Chaminade University of Honolulu

Search

Campus and Community

Nonprofit Business Plan Competition 2022

by

Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and American Savings Bank are currently seeking entries in its Nonprofit Business Plan Competition. The competition, held every other year, is open to Hawaii nonprofit organizations looking to start new ventures that will benefit society. Finalists and winning nonprofits will receive grants ranging from $1,000 to $12,000 to support their proposals.

“We’re pleased to continue this important program that aims to stimulate public interest and support in nonprofit organizations and encourages excellence and innovation in socially-motivated entrepreneurs,” said Dr. Roy Panzarella, director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. “We are also grateful for American Savings Bank’s continued partnership.”

Applicants must submit a statement of intent by February 1, 2022, to participate in the competition. Among the competition’s requirements:

  • Applicants must be a new nonprofit organization (in operation less than 12 months prior to entry deadline), a new program of an existing nonprofit organization, or a new for-profit subsidiary of a nonprofit organization.
  • Applicants must be located in the state of Hawaii.
  • The proposed venture must be designed to benefit society, i.e., it must generate positive social outcomes.
  • Only one business plan may be submitted for review.

The deadline for business plans is March 8, 2022. Eight finalists will then be selected to give an in-person presentation on April 12, 2022.

Winners will be announced at an awards ceremony held at Chaminade University on April 27, 2022. Grants will be awarded to first place ($12,000), second place ($10,000) third place ($5,000) and fourth place ($3,000) winners. The remaining finalists will also receive $1,000 each.

For detailed information about the 2022 Nonprofit Business Plan Competition, click here to download the entry packet. The entry packet includes eligibility requirements, entry and review process, recognition and awards, evaluation criteria and FAQs, as well as a sample business plan outline.

# # #

Chaminade University’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Program is a one- or two-year certificate program. Students learn first-hand from experienced Hawaii business leaders and entrepreneurs about the business of getting a new idea up and running. This involves academic coursework, mentorships and internships with business leaders, weekly lectures, study trips, and programs like the nonprofit business plan competition. For more information, visit Chaminade.edu/hogan.

Years of Service Milestones

by

Chaminade faculty and staff gathered in early December to celebrate the end of the Fall Term as well as the holiday season.

The event kicked off with the Chaminade Christmas Parade where faculty and staff drove through campus showing off their creativity and holiday spirit with decorated carts and cars.

After the parade, dozens of faculty and staff were recognized by their colleagues and celebrated their years of service milestones.

Among those honored: Dr. Chitha Unni, professor of philosophy in the School of Humanities, Arts and Design, who has served at Chaminade for 55 years.

Steven Downey, audio/visual assistant in Client Services, was recognized for 35 years of service and will be retiring at the end of 2021 (we wish him a wonderful retirement). 

And two members of the University ‘ohana are celebrating 25 years at Chaminade. Hector Mamaclay of Facilities and Evelyn Sanqui of the Business Office.

The end-of-the-year festivities are also a time for reflection – as faculty and staff members celebrate the accomplishments of the past year and look ahead to the next year.

Here’s the full list of Chaminade employees celebrating years of service milestones:

5 Years of Service
Dr. Hans Chun
Dior-Ashton Donner
Lynn Haff
Stacey Higa
Dr. Frederique Kandel
Rachel Nagai
Stari Nakano
Julie Tupuola
Kurt Van Lue
Lydia Villoria-Thoulag

10 Years of Service
Eric Bovaird
Sheryl Dohm
Kevin Hashiro
James Kahalewai
Keawe Leong
Dr. Edna Magpantay-Monroe
Terry McCandliss-Dowdell
Dr. Christopher McNally
Guy Paio
Richard Sevilla
Maritel Suniga
Russell Thoulag
Dr. Claire Wright

15 Years of Service
Dr. Joel Kawakami
Hieu Nguyen
Teresita Palma
Dr. Elizabeth Park

20 Years of Service
Dr. Lilia Castle
Steven Hee
Dr. Regina Pfeiffer

25 Years of Service
Hector Mamaclay
Evelyn Sanqui

35 Years of Service
Steven Downey

55 Years of Service
Dr. Chitha Unni

Partnerships and $15M Grant to Improve Health and Wellbeing in Hawaii

by

Research has shown Native Hawaiians, Pacific Islanders, Filipinos and other medically underserved populations in Hawaii have disproportionately higher rates of physical ailments and mental health conditions. And the pandemic has only exacerbated those issues — and spotlighted a lack of community resources.

