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Diversity and Inclusion

New Online School Counseling Program for Neighbor Islanders

March 5, 2021 by University Communications & Marketing

Say you’ve just graduated on one of the neighbor islands with a bachelor’s degree in psychology. You want to get a master’s degree next, so you can become a school counselor and make a positive difference to your community’s students and their families—but there’s no appropriate master’s program on your island. Chaminade University is the only Hawai‘i university that offers a Master of Science in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) program with a concentration in School Counseling. You’d have to quit your job and relocate to O‘ahu for two-and-a-half years.

Or rather, that would have been your only choice last year.

Starting this spring semester, exclusively for neighbor island students, Chaminade will offer an online version of its Master of Science degree in Counseling Psychology (MSCP) with the School Counseling concentration. It solves two problems—not only that of neighbor island student demand but also the state’s need for more trained school counselors throughout Hawai‘i.

Dr. Darren Iwamoto, clinical director of School Counseling in Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, says neighbor island students have always been interested in the MSCP program, and it’s always been hard for the school to meet that need because administrators assumed they needed to teach it in person. Pre-COVID-19, they had started working on a plan to send instructors to Maui and Hawai‘i Island to offer the MSCP program there.

But then came the pandemic, and with it, of course, remote learning. Iwamoto says the university discovered something surprising.

“Our faculty found they can be just as effective at teaching using Zoom and other kinds of video conferencing,” he says. He said they found online education still provided personalized learning and allowed students to connect with one another. “Our instructors found that even when they couldn’t teach in person, they were successfully getting that human interaction over video. It was working.”

The department conducted a needs assessment to see if there was current demand for the MSCP program among neighbor island students, and it came back positive. So they decided to start an online program specifically for neighbor island students.

While the School Counseling focus starts this spring, Chaminade will begin offering online versions of the other two Counseling Psychology concentrations, Mental Health and Marriage and Family, in the fall. Once all three concentrations are offered this fall, they will be available to students located anywhere.

“At that point, we’ll be running a complete MSCP online program alongside the in-person program,” says Iwamoto. “So students won’t have to fly to O‘ahu. Although they can participate in the in-person commencement.”

The online, 60-credit-hour, cohorted School Counseling program is taught in four 10-week terms per year. The year-round program, geared toward working professionals, can be completed in 30 months.

Upon completing the program, students not only receive a master’s in counseling psychology but are also eligible for a provisional K-12 counseling license and to be hired as a school counselor. “Because they’re trained in school counseling in general, they will also have the skillset and knowledge to work as a counselor in our private and charter schools,” says Iwamoto.

He says that while school counselors have always been crucial, that need has been even more significant since the COVID-19 pandemic began a year ago. He says stress, anxiety, and mood challenges, which were already high, have increased with COVID.

“What we’re finding is that the lack of social connection has probably played the biggest role in altering people’s moods,” he says. “That’s where counselors can really help, especially in regards to social-emotional learning and helping students, especially the younger ones, learn how to regulate their emotions better.”

As the school developed its MS in Counseling Psychology program, it carefully considered the university’s Marianist values, including the importance of providing an integral quality education. The program was specifically designed with an “integral quality education” in mind by ensuring it educates the whole person. It does this by not only focusing on academics. “We also educate them in terms of their personal and social development, and spiritually, in terms of getting them in tune with who they are and their value systems, ethics, and morals,” says Iwamoto.

“When students go on to become school counselors, they pass those same values on to the community,” he says. “They support students and their families and make a positive difference in their lives.”

The program also meets the Chaminade value of educating for adaptation and change. “That’s really what all this is about,” says Iwamoto. “Educating students to improve on their social-emotional skills is actually educating them for adaptation and change, for that ability to adapt and be flexible. That’s really been a theme with COVID, and so that’s what we’re promoting.”

The Master of Science in Counseling Psychology program is part of Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Dale Fryxell, Dean of the School of Education and Behavioral Sciences, says there’s long been a need for more trained school counselors, who play such an essential role in helping students, on the neighbor islands. “This program will really help our neighbor island students get the training they need to help students in their own communities with mental health and other issues.”

“School counselors really do help mold the future by emphasizing the importance of education and promoting students’ success,” agrees Dr. Lynn Babington, Chaminade University president.

“We’re so glad to be able to take the MSCP school counseling program online,” she says. “There’s a need on the neighbor islands, and when more of our neighbor island students become licensed school counseling professionals, they will truly be able to make a powerful difference in students’ lives.”

