Chaminade University of Honolulu was founded in 1955 under the guidance of five Marianists eager to establish a Catholic institution of higher education in Hawaii. Initially, Chaminade started out as a two-year college, St. Louis Junior College, and welcomed thirty young men to the inaugural class. Within two years, the school expanded to a four-year, co-educational institution and changed its name to Chaminade College in honor of Father William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Society of Mary (Marianists). Chaminade expanded its services to the community in 1967 with the establishment of an evening session to serve adults with business, family, and military responsibilities who desired to pursue a college degree. In 1977, the university finalized its evolution, adding graduate programs to become Chaminade University of Honolulu. Currently, 26 undergraduate degrees, six graduate programs and five doctoral programs are available.
History of Our Campus
The iconic Spanish Mission-inspired buildings of Clarence T.C. Ching Hall, Eiben Hall and Henry Hall have sat prominently on the slopes of Kalaepohaku for nearly a century. Many features of our beautiful campus, like the E Komo Mai Circle and statue of Father Chaminade have been fixtures since the first students of Saint Louis School arrived in 1928. In the true spirit of our mission, the campus was called upon to serve the community during World War II. Classes were moved to nearby institutions and the campus was transformed into a temporary hospital, hosting the Army’s 147th General Hospital for five years. Classes resumed in January 1946 and welcomed the first class of college students in 1955. Over the past ten years, our campus has undergone a tremendous second transformation, expanding facilities and updating our technical infrastructure to include the Sullivan Family Library, Dr. and Mrs. Lawrence K.W. (BoHing Chan) Tseu Center for Nursing Education, and renovated science laboratories.