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A Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Studies:
Is it possible to be a Bachelor Degree? Sure Why Not!

In the summer of 2010 my oldest son Kupono was growing up, and starting Kindergarten. Kupono attended a Hawaiian Immersion preschool the year before, and wanted to continue learning the Hawaiian language. After pre-school, Hawaiian Immersion students enroll at Pa’ia Elementary where they start Kindergarten. There were more applicants for the kindergarten class then space available. The principal of Pa’ia Elementary then decided to hold a lottery and whomever’s name got drawn, would have a seat in the kindergarten class. The principal did this because she claimed there weren’t enough teachers for the Hawaiian Immersion students. The lottery never happened, and a teacher was found to teach a second kindergarten class.
Going through this dramatic experience of my son closely being denied a public school education opened my eyes. I then decided to quit my low paying job and go back to school. It has been six years since I last attended college. I started a family and got married three years after I graduated from High School. I love being a mother but want my children to never be denied an education. I wasn’t sure what I wanted to go to school for, but I couldn’t sit and experience my son being denied an education in out mother tongue again.
Living on Maui I have the opportunity to attend one out of nine University of Hawaii system colleges. I learned that in 2010, Maui Community College was approved by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) to change their name to the University of Hawaii Maui College. (maui.hawaii.edu) The college name change was very important because it now offers three Bachelor Degrees which are:
1. Applied Science in Applied Business and Information Technology
2. Engineering Technology
3. Sustainable Science Management (maui.hawaii.edu)
Being out of college for so long, my nerves and lack of college curriculum knowledge had me second guessing my decision to return to college. On the University of Hawaii Maui College website, I read the college mission statement which said:
“University of Hawaii Maui Colleges is a learning-centered institution that provides affordable, high quality credit and non-credit educational opportunities to a diverse community of lifelong learners.”(maui.hawaii.edu)
This mission is exactly what I needed to motivate myself to continue my education. The University of Hawaii Maui College is indeed affordable for my family’s budget charging 97 dollars per credit. The vision of the University which is also located on the college website also influenced my decision to attend and it said:
“We envision a world-class college that meets current and emerging Maui county education and training needs through innovative high quality programs offered in stimulating learning environments. The college mission, goals and actions will be guided by the Native Hawaiian reverence for the ahupua’a, a practice of sustaining and sharing diverse but finite resources for the benefit of all.”(maui.hawaii.edu)
Being Hawaiian I deeply appreciated the University of Hawaii Maui College sharing education in the same format as the ahupua’a system.
I applied to Maui College and anxiously waited for my acceptance letter. When the acceptance letter came in I felt as if I won the lottery. I wanted to finish my education and make a difference. I got into classes that were available such as Math, English and Hawaiian language. Throughout my first fall semester I really enjoyed my Hawaiian language class. I learned the Hawaiian language through stories and values that I want my children to learn. The following semester was Spring, I enrolled in more Hawaiian language and Hawaiian studies classes. Over the summer break I thought long and hard about what classes I would be taking the next Fall semester. I want a career that would help the Hawaiian Immersion children, better my community and help provide for my family. Since having my children I enjoyed helping them with their homework, projects and volunteering at their schools. My youngest son is special needs. I have found that working with him and seeing him light up when he says a word clearly is worth all the long hours of practicing his speech. My second Fall semester, I decided on a career path that was best for me. I chose to be a Hawaiian Immersion Teacher with Special Education Certification. I could teach Hawaiian immersion students, but if any student had a special education needs they wouldn’t have to leave my class room. I would integrate the special education student with their fellow classmates.
Deciding that I wanted to be a Hawaiian immersion teacher with certification in special education meant I would need a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian studies and elementary education. At the University of Hawaii Maui College an Associate degree in Liberal Arts is offered with an academic subject certificate in Hawaiian studies. The Liberal Arts degree can lead into an elementary education Baccalaureate degree through Maui College’s distance learning center. Pursing my elementary education degree through distance learning would allow me to remain on Maui but still considered a student of the University of Hawaii at Manoa. The academic subject certificate in Hawaiian studies is the foundation to its Baccalaureate degree. “The certificate enhances the Liberal Arts AA degree.” (maui.hawaii.edu) There are additional requirements for the Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Studies which are:
“ 27-28 credits:
1. The academic subject certificate has a minimum of twenty seven credits.
2. Students must earn a grade of C or better for all courses included in the certificate.
3. A minimum of nine credits must be taken at Maui Community College.
Required courses-Hawaiian studies core: 10 credits
1. Bot 105: Hawaiian Ethno botany (3)
2. Haw 202: Intermediate Hawaiian II (4)
3. Hwst 107: Hawaii center of the pacific (3)
Elective courses: 17-18 Credits Any 100 or 200 level Hawaiian language or Hawaiian studies courses a minimum of two, 200 level courses are required. A list of approved elective courses can be reviewed at maui.hawaii.edu/programs/hwst.” Kumu Kahele a professor in the Hawaiian studies department at Maui College has been tracking completed academic subject certificates in Hawaiian studies shown by Fig. 1 below. In Fig. 1 Kumu Kahele has been tracking since Fall of 2003 until Spring of 2011. Kumu Kahele frequently updates Fig. 1. it was last updated it on March 5, 2011. The data in the Fig. 1. can be used for future growth of the Hawaiian Studies department at the University of Hawaii Maui College.
Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Studies at the University of Hawaii Maui College:
Semesters Number of Graduates
Fall 2003 1
Spring 2004 0
Fall 2004 1
Fall 2005 3
Spring 2006 1
Fall 2006 3
Spring 2007 5
Fall 2007 6
Spring 2008 5
Fall 2008 4
Spring 2009 8
Fall 2009 8
Spring 2010 4
Fall 2010 2
Spring 2011 6
Total 57
* Updated 3-5-11 by Kahele Dukelow

Fig. 1 (Dukelow)
An academic subject certificate is satisfying for my present education but with an end goal of becoming a Hawaiian Immersion teacher with a Certificate in Special Education I need to complete a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian Studies which is not offered at Maui College. The only way I would be able to complete a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian studies would require me to transfer to either UH Manoa or UH Hilo. However, I am unable to transfer to either schools because of my family, job and living situation. I have come up with a solution for me to achieve my academic goals without having to relocate and that is for Maui College to offer a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian Studies. My determination to achieve my goal led me to inquire about the process of creating a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian Studies here at Maui College. I interviewed David Grooms, Professor and Interim Assistant Dean of Instruction Academic Affairs, at The University of Hawaii Maui College. He guided me on the process of a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian Studies. While interviewing Professor David Grooms, I explained my dilemma and expressed my desire for a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian Studies. He shared the process of creating a new Baccalaureate degree at Maui College. He shared a form “Guide to Academic Program Actions and Approval” that has four steps to creating a Baccalaureate degree:
1. New Program Proposal (Bachelor)
2. Review by Council of Chief Academic Officers (CCAO)
3. Approval by Board of Regents (BOR)
4. Communication/Dissemination by President for Academic Planning and Policy (Hawaii.edu)
The first step of the New Program Proposal requires a needs assessment in the local community. This is a survey that determines what jobs the new Baccalaureate degree would provide in the local community. This survey also determines the interest of the local community in the new Baccalaureate degree.
The second step would be to complete the Authorization to Plan a New Academic Program also known as ATP and a Revenue Template worksheet. The ATP form has certain “Guiding principles” which are:
1. Best interest of the student (demand)
2. Best interest of the community (work force needs)
3. Aligned with campus mission and system strategic outcomes/priorities
4. Aligned with the University of Hawaii system mission and priorities
Professor David Grooms went on and explained that a curriculum for a Baccalaureate degree would also have to be written up. There is a key question that Professor David Grooms informed me with which was “How will the Baccalaureate degree be funded and will it sustain itself?” He then gave me a copy of an Academic Cost and Revenue Template that breaks down the cost of the new Baccalaureate degree. This form is adjusted each year depending on the enrollment of students in the Baccalaureate degree program. Once this process is completed, the Baccalaureate degree can be reviewed by the University of Hawaii Council of Chief Academic Officers also known as CCAO. The CCAO will review the Baccalaureate degree proposal and make improvements. The CCAO is a group of individuals with the “opportunity to develop understandings and relationships that span the 10 campuses and facilitate the ability to meet the needs of all students in the University of Hawaii system.”(Hawaii.edu) The CCAO members are individuals from each University of Hawaii campuses throughout the islands. The council has four specific responsibilities which are:
1. Recommendations and advice
2. Academic policy implementation
3. Strategic plan monitoring
4. Coordination and communication (Hawaii.edu)
At the University of Hawaii Maui College the Chief Academic Officer is Vice Chancellor John Mckee.
The third step is the reviewing of the Baccalaureate degree by the Board of Regents for the University of Hawaii system campuses. The Board of Regents is made up of fifteen individuals who “formulate policy and exercises control over the university through its executive officer, the university president. The board has exclusive jurisdiction over the internal structure, management and operation of the university.” (Hawaii.edu) Professor David Grooms explained that during the review of the Baccalaureate degree by the Board of Regents, the degree can be denied. The Board of Regents expect the Baccalaureate degree to follow the “Bachelor’s Degree Template.”(Hawaii.edu) The Bachelor degree template has five areas of learning which are:
1. Knowledge
2. Intellectual Skills
3. Applied Learning
4. Civic Learning
5. Institution-specific areas (Hawaii.edu)
The Bachelor degree template should clearly explain each area of learning through the Bachelor degree curriculum. When the Bachelor degree is approved by the Board of Regents the Baccalaureate degree has one final step.
The fourth step of the Baccalaureate degree is a review by the Vice President for Academic Planning and Policy also known as the VPAPP. The VPAPP for the University of Hawaii system is Linda K. Johnsrud. The VPAPP then determines the start date of the new Baccalaureate degree at the University of Hawaii system campuses.
The creation of a new Baccalaureate degree may seem like a long process, but in the end a degree is offered for college students at Maui College. These college students may share the same dilemma as me. They may also see the importance of education for children even if it is in another language such as Hawaiian. The University of Hawaii Maui College is on the right path of offering Hawaiian studies as an academic subject certificate.
I hope that the local community can see the importance of education on the Island of Maui. The Hawaiian people in Maui’s community are disconnected from there culture. With a Baccalaureate degree in Hawaiian studies at the University of Hawaii Maui College, Hawaiians and non-Hawaiians can be educated to better Maui’s future for all of its residents.