Latest news with #WendyHensel
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
UH Mānoa students celebrate 2025 Spring Commencement
HONOLULU (KHON2) — Over 2,500 graduates participated in University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa's 2025 Spring Commencement ceremonies on May 17, with a ceremony in the morning and another in the afternoon. Graduates walked in the commencements at the Stan Sheriff Center and were joined by thousands of UH Mānoa community members, including friends, family, faculty and staff. Hawaiʻi Island nurses hold informational picket The commencement featured Olympic gold medalist and five-time world champion surfer Carrissa Moore as this year's speaker, and also marked UH President Wendy Hensel's inaugural commencement. 'It is such a special time of year, always, but really so this year since it's my first as president of the system,' Hensel said. 'And seeing the joy on the faces of our graduates and the excitement about the future is just unmatched.'UH West Oʻahu was the first UH campus to have a commencement on May 10, with UH Mānoa and UH Hilo marking the final set of commencements on May 17. For graduates, commencement is a time to reflect on the past several years of their life, and the hard work they put into getting their degree. 'UH Mānoa has given me so many opportunities from internships to student work opportunities and just being able to get immersed into my passions and what I like to do, and I'm just overall so grateful for everything,' 2025 graduate McKenzie Kurosu said. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
University of Hawaii continues search for Athletics Director
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The University of Hawaii is prepared to offer a significant pay increase to its next athletics director as the school prepares to join the Mountain West Conference as a full-time member next year. AARP: Kupuna who travel more may live longer UH President Wendy Hensel said the salary range for the position will be between $375,000 and $500,000 annually, with relocation expenses and potential bonuses included. Hensel said the higher compensation is necessary to attract the right candidate for the job.'We've seen a strong response from the community, which reflects the appeal of this position — and that's great,' Hensel said. 'We're still on track to complete this hire in the summer, but if it takes longer to find the right person, we'll take that time.' The position became vacant after former athletics director Craig Angelos was fired in December. He was earning about $350,000 a year at the time of his dismissal. University officials confirmed that Angelos has reapplied for the role. Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news While Hensel described the current applicant pool as 'robust,' no additional names or details were released. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-05-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
UH risks losing $78 million in federal research funds due to cuts
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The University of Hawaii is bracing for a significant financial hit as federal budget cuts begin to take effect. YMCA raising awareness and supporting Water Safety In a report to the Board of Regents on Thursday, UH President Wendy Hensel said the university expects to lose more than $78 million in federal research funding due to recent grant cancellations and suspensions. According to Hensel, 76 federal grants have been affected — either canceled, placed on hold or ordered to cease work. Of those, 65 have been fully university received more than $615 million in federal research funding during fiscal year 2024. 'Through it all, it's always important to say again, our values remain unchanged,' Hensel said. 'We remain steadfast in our commitment to accessible education, academic freedom, and the pursuit of knowledge and service to Hawaii and the world.' Download the free KHON2 app for iOS or Android to stay informed on the latest news Hensel said the university expects to have a clearer understanding of the budget impact by August. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
University of Hawaii braces for potential job losses, funding cuts
HONOLULU (KHON2) — The University of Hawaii (UH) is bracing for potential job losses and significant funding cuts following recent changes in federal policies. UH President Wendy Hensel addressed these concerns during an open forum held today, where she discussed how the new federal directives could impact the university system's 10 campuses across the state. Lawmakers drill UH President and Board on budget requests The university operates on a budget of $1.3 billion, with $636 million coming from the state, $410 million from tuition, and $370 million from federal funding. However, Hensel warned that with the new federal policies in place, as many as 2,500 jobs could be at risk. This represents a significant portion of the university's 16,000 employees. In addition to potential job cuts, critical programs could be affected, including technical training at community colleges, initiatives serving Native Hawaiians, and biomedical research efforts. Hensel emphasized that biomedical research, which often leads the way in drug development, vaccine creation, and disease prevention, is especially at risk.'We don't want to quantify what's going to happen with biomedical research, but clearly it's at risk,' Hensel said. 'Nobody predicted, that I know of, that we would be having this kind of conversation. This is the kind of research that's usually at the top of the list. But if the NIH cap going forward persists, it will have serious implications for our biomedical research.' Biomedical research at UH includes critical work in testing new drugs, developing vaccines, and finding ways to prevent or cure diseases—efforts that could be severely hindered by the loss of federal funding. Check out more news from around Hawaii To provide ongoing updates and support during this uncertain time, UH has launched a 'Federal Policy Update Resource Page' to keep students, faculty, and staff informed about developments and to offer guidance on how to navigate the changes. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
