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.

Universities

 * University of Hawaii at Manoa
 * University of Hawaii at Hilo
 * University of Hawaii – West Oahu

Colleges

 * University of Hawaii - Maui College

Community colleges

 * Hawaii Community College
 * Honolulu Community College
 * Kapiolani Community College
 * Kauai Community College
 * Leeward Community College
 * Windward Community College

Professional schools

 * College of Pharmacy
 * John A. Burns School of Medicine
 * William S. Richardson School of Law
 * Shidler College of Business

Research facilities

 * Cancer Research Center of Hawai‘i
 * East-West Center
 * Haleakala Observatory
 * Hawai‘i Natural Energy Institute
 * Institute for Astronomy
 * Institute of Geophysics and Planetology
 * Institute of Marine Biology
 * Lyon Arboretum
 * Mauna Kea Observatory
 * W. M. Keck Observatory
 * Waikīkī Aquarium

University centers

 * University of Hawaii Center West Hawaii
 * University of Hawaii Center Kauai
 * University of Hawaii Center Maui

Education centers

 * Molokai Education Center
 * Lānai Education Center
 * Hana Education Center
 * Waianae Education Center
 * Lahaina Education Center

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").

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.