Chaminade University of Honolulu

Business & Communication

Guest Speaker Touts Hawaii as Leader in Eldercare Solutions

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Hawaii “has a unique and critical role to play” in achieving a comprehensive solution to America’s “elder boom,” according to Ai-Jen Poo, director of the National Domestic Workers Alliance and co-director of the Caring Across Generations Campaign.

The social activist, named one of Time Magazine’s “100 Most Influential People” in 2012, spoke on campus Feb. 15 at a public policy forum presented by Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurs Program.

Every eight seconds, someone living in the United States turns 65, Poo pointed out. And this phenomenon is particularly striking in the rapidly graying Aloha State, where residents enjoy the longest lifespans in America.

Poo emphasized that this demographic trend is a blessing because seniors have more time to spend with their friends and loved ones. But the massive number of retiring Baby Boomers also poses a significant challenge, she cautioned, because America’s eldercare infrastructure is woefully inadequate.

Eldercare professionals typically earn just $13,000 annually, Poo said, thus forcing many to seek other employment. And because about 75 percent of American workers make less than $50,000 per year, they often struggle with the steep cost of caring for aging relatives.

Representing a bold step forward, according to Poo, are the “Kupuna Care” bills (SB534 and HB607) under consideration by the Hawaii State Legislature. These measures would provide up to $70 a day for the respite that family caregivers need to stay fully active in the workforce while caring for their kupuna at home.

If passed by the legislature and signed into law by the governor, the Kupuna Care Program could help pay for homemaking services, adult day care, transportation to doctor appointments, etc. This would allow seniors to continue “aging in place” at home, while postponing or avoiding the transition to far more expensive institutional settings.

Caring for one’s elders is “part of the DNA of this state and this culture,” Poo concluded. And that means Hawaii could serve as an outstanding model for the rest of the nation.

Additional information on the Kupuna Care Program is available at care4kupuna.com.

Chaminade Accounting Students Provide Free Tax Preparation Service

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Chaminade accounting majors took on a taxing challenge this January.  They studied carefully IRS publications and forms, took federal exams, and got themselves certified by the IRS to do tax returns and give advice on budgeting strategies.  Referred to as “the Chaminade tax gang,” these certified students are led across the island by their Chaminade accounting professor, Wayne Tanna, in the pro bono preparing of tax returns for the needy. Each student will do a minimum of four tax returns (many do more) as part of Tanna’s service-learning accounting class project.

Tanna and various other accounting faculty have been offering this service-learning project since the 1980s. This is one of Chaminade’s longest running service-learning projects, started before the university referred to it as service-learning.

Tanna shared some numbers.  Consider that the average tax return preparation fee at a commercial tax preparer is close to $300.  Of course, there are computer programs, which need computers and servers, which also cost money.  Consider that the Chaminade tax gang work with the working poor and the working homeless, people who are due refunds but are intimidated by federal forms, are not familiar with the intricacies of ,say, Earned Income Credit (EIC), or do not have a computer, and just do not have the funds to otherwise file for refunds. The Chaminade students are able to assist these people in taking care of their legal and civic duties as U.S. citizens (i.e. filing their taxes) and then receive refunds. With their certifications, the Chaminade students can also provide basic tax and budget planning information. In the past, refunds to the needy have helped make ends meet or get some off the streets with enough money for rental deposits.

“By my count, we have helped the community to receive over $7,000,000 in tax refunds and credits over the past 25 years that I have been doing this with my classes.  We have also saved the working poor and homeless communities hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees that again they cannot and really should not have to pay,” said Tanna.

The newest “Chaminade tax gang” engaged with clients for the first time this year on January 29, at the State Capitol, partnering with VITA Hawaii.  To qualify for the free service, clients had to have household incomes of less than $55,000.  Walk-ins were welcomed in between scheduled appointments on a first come, first served basis.  According to Tanna, his students will have 18 additional opportunities to prepare taxes.  From Kalihi and Waianae to Palolo Valley and Ewa, there would be people to serve and numbers to crunch. His students remained eager to serve with calculators in hand.

“We do this as it is the best way to connect academic learning to the actual practice (of accounting) AND to demonstrate civic engagement as a part of our Marianist traditions,” Tanna remarked.

For more information on how to get free tax help in Hawaii, visit VITA Hawaii.

