in a one-credit seminar, UNIV 110, which is run by an upperclassman peer mentor.
- Student Success Research - Original qualitative and quantitative research on student success is conducted within UHM’s diverse student population to highlight areas of success and pinpoint regions of improvement in our programs.
- Future Leader Development - Undergraduate sophomores, juniors, and seniors are given the opportunity to become an Peer Mentor, where they can develop leadership skills that will allow them to succeed in their endeavors beyond college.
Near Term Goals
- University Experience (UNIV 110) - Create a standalone course to help students integrate academically and socially into UHM. Develop a curriculum that can be taught in-person during the Fall semester.
Long Term Goals
- Sustain - Continue the trend of student success in all of our programs, through implementation of new strategies and upholding our core values.
- Innovate - Develop programming that is relevant, engaging, and action orientated. Embrace assessment research, technology, and interdisciplinary collaboration to meet the needs of a diverse and dispersed student body.
- Transform - Communicate the First Year Program’s goals and objectives to students, faculty, and the campus community so that perceptions are aligned.