Learn More About the MSCP Program
Apply to the MSCP Program

Press Release >>

HINow Segment about MSCP in School Counseling Online Program >>

Filed Under: Behavioral Sciences, Campus and Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Featured Story Tagged With: Master of Science in Counseling Psychology

Islands of Opportunity: First-Ever Virtual DataCamp

January 16, 2021 by University Communications & Marketing

In November 2020, the Islands of Opportunity-Louis Stokes Alliances for Minority Participation (IOA-LSAMP) and Chaminade University Honolulu partnered to launch an online data analytics proficiency course for university STEM students from Hawai‘i and the Pacific. The DataCamp was run by Chaminade faculty and staff under the supervision of a molecular immunologist and biologist. The program offered a unique opportunity for Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students to learn about the data analytics field through hands-on learning modules.

The University of Hawai‘i Hilo was also a participant in the DataCamp. Check out this article to learn more about the professors and students involved. We see bright futures ahead for Hawai‘i’s next generation of data scientists and can’t wait to see them use their newfound skills in our community! IOA-LSAMP includes 10 institutions across the Pacific region: Chaminade University of Honolulu, American Samoa Community College, College of the Marshall Islands, College of Micronesia—FSM, Guam Community College, Hawaiʻi Pacific University, Northern Marianas College, Palau Community College, University of Guam and University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Featured Story, Natural Sciences & Mathematics Tagged With: Data Science

Events at the Nation’s Capitol

January 7, 2021 by University Communications & Marketing

President Lynn Babington’s Statement Regarding Violence at the U.S. Capitol

Chaminade community:

Today has been a difficult day for our nation.

The actions undertaken by protesters at the US Capitol should shock us all—and give us pause.

As a Marianist Catholic institution of higher learning, we condemn violence of any kind and call on everyone to seek peaceful and respectful avenues for dialogue. The scenes we have witnessed on the news in recent hours are not emblematic of our nation, its peoples or our shared principles.

As we seek to make sense of all that has occurred, let us recommit ourselves to peace, to social justice and to creating spaces for a diversity of opinions shared thoughtfully and respectfully. We know the value of debate; it deepens our understanding of one another and helps us find common ground.

As educators, we have a duty to prepare an involved and engaged citizenry. Indeed, inspiring tomorrow’s leaders and preparing them to serve in a vibrant and functioning democracy is the most important role we have. That role is now more critical than ever.

Please join me in praying that our elected leaders find the courage they will need during this trying time.

Regards,
Lynn Babington, Ph.D.
President, Chaminade University

What is a faithful soul to do in the chaos of events which seem to swallow it up? Sustain itself calmly by that faith which assures us that all things work together unto good for those who love God.
~ Blessed William Joseph Chaminade ~

Filed Under: Campus and Community, Diversity and Inclusion, Featured Story, President

Finding Her Home Away From Home

December 10, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

When Melanie Legdesog Veltri originally came to Chaminade University as an undergraduate from Micronesia, her plan was to get a degree and then go back home to help her community. She wasn’t expecting to find a Micronesian community in Hawai‘i that needed her just as much.

Melani Legdesog Veltri '06, MSCJA '08

Veltri had always wanted to attend university in Hawai‘i, and she was attracted to Chaminade’s small class sizes and intimate community. 

“My parents and I both thought it would be a good transition after coming from a small place,” explains Veltri. And they were right. Veltri found a home at Chaminade. “I had just moved here and I didn’t know anything about what living in the U.S. was like—I really learned from Chaminade. I took a lot in since I was so young and impressionable.”

It wasn’t long before Veltri became a very active member of the Chaminade ‘ohana and Campus Ministry.

She graduated in 2006 with a degree in criminology and criminal justice, and immediately got a job working in the Records office on campus. She also enrolled in the master’s in Criminal Justice Administration program and would go to classes in the evenings. 

She really liked the perspective she gained through the master’s program, and the fact that so many of her peers were already professionals in the criminal justice field.

“I was able to take classes with people who were professionals, a lot of military members who did various things and were able to contribute to whatever we were studying academically,” describes Veltri. “Hearing from their first-hand experience gave me a whole other level of learning.”

But her plan had always been to become an attorney—Micronesia needed lawyers and doctors and her plan at the time was to go back home to help her community. So after graduating in 2008 with her master’s degree, she left her job in the Records office and enrolled in law school. 

“I didn’t really see myself doing business law or working in an office, I wanted to do something that directly impacts people,” says Veltri. “Becoming a public defender is what I was interested in since the beginning.”

Upon becoming a J.D. in 2012, she spent some time working for the Hawai‘i State Legislature as a staff attorney for the House Judiciary Committee while she waited for a position as a public defender to open up. She wanted to get some work experience and utilize her networks in Hawaii before she headed back home. Luckily, she didn’t have to wait long, and by 2013 she had landed her dream job. 

Veltri was drawn to working with underserved and underrepresented communities. She spends her days advising people who normally wouldn’t have access to an attorney or be able to afford legal advice. She helps them navigate a very complex and often overwhelming legal system.

