Dr. Janet Davidson knew Chaminade’s Center for Teaching and Learning was doing something right when one of the University’s longest-serving faculty members showed up for a seminar on how to create more engaging online courses.
“We are a teaching university,” said Davidson, who took on the University’s newly created role as associate provost for academic affairs in 2017. “Our faculty really want to improve the delivery of their material to their students. There’s a hunger for it.”
In fact, some 82 percent of full-time faculty and adjunct lecturers at Chaminade participated in some type of programming at the center within the first two years, through Sept. 30, 2017. Offerings ranged from structured courses to leisurely learning tours.
In her administrative role, Davidson oversees the center and other faculty development opportunities along with institutional accreditation. She’s also held onto her position as a criminology and criminal justice professor — it was important for her to keep a foot in the classroom “to remember what it means to have those daily deliverables.”
Under her leadership, the Center for Teaching and Learning has moved to a permanent space, expanded programming and brought on new team members.
Dr. Mary Therese Perez Hattori, center director, started in September 2017 after previously serving as outreach director at the University of Hawai‘i at Manōa’s Center for Pacific Islands Studies and in faculty development at Kapiolani Community College.
Hattori said she’s been heartened by the drive among Chaminade faculty — across academic fields and at all stages of their careers — to improve their teaching practice.
“To me, that’s remarkable,” she said.
Davidson agrees, and said the center, whose programming is all geared around how to help students achieve, has become a special place for faculty on campus.
“As faculty members … you are trained in your discipline, but not in the art of teaching,” she said. The center “is really a place that faculty can come together for both formal and informal activities — reflect on their own practices and struggles.”
The center offers a host of seminars, including those on culturally appropriate teaching, student engagement, and improved testing. It also offers grant-writing support and hosts faculty-led talks that have covered everything from how to use social media as a teaching tool to the power of service learning and study abroad in engaging students.
The center actually formally launched at Chaminade in 2015. It’s been growing steadily since then, and got a permanent space in January 2017.
Dr. Helen Whippy, Chaminade Provost, said the center also practices what it preaches. Hattori and her team are always looking to build on their own skills to improve professional development programming and they’re seeking out new ways to further Chaminade’s vision and to bolster student achievement.
“We know that the more faculty development there is, the better the academic outcomes for our students will be,” Whippy said. “Our goal is not only to help better prepare today’s students, but ensure we’re continually improving teaching practice at Chaminade to be ready for tomorrow’s challenges and opportunities.”
For Davidson, the next priorities for the center are expanding professional development offerings around “culturally sustaining” teaching and learning and looking for ways to measure the impact of professional development on student success.
At the core of all the work the center does, she added, is an appreciation that Chaminade faculty share a common goal: To help students thrive. “There truly is a sense of ‘ohana here,” she said. “Faculty and staff really try to live up to the mission.”
Chaminade Brings Aloha to Northern California
Earlier this month Chaminade brought the aloha spirit to San Jose, California. On July 1, alumni, family, friends, and even current and future Chaminade students came together for the Annual Sizzling Summer Northern California Gathering. President Dr. Lynn Babington, Vice President for Advancement, Diane Nguyen-Peters, Director of Alumni Relations, Be-Jay Kodama and a few Board of Governors were all in attendance.
Hosted by Chaminade Board of Governor, Joe Melehan and his wife, Celeste, the afternoon provide past, present and future Chaminade students a chance to meet Dr. Babington and discuss all the great things happening at Chaminade today. Alumni reconnected with old classmates, met new alumni, and many of them had the opportunity to introduce their families to Chaminade for the first time. Current students had the opportunity to hear stories from alumni about their Chaminade experiences and the ways in which Chaminade helped them get to where they are today.
Beyond the opportunity to share stories, the afternoon included mingle bingo, to help break the ice, and lei making.
Chaminade University Receives $1.5 Million Gift for Student Leadership Development Program
A signature, four-year program for undergraduates — made possible with a $1.5 million gift from the Marianist Province of the United States — is slated to launch at Chaminade in fall 2018.
The Marianist Center for Leadership Development will stress learning and community building opportunities aimed at helping students grow as lifelong learners, civic-minded members of society — and leaders.
