Coast Guard, UH Mānoa Sign Agreement Increasing Student Opportunities

The US Coast Guard signed a memorandum of agreement with the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa in July as part of the Coast Guard’s Minority-Serving Institutions Partnership Program for increased student opportunities.

The crews of the Coast Guard Cutters Kimball (WMSL 756) and Midgett (WMSL 757) transit past Dimond Head on Oʻahu, Hawaiʻi, Aug. 16, 2019. The Midgett and Kimball are both homeported in Honolulu and are two of the Coast Guard’s newest cutters to join the fleet. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew West/Released)

“This agreement reflects a new chapter in the strong bond between the Coast Guard and University of Hawai’i,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, commander Coast Guard 14th District.

“We are honored to be a part of the University of Hawai’i ‘ohana and look forward to greater engagement with students and faculty. Working together, we offer students and faculty an opportunity to learn about the Coast Guard and our important work in the Blue Pacific, and the Coast Guard seeks to strengthen our diverse and inclusive workforce through remarkable student scholarship programs.”

The partnership agreement is designed to optimize outreach and engagement efforts and have program participants work in conjunction with the Coast Guard’s overall civilian and military officer recruitment efforts.

“We are very excited about this partnership and the opportunities it will provide our students,” said UH Mānoa Provost Michael Bruno. “That includes additional options for financial assistance, academic choices and amazing career opportunities. The agreement also offers research opportunities for the university and the Coast Guard to explore.”

Central to this partnership is the Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative scholarship program that is available to students enrolled at minority serving institutions such as UH. There are currently four students enrolled in the program at UH Mānoa and two at UH Hilo.

UH Mānoa is one of 132 Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions nationwide participating in the CSPI program. There are currently 11 students enrolled in the CSPI program between Hawaiʻi and Guam, with more than half in the UH 10 campus system.