Developing Leadership through Historical Context

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Six Dickinson College students flew from Carlisle, Pennsylvania to Honolulu this winter to join six Chaminade University students for a 5-day intensive leadership seminar. The seminar, taught by Dickinson professor, Jeff McCausland, Ph.D., used the attack on Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, as a historical case study to examine enduring concepts of leadership and organizational theory.

McCausland with Alaka’ina Foundation vice president of Pacific Operations, Roy J. Panzarella, Ph.D. spearheaded the opportunity for the 12 students. Thanks to sponsor, Alaka’ina Foundation, and Chaminade University, the Chaminade students participated for free.  The Foundation also provided a dinner for the group on one of the evenings. For the Foundation, supporting the Pearl Harbor Leadership Seminar matched its goal of developing a new generation of leaders.

The twelve students participated in an overview workshop on the first day and continued formal discussions and exercises from January 9-13. They reflected daily on the meaning of the places visited with efforts focused on connecting leadership concepts and principles discussed.

The core question asked daily was the “so what?” question as it pertained to leadership concepts and individual or organizational development.  Students pondered over the power of assumptions, leading in a crisis, the value of diversity, organizational culture and change, resilience and effective communications.

The group hiked up to Diamond Head observation point and to Opana Point at Turtle Bay. They visited the Tropic Lightening Museum, Schofield Barracks, Wheeler Airfield, and Hickam Harbor. They solemnly toured Pearl Harbor WWII Valor in the Pacific National Monument, its museum, and the Arizona Memorial. They took in the USS Bowfin Museum and then a nuclear submarine at the U.S. Submarine Command Pacific – a juxtaposition of past and present technology. They also made it to Punchbowl National Cemetery, the Pacific Aviation Museum, Ford Island, and the USS Missouri. In addition, the group spent an evening at Polynesian Cultural Center, as a valuable opportunity to understand diversity and culture. Learning to appreciate cultural diversities and geographic differences (Atlantic Coast meets Pacific Islands), the students strengthened their team’s capacities to work together on various exercises.

Gabriel Torno, a graduate student with Chaminade’s Hogan Entrepreneurs program, found the week to be of exceptional value. He wrote that the experience gave him unique insight of leadership concepts as he took in the historic events of Pearl Harbor. “The attack on Pearl Harbor is an excellent case study for the program. I learned more about the concepts of challenging assumptions and organizational culture,” Torno reflected.  “Some high points for me was the overall visitation of Opana Point at Turtle Bay as a vehicle that ignited World War II and our last visit to the USS Missouri that concluded the war.”  Torno also found the group’s visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center to be meaningful in exploring the concept of diversity.

On Friday, Pacific Forum CSIS prepared for the students a special half-day event, which focused on leadership for the future.  Jim Kelly, the former assistant secretary of State, and Pacific Forum officials, spoke to the students on the future of United States leadership in the Pacific. The Pacific Forum CSIS provides timely, informative, and innovative analysis of political, security, and strategic developments in the Asia-Pacific region.

Steeped in history and informed of future projections, the students made connections with the past, present, and future. They considered the mindsets of the major players of a historic event and now had a leadership framework for their future use.

Chaminade Business Professors Spearhead Molokai Nonprofit Seminar

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Chaminade Business professors, Richard Kido, Wayne Tanna and Aaron Williamson, flew to Molokai on a Saturday in mid-December to hold a day-long nonprofit seminar for residents.  For the three professors, it was an opportunity to do community service using their gifts and talents. The material had been well-received and meaningful for last year’s participants. So they gladly volunteered to return for a second year, responding to the Molokai Island Foundation’s request.

Thanks to the foundation, the seminar and refreshments were offered for free. Nonprofit executives and board members and anyone interested in starting a nonprofit were encouraged to attend.   Held in the Office of Hawaiian Affairs Conference Room in Kaunakakai, Molokai, the seminar provided a rare networking opportunity for local nonprofit people to meet, as well as the chance to be updated on relevant tax changes.

Similar to the Honolulu seminar annually offered in September by Chaminade’s School of Business, the Molokai seminar offered guidance through the tricky maze of tax compliance for nonprofits and a review of the categories and governing instruments for tax-exempt organizations. Also covered were compliance law changes, and handouts were provided.

