University of Hawaii The University of Hawaii System , formally the University of Hawaii and popularly known as UH , is a public , co - educational college and university system that confers associate , bachelor , master , and doctoral degrees through three university campuses , seven community college campuses , an employment training center , three university centers , four education centers and various other research facilities distributed across six islands throughout the state of Hawaii in the United States . All schools of the University of Hawaii system are accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges . The system ' s main administrative offices are located on the property of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in Honolulu CDP . Colleges and universities . The University of Hawaii at Mānoa , founded as a land grant college under the terms of the Morrill Act of 1862 for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts in the United States , is the flagship institution of the University of Hawaii system . It is well respected for its programs in Hawaiian / Pacific Studies , Astronomy , East Asian Languages and Literature , Asian Studies , Comparative Philosophy , Marine Science , Second Language Studies , along with Botany , Engineering , Ethnomusicology , Geophysics , Law , Linguistics , Mathematics , and Medicine . The second - largest institution is the University of Hawaii at Hilo on the Big Island of Hawaii , with over 3 , 000 students . The smaller University of Hawaii - West Oahu in Kapolei primarily serves students who reside on Honolulu ' s western and central suburban communities . The University of Hawaii Community College system comprises four campuses on Oahu and one each on Maui , Kauai , and Hawaii . The schools were created to improve accessibility of courses to more Hawaii residents and provide an affordable means of easing the transition from high school to college for many students . University of Hawaii education centers are located in more remote areas of the state , supporting rural communities via distance education . Mission . The mission of the University of Hawaii system is to provide quality college and university education and training ; create knowledge through research and scholarship ; provide service through extension , technical assistance , and training ; contribute to the cultural heritage of the community ; and respond to state needs . The campuses , organized under one board , differentially emphasize instruction , research , and service . The system ' s special distinction is found in its Hawaiian , Asian , and Pacific orientation and international leadership role . Common values bind the system together : aloha ; academic freedom and intellectual vigor ; institutional integrity and service ; quality and opportunity ; diversity , fairness , and equity ; collaboration and respect ; and accountability and fiscal integrity . Demographics . In the entire University of Hawaii system , there are approximately 50 , 317 students of which 44 , 122 are undergraduates . On average , the student body is 42 % male and 58 % female . 20 % are Caucasian , 20 % are Japanese , 15 % are Filipino , 13 % are Hawaiian or part Hawaiian and 32 % are from other ethnicities . 89 % of the professors reside in Hawaii while 6 % are from the United States mainland . A total of 616 programs are offered throughout the University of Hawaii system with 123 devoted for bachelor ' s degrees , 92 for master ' s degrees , 53 for doctoral degrees , 3 for first professional degrees , 4 for post baccalaureate degrees , 115 for associate ' s degrees and various other certifications . University seal . The University seal contains a torch and a book titled " Mālamalama " ( the light of knowledge ) in the center of a circular map of the Pacific , surrounded by the state motto , " Ua mau ke ea o ka āina i ka pono " ( " The life of the land is perpetuated in ( by ) righteousness " . ) The University motto , inscribed in both the Hawaiian and English languages on Founders ' Gate at the Mānoa campus is " Ma luna ae o nā lāhui a pau ke ola o ke kanaka " ( " Above all nations is humanity " ) . Board of Regents . Student regents . The University ' s governing board includes a current student appointed by the Governor of Hawaii to serve a two - year term as a full voting regent . The practice of appointing a student to the Board was approved by the Hawaii State Legislature in 1997 . Notable alumni . Alumni of the University of Hawaii system has many notable alumni in various walks of life . Senator Daniel Inouye and Tammi Duckworth both are veterans of the US military who were injured during in the line of duty then later entered government service . Bette Midler and Georgia Engel are successful entertainers on the national stage . President Barack Obama ' s parents , Barack Obama , Sr . , and S . Ann Dunham , and half - sister , Maya Soetoro - Ng , also earned degrees from the Mānoa campus , where his parents met in a Russian language class . His mother earned three degrees from the University of Hawaii including a Ph . D . in anthropology . Notable faculty . The University of Hawaii system has had many faculty members of note . Many were visiting faculty or came after they won major awards like Nobel Laureate Dr . Georg von Békésy . Dr . Ryuzo Yanagimachi , principal investigator of the research group that developed a method of cloning from adult animal cells , is still on the faculty .