“If I didn’t give them advice, they’d be lost,” describes Veltri. “It’s overwhelming for them. But when I help, I can see their appreciation.”

Veltri sees firsthand that the biggest issues on O‘ahu are the prevalence of drugs and the high levels of homelessness.

“People just can’t pay for rent and can’t get stable,” says Veltri. “We have a drug problem here that keeps people cycling in and out of the jail system. Especially with the rising cost of housing, I don’t see this problem solving itself in the near future.” 

Veltri doesn’t know what the solution is on a policy level, but she knows that the work she’s doing is making a difference for the people who are struggling. 

“If it’s a drug issue, maybe I can help divert them to the right program,” says Veltri. “Or if it’s a mental health problem, I can direct them to case management. I guess I’m trying to do something about the problem in a way that I know how. For me, it’s how I know how to help and it’s how I can contribute to the solution.” 

Veltri says she draws on her Chaminade experiences and education all the time. She shares a lot of the values that Chaminade instills and she has taken those into all aspects of her professional life. She embodies the Marianist focus on community service and does what she can to serve her community wherever she is. 

But Chaminade has also shaped her personal life. She and her husband got married at Chaminade, and her son was baptised at the Mystical Rose Oratory. She also encouraged her siblings to follow in her footsteps and attend Chaminade.

“I keep getting drawn back to Chaminade and I want to maintain that connection,” says Veltri. “It has had such a profound influence on who I am today. A lot of the decisions I make, I just keep coming back to Chaminade.” 

So much of her network in Hawai‘i is because of Chaminade. 

“It is very much a family-oriented school,” says Veltri. “You just feel this connection with your peers and classmates. The classes were so small, I know of my classmates—a lot of them are in the criminal justice field—and I still see them in the community. I guess it’s just, we grew up together.” 

The tight-knit community is part of what has kept Veltri in Hawai‘i. But the fact that Veltri has found so much need in Hawai‘i has also kept her in the islands longer than she had planned. 

“When I initially came out here to go to school, my goal was always to go back home and to help my community,” says Veltri. “But ever since I started doing the work I’m doing I find it hard to leave.” 

Veltri has found that even though she’s miles away from home, she’s still helping her community. A 1986 agreement between the Federated State of Micronesia and the United States provides Micronesians with the ability to work, study and live freely in the U.S, and today, Micronesians are Hawai‘i’s fastest growing immigrant population. In 2018, it was estimated that there were 18,000 Micronesians living in Hawai‘i, and that number was growing rapidly. 

At work, Veltri is involved in a project to support the Micronesian community. Through the program she works with legal aid, immigration attorneys and legal clinics to help educate the community. 

“The most recent project had to do with all of these emergency order violations and violating quarantine,” says Veltri. “They were just ticketing everyone and a lot of people in the Micronesian community were getting these tickets and didn’t know what to do with them.” 

To help educate the Micronesian community about new laws and regulations, they have started partnering with community leaders and relying on them to help disperse information. Recently, they held a virtual Q&A session to answer questions about the new regulations. 

“It’s a project that I’m proud to be part of,” says Veltri. “We’re becoming more and more active and people are starting to reach out to us to ask for help.”

Veltri still does want to go home at some point, but not until she feels like her work here is done. “There’s still a lot to do, and there are still a lot of ways that I can help where I am,” she says. “I love that I get to help the Micronesian community—those are my people and that’s where I come from.”

Filed Under: Alumni, Behavioral Sciences, Diversity and Inclusion, Featured Story Tagged With: Criminology and Criminal Justice, Master of Science in Criminal Justice Administration

NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program

September 28, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

Two Chaminade students, Eri Leong ’23 and Andrew Ancheta ’21 were accepted into the 2020–2021 class of NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP). Hosted by the National Association of Student Personnel Administrators (NASPA) in Higher Education, the highly competitive fellowship gives students from traditionally underrepresented and historically disenfranchised communities a chance to learn more about careers in student affairs and higher education.

Eri Leong '23, 2020–2021 class of NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program
Eri Leong ’23

Students apply together with a mentor from their home university, and spend one year participating in on-campus mentorship, professional development events and scholarship opportunities.

For her mentor, Leong chose Allison Jerome, Vice President for Student Affairs and Dean of Students at Chaminade. “She seems to be brilliant at everything she does, and if I were to become a student affairs professional, I would want to embody that brilliance of hers as much as possible” says Leong when asked about her decision. “I chose Dean Allison because I look up to her immensely and I know she has an incredible amount of information to guide me with.”

Ancheta had similar praise for the mentor he selected, Joseph Granado, Chaminade’s Director of Student Activities and Leadership. “It is easy to tell that Joseph genuinely wants to see all of his students succeed,” says Ancheta. “He knows how to connect with them, how to understand them, and most importantly, how to challenge them to reach for the stars that they desire. He is a great inspiration to many.”