Hogan Entrepreneurs Discover Asian Business Sense

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Adventures in China and India

Students in the Hogan Entrepreneurs program have been trekking off on business and cultural study missions to China since 2005 and to India since 2010. Their experiences are often life-changing. In 2016, the Hogan program did it again. Nearly a dozen Hogan students took the opportunity this past summer to learn more about the cultural and entrepreneurial aspects of these two emerging global giants.

China

Business professor, Caryn Callahan Ph.D., and eight students from the Hogan Entrepreneurs programs traveled through China from June 10-July 6 staying in Beijing for one week, in Shanghai for two weeks, and in Hong Kong for four days. They also took a day tour to Macau.

Beginning in Beijing, the group made several company visits and listened to presentations.  They visited the upscale wine company, Dragon Seal Winery, and learned about the booming Chinese wine industry.  They visited the Munich Reinsurance Company and learned about the challenges that a foreign-capitalized firm encounters when attempting to penetrate the Chinese financial service industry.

While still in Beijing, they visited important historical and cultural sites such as the Forbidden City and Tiananmen Square. The students toured a hutong (traditional neighborhood), visited a home and shared a meal at the kitchen table with the local family living there.

“It was awesome to sit in the family’s kitchen and to eat their traditional Chinese food,” wrote Alexa Shah, Chaminade senior and business major. “I really enjoyed this dinner because I got to see how an average family lives.  Their lives were so simple, but they seemed so happy.”

Students also visited Shanghai, as well as made weekend day trips to Wuzhen water town and the city of Hangzhou.

For Hogan students, Ana Acuna, Chantelle Aguilar, Ave Galeai, Brianna Georgia, Carlos Gutierrez, Judy Ng, Alexa Shah and Haelee Tallett, the business highlight of their China trip was participating in two-week internships with major entrepreneurial companies. The Hogan program had found these Beijing and Shanghai internships through its network of supporters in China and in Hawaii.

“The companies hosted the interns as an exercise in international goodwill, hoping to also expose their own employees to a more global environment by having the interns present for two weeks,” wrote Callahan.

India

After the China experience, students Acuna, Gutierrez, Ng and Tallet joined student Alilia Fataua in India.  The five students accompanied by and Ginger Miller, assistant to the Hogan director, traveled through India from July 6-22, visiting Bangalore, Mysore, New Delhi and Agra. They toured cultural sites and learned about India’s history and traditions. They visited business companies in each location as well.

The group received special presentations and tours from major corporations, traditional industrial businesses, silk fabric producers, a hotel and restaurant conglomerate, and small businesses.

“One lesson that I learned was that in India, anything can be a business,” wrote Judy Ng, a senior accounting major. “Wherever there is a problem or need, a business can be made to solve it.  Entrepreneurship is alive and well in India.”

The students visited nonprofit organizations as well as Karnataka Forensic Science Laboratories and the Bangalore Police Department. Gutierrez, a Hogan student who is also in Chaminade’s Forensic Sciences graduate program, was impressed by the educational level of their scientists but realized that they needed updated equipment.  “I was able to teach some of the new techniques and ideas to improve their lab procedures,” Gutierrez remarked. “My final words are for the Hogan Program. Thanks for this incredible opportunity.  I made new contacts and potentially new customers for my up and coming business.  I also learned how to help the nonprofit organizations that we visited.”

Miller considered the trip to be a successful learning experience for the students and herself. During their trip, they met with CEOs and managers from more than 13 Indian companies, as well as visited the various cultural sites of four major cities.  The India trip broadened the students’ views on entrepreneurial and business skills and stretched them beyond their comfort zones.

Dean of the School of Business and Communication Recognized For His Volunteer Work

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Betty White (Head of School, Sacred Hearts), Scott Schroeder and Koreen Nakahodo
Betty White (Head of School, Sacred Hearts), Scott Schroeder and Koreen Nakahodo

The Association of Fundraising Professionals (AFP), Aloha Chapter recognized Chaminade’s School of Business and Communication dean, Scott Schroeder, Ph.D. as one of its 2016 Volunteers in Philanthropy (VIPs).  Annually, AFP invites nonprofit organizations to honor a special volunteer and recognize their distinguished service. These dedicated individuals are called “Volunteers in Philanthropy” or VIPs by AFP. Schroeder was honored by Sacred Hearts Academy for having served faithfully as chair of the Academic Affairs Committee of the Sacred Hearts Board of Directors.