09-03-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
University of Hawaii offers free AI training, certification
The University of Hawaii has partnered with Google to offer students and faculty across all 10 campuses free access to an online training course in artificial intelligence, Google's 'AI Essentials, ' which also certifies anyone who completes it. The 'AI Essentials ' course, part of the Google Career Certificate program, was first offered by UH in February. It takes about five hours to complete and teaches efficient and responsible use of AI. The online course allows people to work at their own pace using their UH username and password. According to a news release, the Google Career Certificate program offers a foot in the door to employment with over 150 companies that consider Google Career Certificate graduates for roles related to their certifications. 'This is a valuable opportunity for our community to develop in-demand AI skills and stay ahead in today's rapidly evolving technological landscape, ' UH President Wendy Hensel said in a news release announcing the program. Hawaii Lt. Gov. Sylvia Luke said that learning about AI goes beyond keeping up with new technology. 'It's about giving young Hawaii residents the competitive edge they need to thrive in today's economy, ' Luke said in the release. Don 't miss out on what 's happening ! Stay in touch with breaking news, as it happens, conveniently in your email inbox. It 's FREE ! Email 28141 Sign Up By clicking to sign up, you agree to Star-Advertiser 's and Google 's and. This form is protected by reCAPTCHA. More than 350, 000 people across the country have received certifications through the Google Career Certificate program. Over 70 % of those who complete a Google course report positive career outcomes including a new job, promotion or raise within six months of certificate completion, according to the release. 'Google is committed to helping students throughout Hawaii prepare for some of today's most in-demand jobs, ' Lisa Gevelber, the founder of Grow with Google, said in the release. UH Manoa communications professor Jenifer Sunrise Winter took the course right away 'because I was curious, ' she told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser. As someone who specializes in internet ethics and policy related to personal data and AI use, Winter said she wanted to get a firsthand look at the Google course. After completing 'AI Essentials, ' Winter believes a more detailed lesson on AI ethics is needed to caution users about sharing personal information when using AI. 'My research looks at the ways that we leak personal data through our everyday activities, ' she said. 'It's very easy to be seduced by it and not realize that there could be consequences if people aren't careful with how they interact with generative AI.' Winter said she found the course to be generally informative on how to use AI for things like spreadsheets and increasing work productivity, so she wouldn't discourage others from taking the course. 'I don't think it's wrong that the university offered the course, ' she said. 'People will need to know these things. I just wish there was a more widespread critical discussion.' Garret Yoshimi, UH's vice president for information technology and chief information officer, was one of the first to test the course before it became available to students, staff and faculty. He said UH partnering with Google will give students the chance to learn more about how AI can be used as a tool in their education and future careers. 'The opportunity to put AI essentials in front of all of our community was something really good for us to launch, ' he said.'We're still early in the process, but I think we've seen some really good adoption of the basic training. It's helping to advance our project work across the board.' Yoshimi supports Winter's call for more conversation around protecting personal information and ethical use of AI. 'I totally agree with Jenifer that we need to continue that broad education process to make sure people are aware of not just the benefits, but the things we should be cautious about, ' he said, noting the course does offer a few sections focusing on privacy and security. To promote AI ethics awareness, Yoshimi said UH officials are reviewing a policy for how to responsibly use AI. As AI becomes more integrated into everyday life—with tools like Google's Gemini offering text suggestions and summaries through browser extensions—concerns are growing about the environmental impact of its high energy consumption. Dana Alden, the William R. Johnson Jr. Distinguished Professor in the marketing department at the UH Shidler College of Business, understands concerns about AI's environmental costs. 'The 'dirty energy' sources used to power AI are very impactful, ' he said. 'I think it's very important that we go about using renewable energy sources as quickly as possible, using solar and wind-generated energy to electrify AI.' When he's not teaching, Alden works as editor-in-chief of the Journal of Sustainable Marketing and thinks AI could assist in climate research. 'It also has the potential to help us tremendously in terms of managing climate change, ' Alden said. 'A lot of scientists are using it now to map and track changes in phenomena, such as the Gulf Stream, due to things like global warming.' Alden also is aware of the potential for plagiarism when AI is used to generate reports and other information. 'If we can learn more about it we'll be able to better understand where to draw the line between using it as a resource and plagiarism, ' he said. While he hasn't taken Google's 'AI Essentials ' course himself, Alden thinks it's a good opportunity for learning. 'Kudos to UH for offering free training, ' he said. 'I'm nothing but supportive.'—Free AI training University of Hawaii staff, faculty and students can take the free Google 'AI Essentials ' course by accessing the UH at and follow enrollment instructions.
