Chaminade University of Honolulu

Humanities, Arts & Design

Designed for What’s Next: Chaminade Introduces New Path to Marine Conservation Careers

Life in Hawai‘i is defined by the Pacific Ocean.

The ocean is the bedrock of the economy and plays a significant role in local and Native Hawaiian culture. The state is an ideal place to study and research the marine world, and Chaminade University students now have the opportunity to do just that.

Beginning Fall 2027, students can apply to the new Bachelor of Arts in Marine & Oceanic Sustainability program. The new degree aligns with Chaminade’s strategic vision to improve academic excellence and marks a step change in the university’s embrace of its Pacific heritage, exposing students to the rigors of scientific discovery and thoughtful inquiry through humanities traditions.

“The new degree program prepares students for careers in the burgeoning ‘blue economy,’” said College of Arts & Sciences co-Dean Gail Grabowsky, Ph.D.

“According to the United Nations, as well as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, jobs in the blue economy are growing more rapidly than in other major fields,” Grabowsky explained.

The Marine & Oceanic Sustainability degree program is the only one of its kind in Hawai‘i, preparing students for careers in marine-oriented fields by combining studies in the natural sciences, including biology and oceanography, with humanities disciplines like psychology, law, and art.

“It is highly interdisciplinary, bringing together the sciences and humanities in meaningful and exciting ways,” explained Justin Wyble, Ph.D., and Assistant Professor of English at Chaminade University. “This program is quite unique for this reason.”

Wyble, who helped design the new undergraduate major with colleagues and university leadership, said the program’s coursework and schedule are designed to give students greater awareness and appreciation of Hawai‘i and Oceania while training them to conduct real, impactful marine science research and investigations.

The program is very much career-oriented, he stressed. Marine & Oceanic Sustainability students will be taught to apply their education and training toward clear career paths in the expanding marine policy, conservation, restoration, and tourism economies.

“This program is a great opportunity to highlight the unique ocean cultures of Hawai’i and the Pacific,” Wyble added. “It prepares our students for many popular ocean-related careers here and throughout Oceania.”

The coursework underpinning the Marine and Oceanic Sustainability major reflects this.

Pre-major courses include a first-year science seminar. That foundation prepares students for subsequent class and lab work in marine science, environmental science, fisheries science, biology, oceanography, and conservation science.

Upon becoming better grounded in natural sciences, students are then immersed in the rich humanities fields as they relate to the Pacific and the world’s oceanic environments. For instance, the path also includes coursework in law, anthropology, and psychology.

The major also incorporates study of oceanic arts and literature–how the oceans are depicted in popular fiction and film. Housed within the new College of Arts & Sciences, the Marine & Oceanic Sustainability major is as practical as it is artistically enriching. 

Foundational study of the sciences and humanities combined prepares Marine & Oceanic Sustainability majors for further fine-tuned training in marine policy, regenerative tourism, data science, and communications, among other offerings.

Wyble said that planners are emphasizing a strong balance between disciplines.

“As we were developing the curriculum for this program, we were committed to finding an equal balance between the science courses and the humanities courses, as well as related disciplines from the other colleges,” he said. “I see it complementing other major and minor programs across campus, especially Environmental Science; Environmental Studies; Law, History & Culture; and Applied Arts & Digital Media.”

Graduates of Chaminade’s Marine & Oceanic Sustainability program will be qualified to pursue work in fisheries management and science, natural resources management, coastal management and restoration, coastal recreation, ecotourism, coral reef restoration, education, advocacy and conservation, and even marine and coastal journalism, among a host of other potential paths.

The major also leans on the best of Polynesian and Native Hawaiian knowledge and experience to ground students with a better sense of purpose, place, and community wellbeing, in keeping with Chaminade’s 2030 strategic plan.

“We want them to know the ocean,” said Grabowsky. “We want them to know the ocean from the Pacific Islanders’ perspective as much as possible; that the ocean is a connector for them.

“It’s the blue continent, not a divider.”

Wyble says he hopes the new major will attract students looking to effect real and positive changes at home and abroad, considering the tremendous challenges facing the world’s ocean environments and communities.

The program’s organizers expect it to draw interest from not only Hawai‘i, but across the Pacific Rim and Oceania, especially from people “who want to give back to their home island’s cultures, economies, and ecologies after graduation,” Wyble said.

“If you love and care about the ocean, this major will prepare you to give back to it in meaningful ways: environmentally, economically, and culturally,” he said.

Designed for What’s Next: Hawai‘i’s First Pre-Law Degree Launches at Chaminade University

Students interested in pursuing a career in legal affairs or a law degree now have the option to pursue a major that gets them closer to their dreams.