Addressing these health disparities will require everyone’s help.

That’s exactly the idea behind the newly-formed Center for Pacific Innovations, Knowledge and Opportunities (PIKO) — an innovative collaboration of Hawaii universities, including Chaminade, and organizations that will support critical areas of study and seek to turn research into positive change.

The National Institute of General Medical Sciences awarded the University of Hawaii PIKO a five-year, $15 million grant in which Chaminade University is a partner of the initiative. The funds will be distributed to researchers, especially those at the beginning of their careers, but will also go to professional development opportunities, outreach programming, and other opportunities.

The PIKO partnership includes the University of Hawaii at Manoa, Chaminade University and Hawaii Pacific University — along with the statewide network of organizations. PIKO is led by two UH professors: Dr. Joseph Keaweaimoku Kaholokula, who is chair of Native Hawaiian Health, and Dr. Neal Palafox, whose focus at the John A. Burns School of Medicine includes community health.

Kaholokula said PIKO is focused on improving the health and wellbeing of Hawaii’s people and supporting new research. “This is an unprecedented partnership and initiative in Hawaii to support talented junior researchers in doing culturally responsive and community-engaged research,” he said.

Faculty from Chaminade University who are part of this PIKO project include:

  • Dr. Jonathan Baker, assistant professor of Biology, who is one of the leads for tracking and evaluating the grant,
  • Dr. Rylan Chong, assistant professor of Data Science, who is the data science lead for the biostatistics, epidemiology and research design core, and
  • Dr. Claire Wright, an associate professor of Biology at Chaminade, is the lead who oversees the grant distribution and broadening the center’s reach.

Dr. Claire Wright said the pandemic has magnified the impacts of health disparities on underserved communities and underscored the need for action-oriented research.

“With this grant, we really wanted to focus on where the rubber meets the road,” she said.

In particular, the center and its partnering institutions will be working to recruit and fund more emerging researchers who come from the communities they hope to serve — and give them support along the way. There is also a strong emphasis on engaging community members, Wright said, by partnering with them for research projects and then communicating the results.

She added the center’s goals and the overall grant align with Chaminade’s mission to help build stronger, more resilient communities and to support projects that pursue social justice, peace and equity. “There is a lot of positive impacts you can make in this type of research,” Wright said.  

Funding for the first year of the grant is already rolling out, and projects for year two are being sought.

Wright said a call for abstracts is set for December.

She added that she’s optimistic about the positive impact the collaboration is poised to bring about and excited about the prospect of helping to develop more researchers—across a variety of disciplines—who are focused on addressing health disparities. Those researchers will in turn serve as mentors.

“At Chaminade, we have a close relationship with our students,” Wright said. “To be able to show more faculty entrenched in this kind of research, showing their students how they can help with their community, that’s a massive win for Chaminade and for changing their perspectives.”

Chaminade University Partners with United Nations

by

Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, and Dr. Lynn Babington, Chaminade President, signing the partnership agreement

Chaminade University is proud to announce an exciting new partnership with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) that will provide innovative leadership development opportunities in the islands and empower those working on community-building projects to maximize their impact.

The new UNITAR center at Chaminade is part of a global network of 21 other learning hubs worldwide.

The Chaminade center will offer education and training programs around key UN Sustainable Development Goals. The priorities for the center include climate action, advocating for the oceans, reducing inequalities, and developing programs that pursue peace, justice and strong institutions.

Dr. Lance Askildson, Chaminade provost, said the hub isn’t meant to supplant the work of other organizations in Hawaii but facilitate new conversations and bring together community stakeholders. It will also serve as a gathering place for forward-looking leadership development offerings.

“We want to engage young people. We want to engage thought leaders. We want to engage alumni,” Askildson said. “There is a tremendous amount of work to be done and everybody has a role. Our role is to do what we’ve always done: to educate young people and empower them to drive positive change.”

He added, “We are a convenor to bring people together.”

Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, chats with Chaminade students, faculty and staff

Askildson said the UN center is seen as an extension of Chaminade’s service-oriented mission and will put a special emphasis on inspiring and challenging students to make a positive difference in their communities with a host of unique opportunities — from individualized projects to internships.

The Experiential Honors Program at Chaminade will also be integrated with the center to maximize student engagement, and an ever-evolving sustainability curriculum will reflect student interests and needs.

The center plans to work closely with alumni and the Catholic network across Hawaii and the Pacific along with a long list of community partners — from the East-West Center to Hawaii Green Growth — to “stand on the shoulders of giants” and reach shared sustainability education goals.

“We are seeking to complement what other organizations are already doing well and not in any way duplicate or compete with good programs,” Askildson said. “One of the most important things we can do is engage with the private sector. They’re looking for ways to burnish their credentials in sustainability. They’re looking for partners who can help them with education.”

The United Nations officially invited Chaminade to establish and host the training center — whose reach includes the entire Pacific Islands region — in late 2020. The center falls under the CIFAL Global Network, a French acronym that translates to International Training Center for Local Authorities/Leaders.

Nikhil Seth, Executive Director of UNITAR, speaks to the Chaminade community

And in October, the University got the opportunity to host UN Institute for Training and Research Executive Director Nikhil Seth on campus. At a talk on campus, Seth said Chaminade was an “obvious choice when we were looking for partners in this part of the world” because of its stellar reputation, strong community partnerships, and decades of service in Hawaii and across the Pacific region.

“We want to have a bigger footprint. We want to touch the lives of many more people,” Seth said, adding that the center at Chaminade will serve as a “model for collaboration” and a place to spotlight those who share a common vision around the need for community-focused climate action.

While the center at Chaminade is still in its early days, Askildson is excited about what’s ahead.

One major upcoming planning item: Chaminade is poised to host the CIFAL Global Network annual meeting and conference in November 2022. Askildson said the event will undoubtedly bring in educators, changemakers and learners from across the globe — and across the state.

“The center is allowing us to capture a lot of the activity we’re already doing and then expand,” Askildson said. “It’s an opportunity to use that amplification and the banner of the United Nations.”

The Spirituality of Justice: Racism & Climate Change

by

Fr. Dan Horan speaking at the Mystical Rose Oratory during Chaminade's Marianist Lecture Series

The “Catholic response” to racism, climate change and other societal injustices — including those plaguing Hawaii communities — must be one centered in faith-based action that “ought to discomfit the comfortable, humble the powerful, and lift up the oppressed,” said noted author and speaker Fr. Dan Horan during a recent talk at Chaminade’s Mystical Rose Oratory for the Marianist Lecture series.

Horan, acknowledging his own status as a “temporary guest” in Hawaii, added that people in the islands must seek to learn from indigenous communities and understand their unique ways of knowing the world so they can help craft holistic, place-based responses to the greatest crises of our time.

The engaging talk on September 26 comes as the Marianist Lecture series celebrates 25 years of promoting Catholic responsibility and service, and launches a new honor — the Mackey Award for Catholic Thought — to recognize leaders advancing the Marianist spirit and educational mission.

Horan, a columnist for the National Catholic Reporter whose most recent book is titled A White Catholic’s Guide to Racism and Privilege, was the inaugural recipient of the Mackey Award. In his lecture, Horan unpacked the writings of scholar, social activist, and monk Thomas Merton (1915-1968).

Merton may not be a household name. But in 2015, Pope Francis highlighted him as one of four “representatives of the American people” who fought for equal rights—alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., Abraham Lincoln, and Dorothy Day. Horan said Merton’s writings from the 1950s and 1960s offer important lessons for modern America, including about the importance of respecting others.

“Merton was attuned in an unusual way for a white man of his time to the failure to honor the wisdom, heritage, beauty, value and dignity of culture, traditions and religions that are not part of a Euro-American hegemony that came with the colonization to these lands,” Horan said.

He added that Merton offers “timely insights” and opportunities for further reflection on Hawaiian history, colonialism, and the “local response to both systemic racism and climate change.” Perhaps a key point of inquiry, he said, is Merton’s belief that the “spirit of God draws near not just to human beings but to the whole family of creation. Everything that exists reflects or points back to the Creator.”

