UH-Maui undergoes accreditation review

We had a special group of visitors to both our Kahului and Moloka‘i campuses last month. The accreditation review team from WSCUC (Western Senior College and University Commission) spent a day on Moloka‘i and more than two full days here in Kahului. The commission is one of six regional associations that accredit public and private schools, colleges and universities in the United States.

UH-Maui College offered our first four-year degree in 2005 and our second in 2009, which made us eligible to transfer accreditation to WSCUC (from the commission that accredits two-year institutions like community and junior colleges) as well as to change our name to Maui College in 2010. We received our first WSCUC accreditation in 2014.

The process is meant to ensure that colleges like ours have the resources, policies and practices to achieve our educational goals and are able to show the review team the quality of our programs.

Accreditation is not required but the vast majority of institutions nationwide do opt in. According to UH President David Lassner, “Accreditation ensures that academic programs have been rigorously reviewed and that students will receive a high-quality education from an institution that operates with integrity. It also ensures student access to federal (Title IV) financial and state financial aid programs and eases the transfer process should educational or life goals change.” Many graduate programs, too, require that students come from an accredited institution.

Perhaps the most important reason to participate in the process is that it provides us the opportunity to “self-review.” For all of us to come together — faculty, staff, administration, students — and ask ourselves “Who are we?” “What do we do?” How can we do it better?” It gives us a moment to take a good look at the big picture, see where we’re going next and how to get there.

We’ll get the accreditation team’s final report in the summer and we are, of course, hoping for the maximum 10-year reaccreditation. For now, I can tell you this. Our UH-MC ‘ohana represented our institution and our community at large in a way that made us all extremely proud.

It took 18 months to prepare for this review. The yeoman’s work for the visit was carried by our deans, faculty coordinator and their support staff. I have experienced accreditation visits before but this visit was the most well organized I have ever been part of.

Maui Nui is special. UHMaui College is special. And that was noticed by the review team. Our campus looked beautiful both inside and out. Hokulani Holt and Luana Kawa‘a organized a beautiful Kipaepae (welcoming protocol). Seeing 30 participants in their kihei and welcoming our guests in the traditional Hawaiian way with ‘oli was particularly moving. There were displays of our students’ work — from mannequins dressed in fashion from our design students to exhibits of paintings and ceramics. One of the members of the review team asked for an impromptu tour and our student government president never missed a beat and took him on one. The team was able to review some of our students’ capstone projects and see videos of students in action. And, of course, they enjoyed a delicious lunch prepared by our talented Culinary Arts Program students and their dedicated chef instructors.

Members of the review team remarked on how overwhelmed they were by the hospitality, collaboration and how much pride students, faculty and staff take in being part of UH-Maui College.

Most important for us is that it was very clear to them how much UH-MC is a part of the community and how much Maui Nui is a part of us.

Just before the review team returned to the Mainland, they left us with some recommendations. They said we need to work on enrollment, expanding our high impact practices, closing the achievement gap between Native Hawaiian and other students and refining the assessment of how learning relates to job placement. They also left us with commendations. They praised our support of our community, our success in collaboration and guiding institutional practices, our support services and student engagement, our community and transparency. They and we think the future of UH-Maui College is bright.

For complete information about UH-MC, please visit maui.hawaii.edu/.

Apply now at maui.hawaii .edu/apply/. Registration for fall 2022 classes is now open.

Dr. Lui K. Hokoana is chancellor of the University of Hawaii Maui College. Ka‘ana Mana‘o, which means “sharing thoughts,” appears on the fourth Saturday of each month. It is prepared with assistance from UH Maui College staff and is intended to provide the community of Maui County information about opportunities available through the college at its Kahului campus and its education centers.