UHM degrees are granted through College of Continuing Education courses for residents meeting at Neighbor Island Community Colleges. UHH administers programs at a site across the island in Kona. In a word, yes. Ancient Hawaiians knew, as does modern Madison Avenue, that identity is closely linked with nomenclature. From naming of children to use of gender-neutral terms, the words we choose tell much about us as individuals and as institutions.
Names can imply commitment, confer dignity, identify function, clarify affiliation.
To do so effectively, they must be assigned according to some common understanding. Just as a common language increases our ability to adapt to new technology, shared and consistent use of names for the places and ways we deliver higher education is critical to the public's understanding of the UH system. That is why, in coming months, the UH administration and Board of Regents will continue discussion of appropriate designations for facilities and programs that deliver UH educational products. Discussions will seek to define, for UH at least, what constitutes a program or a department, a center or a campus, etc. Undergoing this exercise now both addresses current confusion and eases our transition into an institution transformed by technology.