Hirono Announces Nearly $3.2 Million For Native Hawaiian Serving Educational Institution

US Senator Mazie Hirono of Hawaiʻi announced nearly $3.2 million in federal funding for Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions in Hawaiʻi, including a portion of funds which will go to the University of Hawaiʻi Maui College in Kahului.

Maui funding includes the following:

• Maui’s funding includes a half-a-million dollars to promote shifts in institutional infrastructure through extramural projects, research and student-based programs.  Activities include solar panel installation and training, support for a Shared Service Center, and financial literacy training and workshops for students.
• An additional $450,000 will support a new student intake process that includes a needs assessment to address barriers for students, culturally-based training for students on financial literacy, creative course scheduling, financial aid planning, career preparation and work experience opportunities for students.

Provided through the US Department of Education’s Alaska Native and Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions program, the funding will support several different projects to improve and expand programs for Native Hawaiian students to promote college completion and success.

“At a time when colleges and students are preparing for a new school year during a pandemic, this funding provides schools with resources to support Native Hawaiian students as they pursue their degrees. I will fight for additional robust funding for this program so that Native Hawaiian students are connected and supported throughout their education,” Senator Hirono said.

Earlier this year, Congress passed the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act, which included $1 billion for MSIs, including ANNHSIs, and $22.2 million for ANNHSIs in Hawaiʻi. More recently, in May, Senator Hirono signed a letter with 18 colleagues requesting an additional $1 billion in emergency funding for these institutions.

Other individual projects supported by the funding across the state include:

Chaminade University ($450,000): Project activities will provide support for a new Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) program to address student demand for health-related professional degrees, the community’s need for more advanced practical nurses with DNP degrees, and the university’s mission.

UH Hilo ($447,767): Project activities will support the success of Native Hawaiian students through leadership development, campus and community engagement, and Native Hawaiian language, culture, and knowledge learning pathways, while specifically focusing on returning students, transfer students, and students enrolled in Hawaiian language and culture courses.

Honolulu Community College ($450,000): Project activities will support coordinated workshops and field trips that connect students to experts in aina (land) and ola pono (personal health and wellbeing), create collaborative learning pathways for new students, provide mentors for student cohorts on campus, and promote peer mentorship.

Kapiʻolani Community College ($449,963): Project activities will strengthen engagement, reenrollment, academic achievement, and student support across multiple pedagogical strategies and increase Native Hawaiian students’ access to financial support.

Windward Community College ($449,470): Project activities will create a foundation for students centered on traditional Native Hawaiian career pathways and education, with a focus on work-based learning—including through a speaker series, curricular impact, and creation of an education pathway. Separately, activities will also develop systematic career education focused on financial literacy training and work-based learning opportunities, including through campus-based positions.

Pilina Building on the UH Maui College campus where the MFIC will be housed. Courtesy photo.