Hawaii Tribune-Herald Sunday, March 6, 2016 7 UNIVERSITY TOWN nearly 900 international participants to the Hilton Waikoloa. The chairperson of the local organizing committee was a University of Hawaii faculty member, and university students assisted with the implementation of the event. With businesses such as Facebook, Google and Microsoft participating in the VLDB conference, University of Hawaii students were provided an unprecedented opportunity to interact with these potential employers. In 2016, the UHHCC will coordinate several events on Hawaii Island, including the annual conference of the Hawaii State Association of Counties and the inaugural International Symposium on Agritourism. These events once again will provide the University of Hawaii at Hilo the opportunity to showcase our Hawaii Island campus, students and faculty. Along with conferences and events, the UHHCC also hosts the Hawaiian EDventure program, created in 1990 to provide and promote authentic, experiential educational travel programs to perpetuate an understanding of the natural and cultural resources that are so rich on this island. These programs also serve as a means to introduce the University of Hawaii at Hilo to prospective local, national and international students. Our students, faculty and staff have generously shared their time with program participants to provide a perspective of Hawaii Island that they would not have received otherwise. In January this year, we collaborated with Hawaii County Councilman Dennis “Fresh” Onishi to host 20 students from Hawaii County’s sister county, Gokseong, South Korea. In the coming year, we plan to garner more partnerships on campus and in the community to expand the breadth of these programs. The UHHCC will be working with the University of Hawaii at Hilo English Language Institute to offer shortterm programs for international students that combine an English as a Second Language curriculum with educational experiences outside the classroom tied to a better understanding of our unique island resources. Programs scheduled for spring 2016 include students from Vermont, New Zealand and Japan. The University of Hawaii at Hilo has the distinction of having the most ethnically diverse student body in the United States. Coupled with our diverse landscape, we have one of the best opportunities to provide place-based, authentic experiential learning. Through our programs, we hope to enrich the lives of our students and community, where the appreciation of Hawaii Island, our university and our island citizens is shared on a global platform. Lisa Hadway is director of the UH-Hilo Conference Center and Hawaiian EDventure. Kaisei Mochizuki, 10, gets his shirt and a photo signed by astronaut Koichi Wakata of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency during Astronaut Ellison Onizuka Science Day in January 2015 at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. HOLLYN JOHNSON/ Tribune-Herald file photo CONNECTS From page 3
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