Starting Fall Semester 2027, Chaminade University will begin offering a new undergraduate pre-law training program, the first and only one of its kind in Hawai‘i. Applications for the new Bachelor of Arts in Law, History & Culture program will be accepted in the current cycle, and enrollment will likely begin starting late Spring through Summer 2027.

College of Arts & Sciences co-Dean Cheryl Edelson, Ph.D., said the new bachelor program is explicitly designed to steer students toward legal professions or law school.

“It’s a pre-law program,” she said. “A lot of students are interested in law, so we built this into our curriculum.”

The new major is designed to fulfill Chaminade University’s strategic plan of enhancing academic excellence and the career relevance of degree programs while improving student outcomes, gearing graduates toward career success. It marks a milestone in Hawai’i’s higher education landscape as Chaminade continually adjusts to meet the needs of the community it serves. 

The Law, History & Culture program prepares students for law school and/or the paralegal profession. Graduates will also be primed for success in business legal compliance offices and law administration, among other pathways.

The new major combines training in criminology, criminal justice, and forensic science with history, communications, and writing to create an applied, career-oriented education that meets expanding workforce needs. Students will learn legal and criminal justice concepts while honing their written and verbal rhetorical skills–at this while gaining a firm grounding in the historical contexts in which society’s laws emerged.

Edelson said the first pre-law program in the state is a natural fit with Chaminade University’s strong position in forensic science and criminal justice education, now with additional layers added in.

“The pre-law path is something that students have wanted for a long time,” she explained. “We have a good history of our students in historical, political studies, criminal justice, or criminology going into law school, but we’ve tried to build in more policy, especially policy about the Pacific region.”

Housed within the College of Arts & Sciences, Chaminade’s faculty leadership plans to introduce new courses over time as the new degree program is fully integrated into the broader university educational architecture.

“There are going to be some new courses developed as we move along,” said Frank Bailey, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Historical and Political Studies.

Yet the program is ready to accept students now, he emphasized, with existing and retooled courses meeting pre-law educational standards and goals.

“At the moment, it has selected history courses that are already developed, that are ready to go, and selected criminal justice courses already developed, ready to go,” said Bailey, who will co-chair the new degree program. “There are some forensic science courses, and then we also try to make it very interdisciplinary.”

Meaning Law, History & Culture students’ studies will couple their practical legal training with coursework in relevant humanities disciplines. About half the course load will be specific to the major, while students will be free to choose from a list of electives to fold into their major depending on where their interests and passions lie.

Pre-law foundations


The new four-year BA in Law, History & Culture degree is carefully designed to prepare students for the rigors of a juris doctorate (JD) program.

Of course, students interested in advancing to formal legal training must first gain admission to a law school. That’s why Chaminade’s new pre-law program includes solid preparation for the Law School Admission Test, or LSAT.

“That’s one of the things that is really important,” said program co-chair and Historical and Political Studies Professor Michio Yamasaki, Ph.D. “That’s central to our degree.”

Yamasaki noted the College of Arts & Sciences is working with LSAT preparation training companies to give Law, History & Culture students access to preparation materials and even full LSAT prep courses, in addition to the advantages they’ll get from the program’s curriculum.

Chaminade University has also secured an articulation agreement with St. Mary’s University, our sister Marianist Catholic institution in Texas, whereby St. Mary’s School of Law has agreed to fast-track acceptance of Chaminade’s Law, History & Culture pre-law graduates, so long as they meet entrance requirements.

Yet, one does not have to be law school-bound to pursue this specialization.

The curriculum is designed for students interested in pursuing careers in legal professions that do not require a law degree immediately upon graduation, including opportunities in government services and the private sector.

Scoping research conducted prior to launching the program unveiled an expanding job market for legally trained college graduates. Opportunities include jobs for new paralegals, legal researchers, claims adjusters, court clerks, compliance officers, and public affairs specialists. The program also offers applied training for those interested in becoming law enforcement officers, social service workers, child advocates, legal writers, and law and crime journalists.

“Paralegal, obviously that’s one,” Professor Bailey noted. “But there are also a bunch of jobs in business where they can use somebody with a law background.”

Pre-law students will also benefit from practical internship experiences before graduating. The faculty is leveraging connections to Hawai‘i’s legal and business communities to secure internship opportunities.

High school students, recent graduates, and working professionals interested in learning more about the new BA in Law, History & Culture degree program are invited to read up on its structure and degree requirements on Chaminade University’s website.

“There’s flexibility to enjoy college in the fields that you want, while getting a well-rounded education focused on legal studies,” Bailey said.

Designed for What’s Next: Chaminade’s New Ethics & Leadership Degree Program Launches Fall 27

Many colleges and universities train leaders, but few set out deliberately to forge the next generation of ethical leaders. Now, at least one institution in Hawai‘i will.