And it will be uniquely place-based, incorporating Marianist, Catholic and Hawaiian values and the principles of ethical leadership.
Dr. Lynn Babington, Chaminade president, noted that the university already counts it as its mission to teach ethical leaders today.
To accomplish that vision, Chaminade sponsors a number of leadership opportunities for students, from peer tutoring to student ambassador programs and from athletics to ministry.
Those programs, university administrators say, offer a strong foundation for Chaminade as it prepares to launch the new center, which aims to:
- Offer undergraduates a differentiated growth opportunity.
- Place experiential learning and civic engagement as the focal point of a rich course of study that will introduce students to a variety of leadership theories.
- And encourage participants to practice effective leadership in their own communities.
The program, Babington said, “is all about development.”
“The Marianist Center for Student Leadership will deliver a core set of content and experiences through which students will learn about leadership models and develop the skills they need to positively impact and transform the world around them,” she said.
And it will foster new connections among diverse groups of students.
Participants in the program will bring different scholarly interests, ways of viewing the world, and opinions about what ethical leadership looks like. They’ll also bring different ideas about how to carry it out.
“It’s not enough in this day and age to know how to lead. You must know how to lead ethically,” said Father Martin Solma, SM, provincial of the Marianist Province of the United States. “Effective, ethical leadership is central to creating a more peaceful world for all.”
Of course, Chaminade celebrates a strong Marianist heritage that dates to the University’s founding. Those values will prove central at the new leadership center.
Students who complete the center’s four-year program will also earn a certificate of leadership development, and they’ll be versed on differing leadership models thanks to hands-on learning and assessments.
The center will be directed by Chaminade’s vice president for mission.
Read Dr. Lynn Babington’s Pacific Business News Interview here.
They Put the Student in Student-Athlete
Chaminade University placed a record-93 Silverswords on the Academic All-Pacific West Conference Team, the conference announced Monday.
It’s the second straight year and the third time in the last four that Chaminade has broken its record of academic all-conference honorees. All 10 of the department’s athletic teams had at least 57 percent of their rosters attain Academic All-PacWest honors.
For large roster sports (11 or more student-athletes), women’s volleyball placed 13 of its 14 rostered players eligible for academic all-conference kudos on the team while women’s soccer had 18 of its 23 eligible players make the list.
For small roster sports (10 or less), women’s cross country attained perfection. All six of their runners who were eligible for academic all-conference honors made the list. Men’s cross country (six on the roster), and men’s golf (6) had all but one qualify.
A total of 1,804 student-athletes in the conference were named Academic All-PacWest, breaking the conference record set last year.
To be recognized as Academic All-PacWest, student-athletes must have a minimum career grade point average of 3.00, have completed two semesters at their current institution and competed in at least one regular season game or competition. Chaminade competes in 10 of the conference’s 15 sponsored sports.
Congratulations to all our student-athletes who was named to the Academic All-Pacific West Conference Team!
Chaminade Brings Lesson Into the Classroom for Teachers to Shine
Melodie Tafao lives the saying “busy as a bee.”
She just earned her Master in Education (MEd) in Instructional Leadership from Chaminade University and also received the university’s prestigious “Outstanding Graduate” award. Her newly earned degree strengthens her role as a third grade teacher at St. Anthony School on Maui, where she’s been teaching for the past 11 years.
Educating her students while receiving her own education isn’t the only feat Tafao’s been tackling the past several years. She’s a wife to her husband, Mosi Tafao, and mother to Melia, 8, and Mosiah, 6. She also has a second career as a major in the U.S. Army Reserve, currently serving as commander for the 305th Mobile Public Affairs Detachment in Honolulu.
“It was definitely a challenge juggling all of my obligations and commitments,” she says. “It took me five years to complete this degree, and I am very blessed to have a supportive husband, family and friends that were willing to help when I needed time to study or have sessions with my instructors on Maui.”
Chaminade made undertaking a graduate degree while continuing her careers and family commitments a reality for Tafao. Her education was made possible through the Gift of Marianist Education. She says that although she was initially reluctant to enroll in the program because her son was only one at the time, she couldn’t pass up the opportunity.