In other words, Horan said, Merton would have “nodded along approvingly” to indigenous understandings of nature as not something that is separated or distinct from human existence but as central to life, familial relationships to and to society. “The global response to climate change … can only take place with the privileged species, humanity, embracing a sense of creational humility,” he said.

Horan also elucidated three points for white Christians seeking to respond to racial injustice.

He said those in positions of privilege and power because of their race must focus on diagnosis and criticism, “embracing a spirit of praxis and engagement.” They must also step back, listening to those in diverse communities rather than seeking to prescribe solutions. And they must “get out of the way,” Horan added. “They need to follow rather than lead. They need to listen rather than instruct.”

Horan sought to do just that in his own talk, opening his speech by noting that aloha is “not to be granted but always earned” and allowing time after his lecture for a question-and-answer dialogue with the audience. “As a guest, I seek to support the various strategies that the indigenous peoples of Hawaii are using to protect their land and their communities,” Horan said, near the start of his speech.

“I come to this land with a deep respect in a spirit of openness — and with a desire to learn.”

Watch the full video here

Dr. Lorin Ramocki and Dr. Katelyn Perrault Recognized for their Passion and Innovation in Teaching

by

Motivated. Innovative. Passionate. A trailblazer.

Those were some of the words used to describe this year’s faculty honorees of the Chaminade Excellence in Teaching and Scholarship awards, which recognize those going above and beyond to ensure student success in the classroom and contribute to their area of study in meaningful ways.

Lorin Ramocki

Dr. Lorin Ramocki, an assistant professor in the School of Nursing and Health Professions, received the Chaminade’s 2021 Excellence in Teaching Award for her tireless work to create hands-on simulations that promote “learning by doing.”

The simulations—which ranged from a mock homeless camp on campus to a COVID vaccination clinic to an “unfolding case study” into a Hepatitis A outbreak—were especially vital during the pandemic because COVID made some community placements for Nursing students impossible.

“The COVID pandemic created a loss of clinical rotations in both hospitals and community settings and faculty pivoted to simulation on campus as well as supporting COVID vaccination efforts,” said School of Nursing and Health Professions Dean Rhoberta Haley, PhD, who nominated Ramocki for the award.

Haley said Ramocki ensured experiential learning continued for students during the pandemic. “Dr. Ramocki is a truly creative, innovative, motivated, and effective teacher,” Haley said, “who makes Public Health content and clinical experiences come alive for each of our Nursing students.”

Ramocki said she is honored by the recognition and takes joy in using her creativity to develop “engaging learning environments to give students the best experience possible.” She added that her teaching philosophy is rooted in “developing a community within the classroom.”

“My philosophy on teaching students is really embedded in trying to inspire them to find their own interests—and then connect it back to something in public health to help them enhance their understanding and how they can impact the health of their own communities,” she said.

Katelynn Perrault

Meanwhile, the School of Natural Sciences and Mathematics’ Dr. Katelynn Perrault was recognized with the 2021 Fr. John F. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award for substantial contributions to her field of study. The associate professor of Forensic Sciences and Chemistry was also recently honored with the John B. Phillips Award, which recognizes early career researchers who are making advancements in the field of two-dimensional gas chromatography, which involves separating chemicals present in complex samples.

Perrault is studying odors produced by bacteria associated with decomposing bodies.

Dr. Hans Chun, director of Education Leadership Programs at Chaminade, nominated Perrault for the honor and said she has been a “trailblazer in research” since she arrived at the University. “Kate embodies the concept that teaching and research are not mutually exclusive,” Chun said.

Chun also said her work has helped to “raise Chaminade’s scholarly profile.”

Perrault said receiving the award is a “landmark moment for me” at the University and has driven her to reflect on her work—and on the work of the student researchers she is mentoring. “Seeing their contributions to science recognized gives me great joy as a mentor,” she said. Perrault added that while many people think of research as something that’s done outside of the classroom, she sees it as something central to classroom learning. “Great things can be accomplished within a class when students are set with the task of creating new knowledge on their own accord. There is something about that experience that cannot be learned in any textbook.”