Chaminade University of Honolulu is introducing a new major under the College of Arts & Sciences focused on ethical leadership and thoughtful, humane business practices. The new Bachelor of Arts in Ethics & Leadership degree will launch in Fall 2027; meanwhile, the university is accepting applications to the program now.

The new degree program aligns with the university’s strategic vision of enhancing academic excellence, prioritizing education that meets communities’ and societal needs.

College of Arts & Sciences co-Dean Cheryl Edelson, Ph.D., said this unique business-oriented degree program trains leaders to put people first. “Understanding the human-first approach to all things makes a difference,” she said.

Combining courses in business operations and administration with philosophy and religious studies, the Ethics & Leadership program is designed to train students not only on how to run a business, but how to operate a business in a way that benefits society in a broader sense, said Chaminade Associate Professor of Religious Studies and Philosophy Dustyn Ragasa, Ph.D.

The program is also well-suited for those interested in pursuing careers in nonprofit management and charity work. Ragasa said the new major fits perfectly with “the intellectual heritage, philosophy, and theology of a Catholic university.”

“We want our graduates to be agents for good,” he said, explaining how he and his colleagues in the College of Arts & Sciences designed the new undergraduate degree program. “We realize that no matter what the students are doing, we want them to be able to be beneficial for people who might fall through the cracks.”

The program, Ragasa stressed, is a practical, career-oriented degree designed to train business leaders for a rapidly changing workforce.

Courses on business management, marketing, accounting, and finance are complemented with coursework in philosophy, theology, ethics, and environmental and social responsibility. Legal and ethical matters are covered in the program’s curriculum, as are justice and human rights.

Edelson said the degree program is designed to pair well with a wide variety of other educational pursuits, should students choose to add a minor or second major field of study.

“We really wanted it to be something that’s going to partner really nicely with other majors,” she said. “For example, someone could do Ethics & Leadership and Marine & Oceanic Sustainability.”

The program also includes a required internship, reflecting the importance of students gaining practical, real-world experience before graduation. Students will complete Chaminade’s general education requirements, building a solid academic foundation that prepares them for the major’s curriculum and training.

Ragasa said the Ethics & Leadership degree is suitable for students interested in not only breaking into the business world, but also for those interested in sculpting it. In other words, “people who want to be thought leaders, who want to be in management, people who want to go into politics,” he said.

“One of the things that I love about this new program is it takes the traditionally very abstract 40,000-foot view of philosophy and religious studies, and it answers the question: What is somebody going to do with it? How is it going to be put into practice?”

The hope is that graduates of the Ethics & Leadership program will emerge fully ready to devise ethical solutions to business, environmental, and social problems. Graduates would be taught to place the needs of people, especially vulnerable populations, front and center in their business leadership and decision-making.

Students will be taught how to thoughtfully contemplate core issues vexing society and how to navigate the corporate world through strategic thinking rooted in values and morals.

Ragasa said training in Ethics & Leadership is capped off with two seminars led by practitioners of ethical leadership, whether based at Chaminade University or in Hawai‘i’s larger business community. Individuals invited to lead seminars will be free to structure their lessons however they see fit.

New course offerings will be added over time. Meanwhile, existing courses are being reoriented toward the needs of the new Ethics & Leadership major, in particular courses on philosophy and religious studies. Emphasis is on building knowledge and skills applicable to the business world, not just scholarly theories.

Students will also be trained in ethical entrepreneurship.

Ragasa said he’s excited to launch the new Ethics & Leadership undergraduate degree and looks forward to introducing its eventual graduates to the business community.

“My hope is that this program will develop into something larger that will be known for producing socially responsible, forward-thinking, entrepreneurial leaders,” he said. “We are ready to journey with them as they undertake their vocation to transform the world in all possible ways.”

Chaminade Drama Club Entertains the Island With ‘Much Ado’

Chaminade University students and community members are invited to enjoy a quirky modern play based on a William Shakespeare classic.

‘Much Ado’ opens on November 14, and the box office is already busy. Tickets for opening night have sold out, but the Chaminade Drama Club is staging five more performances at the Vi and Paul Loo Theatre on campus, with chances to view the show during the week and on weekends.

The play is an adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous ‘Much Ado About Nothing,’ the 14th Century romantic comedy that’s as funny and relevant today as it was hundreds of years ago.

This modern rendition, ‘Much Ado,’ features a smaller cast, shortened script, and some revised dialogue, while keeping true to the source material.

“It’s a bit shorter than the original,” said Patrick Block, an Instructor at Chaminade University’s Department of Visual & Performing Arts and Advisor to the Drama Club. “Characters have been edited out or merged to suit the cast size that is right for Chaminade, and the dialogue has been trimmed or gently modified in places to make it clearer.”