“Chaminade University’s teaching program has helped me grow as a teacher,” she says. “The program and courses have taught me techniques, strategies and methods that help me to be an effective teacher. I’ve also learned some personal lessons throughout the program, like how to be more organized and prioritize and manage my time efficiently.”
Being based on Maui could have been a potential barrier to some seeking to further their education. But the program grouped other teachers from St. Anthony School into the same cohort. Together, the teachers learned big concepts in a small setting.
“One thing that stood out about the program was working with a small cohort of members from the same school community,” Tafao says. “Because of this closeness, I feel it made the program memorable and allowed me to gain a tremendous amount of insight while learning from instructors and fellow colleagues.”
Tafao says she really appreciated that the program allowed students to concurrently teach in their own classrooms, which made the assignments, discussions and research projects more practical.
“It wasn’t just another classroom environment where I read from education books and journals, had discussions and took exams,” she says. “It allowed me to apply what I learned, what was discussed and what I researched immediately with my students, my classroom and my school community.”
Tafao says she recommends this program to any teacher looking to strengthen their pedagogy.
“This type of cohort had a reasonable amount of online work and on-ground, face-to-face time with our instructors on Maui,” she says. “The courses were applicable in the classroom and taught me skills and techniques to be an effective teacher.”
Reflecting back on the entire experience, it was mostly positive. But as with life, there were obstacles and the hardest one was when her father passed away in May 2017 after battling cancer for three years. Tafao was taking her second to last course at the time and although it was difficult for her to stay focused while grieving his loss, she knew it’s what he would have wanted.
“I miss him dearly and wish he had been there to physically watch me receive this honor,” she says. “But I know he would have been proud.”
As Tafao continues teaching her students and serving in the military, she may not be done with her career goals yet.
“My most recent instructor, Dr. Hans Chun, mentioned a doctoral program,” Tafao said. “While I would like some time off, furthering my education and teaching skills through a state certification program and possibly a doctoral program may be in the future for me.”
The Master of Education program offers concentrations in Educational Leadership, which prepares candidates for administrative positions with an emphasis on K-12 schools; Instructional Leadership,which provides advanced knowledge of classroom practices for teachers and other educators not currently aspiring to become administrators; and Child Development, which offers advanced study of developmental theory, research and application.
Groundbreaking Ceremony for New State of the Art Training Center and Locker Rooms
On Friday, April 27 over 100 attendees, including faculty, staff, students, and donors, gathered together at the Mauka of McCabe Gym to celebrate the groundbreaking of the new Silversword Athletic Training Center and Locker Rooms. This groundbreaking represents the beginning of the second and final phase of facility enhancements to the university’s athletics program.
Whether it is starting practice before sunrise or staying at games late into the night, student athletes excel in commitment, dedication and hard work. Student athletes must keep up on their studies and maintain their fitness levels, all while balancing a travel schedule for away games. Student athletes deserve safe facilities which help them not only meet, but excel their goals. The new Silversword Athletic Training Center and Locker Rooms will provide student athletes and visiting teams with a state of the art facility for training, playing and recovering.
During the groundbreaking ceremony men’s soccer student athlete, Avinash Singh, shared his thoughts on and appreciation for the new facility as well as Chaminade’s Athletics department, “I thank you for your support. I know that we might not always see the many ways that you cheer us on, but this locker room is more than just a building. It is a physical display of your dedication to us.”
The new Silversword Athletics Training Center and Locker Rooms will provide future students with a new and safe place to store their things, prepare for class after practice, train, and play. It will allow the Chaminade University Athletics Department to continue to grow and flourish.
Home to 10 NCAA athletic teams and over 140 student-athletes, Chaminade prides itself on an outstanding athletic department and understands the value of athletics beyond just the physical.
“Intercollegiate athletics is an important component of the student experience at Chaminade,” said President Dr. Lynn Babington during the groundbreaking ceremony. “As a Marianist, Catholic institution, we value the development of the whole person and athletics creates the opportunity for our students to not only excel in sports, but learn teamwork and leadership and provide school spirit to the campus.”
The new 6,500-square-foot facility is expected to be completed in Spring 2019.
Watch the KITV News coverage.