Leong and Ancheta both felt connected to the organization’s mission: to increase the number of historically disenfranchised and underrepresented professionals in student affairs and/or higher education, including but not limited to those of racial and ethnic-minority background; those having a disability; and those identifying as LGBTQ. And they both see student affairs as a potential long-term career path.

“I’ve always loved helping people and student affairs is a profession that has the joy of getting to do that everyday,” says Leong. “I’m drawn to the possibility of having a profession that allows me to assist the next generation in flourishing into the best possible versions of themselves.”

Andrew Ancheta '21, 2020–2021 class of NASPA Undergraduate Fellows Program (NUFP)
Andrew Ancheta ’21

“My lifelong journey is one of self-improvement,” explains Ancheta. “I am really just hoping to gain the tools and skills that will help me be successful in improving lives. I want to walk with others on their journey toward self-discovery, internal reflection and professional development.”

Leong and Ancheta will have access to the entire Student Affairs division at Chaminade and gain a better understanding of what a profession in student affairs entails. They’ll also participate in the regional NASPA conference that will be held in November.

Although the conference will be virtual, they’re both excited about the networks they’ll create with students from other universities.

“I’m looking forward to meeting and connecting with other NUFP members,” says Leong. “People-oriented is a characteristic I heavily consider myself to have, so with every new experience I’m always looking forward to the people I get to meet and learn from.”

Similarly, Ancheta says: “As someone who was born and raised in the beautiful state of Hawaii, it is not too often that I hear fresh perspectives. Hearing new stories from new people is a great way to continue the development of my own personal outlook on life situations, social issues, etc.”

In the meantime, they’re just excited to continue learning from their mentors and gaining new insight into student affairs as a profession.

“As [Joseph’s] NUFP mentee, I am looking forward to learning more about all of the skills, techniques, and methods that he has picked up throughout his years as a student affairs professional,” says Ancheta. “I have absolute confidence that I will continue to learn from him.”

Filed Under: Diversity and Inclusion, Featured Story, Student Life, Students

New Data Science Scholarships

September 3, 2020 by University Communications & Marketing

Chaminade University recently received a $1M grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to provide 20 scholarships for new first-year and transfer students who are majoring in data science.

Data science is one of the most in-demand and fastest growing careers in the Pacific region. As industries collect more data, they need more people who can analyze and interpret those data. This new program is part of a larger initiative to build a cohort of data science professionals in the Pacific to help support decision-making across Hawaii’s economic sectors.

“This program is all about access to high-paying in-demand jobs,” says Dr. Alexander Stokes, assistant professor at Chaminade University. “Every business sector in Hawaii, from healthcare to finance to energy and nonprofits, needs professionals in data analytics to provide decision support.”

Data science students at Chaminade participate in hands-on, project-based courses and internships that use real data provided by local businesses, agencies and community organizations. In addition to learning the necessary technical skills like coding and data visualization, students also learn about decision-making, data ethics and how to communicate complex datasets in a clear and concise way, ensuring they are well-versed in all aspects of the career.

“This project will empower students from across the region to find data-driven solutions to challenges in Hawaii and the Pacific region,” says Dr. Helen Turner, vice president for Strategy and Innovation at Chaminade University. “The Pacific faces unique challenges, and we need local students who can use local data to help us understand and address those challenges.”

The grant is part of NSF’s Scholarships in STEM (S-STEM) program, which seeks to increase the number of low-income academically talented students with demonstrated financial need who earn degrees in STEM fields. The scholarships will be available for new students who are majoring in data science, and preference will be given to students from Hawaii and the Pacific region who meet academic and financial requirements.

The new project aims to accomplish three things: 1) Mitigate the financial and academic barriers for low-income students from the Pacific; 2) acknowledge and address the cultural and non-academic barriers these students face when pursuing an education in STEM; and 3) develop new ways of teaching and supporting student needs, strengths and cultural expectations.

“There is a national need for well-educated STEM professionals from diverse backgrounds and experiences,” says Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University. “The support from NSF will help strengthen the career pathway for low-income students and will ensure these future STEM workers receive a high-quality, values-driven education.”

Applications will be reviewed by a panel of Chaminade faculty members and students who are selected to participate in the program will receive a $10,000 per year scholarship. Program participants will also have access to academic navigators, cultural programming, life coaching, professional tutoring, paid internships, retreats and careers preparation.

Pacific Business News article (9/22/20) >>

Honolulu Star-Advertiser article (9/28/20) >>

Filed Under: Diversity and Inclusion, Featured Story, Institutional, Natural Sciences & Mathematics Tagged With: Data Science, Scholarship

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