Set in Messina, Italy, during the Renaissance, the play tells the story of a group of friends returned from military victory and in the mood for celebration. The group’s attention quickly turns toward rumors of love surrounding two couples: Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero.

Supporting characters spend the play trying to either fan the flames of romance or snuff them out entirely.

“The play revolves around these two couples and various schemes to either get them together or break them apart,” Block explained.

Andrew Erwin, a member of the cast and graduate student in the Master of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy program, said the play will appeal to modern audiences despite the root material.

“It’s been translated by our wonderful director, Patrick Block,” he said. “Patrick translated it so the audience will get the jokes. It’s funny.”

‘Much Ado’ has been in production for months; the first rehearsal was held September 4. The cast is composed mainly of Chaminade Students, members of the Drama Club who have worked tirelessly around their busy schedules, rehearsing lines, studying choreography, and hitting their marks on cue.

Two community members are also lending their talents to the production.

“These students are really outstanding,” Block said. “They are bringing their A-game to this production, and they are joined by two community actors who are incredible talents. The production environment has been so positive thanks to the cast’s innate positivity.”

“I think the audience will feel the joyfulness and the love,” he added.

Members of the Chaminade Drama Club rehearsing a scene for the forthcoming production ‘Much Ado’.

Opening night is scheduled for Saturday, November 14 at 7 pm at the Loo Theatre inside Clarence T.C. Ching Hall.

Curious members of the Chaminade community and the public will have further chances to see the play on Sunday, November 15 at 2 pm; Thursday, November 19 at 7 pm; Friday, November 20 at 7 pm; Saturday, November 21 at 7 pm; and finally Sunday, November 22 at 2 pm.

Tickets to ‘Much Ado’ are on sale now.

Addie Nash, a cast member and freshman majoring in English, said she’s looking forward to taking the stage and entertaining the crowd in her debut performance.

“This group has really brought me out of my shell,” she said.

From Paper Fish to Banana Bread, Campus Marketplace has it all

From paper fish to shell bangles to banana bread, the Fall Campus Marketplace had a little something for everyone—and plenty of reasons to linger.

Held Wednesday in the Ching Conference Center, the annual event transformed the space into a lively collection of pop-up shops featuring crocheted bags, homemade baked goods, matcha making, thrifted T-shirts and more. More than 300 people stopped by to browse, shop and support student entrepreneurs. Some left with shopping bags full of goodies; others may have left empty-handed, but few could leave without a smile and a renewed appreciation for the creativity and camaraderie that make up the Chaminade community.

Promoting the theme “Campus Made, Campus Inspired,” the College of Arts & Sciences hosted its sixth annual Marketplace under the leadership of Sr. Malia Wong, who works tirelessly to bring this fun, family-oriented event to campus each year.

“Marketplace is unique because it really brings the entire Chaminade ‘ohana together, from students, parents, alumni, faculty and staff,” Wong said.

And what an ‘ohana marketplace it was. Forty sellers filled the conference center with their creations and carefully curated finds, sporting names as imaginative as the goods themselves. “Designs by Baibai,” “MJ Stickers,” “Something Fishy” and “She Shells Sea Sells” were just a few of the memorable names drawing shoppers in. When the Marketplace first launched six years ago, it featured just 23 pop-up shops. Today, that number has grown to 40—a testament to the event’s growing appeal and the entrepreneurial spirit thriving on campus.

For fourth-year psychology major Evan Cepeda, the business model was refreshingly simple. His booth, “Everything $1:D,” offered a little bit of everything: T-shirts, books, highlighter pens, a neck massager and more. The price? One dollar. No haggling required.

A self-described thrifter, Cepeda said he believes in reducing, reusing and recycling rather than constantly buying new things from big-box stores.

“One man’s trash is another man’s treasure,” Cepeda said, proving the point as one of his classmates purchased a plastic bin cover for a buck.

Across the conference center, Adrienne Senining and Ava Walker helped showcase another kind of student talent: handmade ceramics. Senining, a nursing student who also serves as a teaching assistant in the ceramics department, explained that ceramics students create an inventory of bowls, plates and other pieces to sell at the Marketplace each year.

“This is a great opportunity for students to show off their talents,” Senining said.

And that is part of what makes the Marketplace more than just a place to shop. Behind every crocheted bag, ceramic bowl and secondhand find is an opportunity for students to share their interests, put their ideas into action and learn by doing. Running a booth can mean practicing communication, building confidence, managing money, thinking creatively and connecting with customers—all skills that extend well beyond the classroom.

Just as importantly, the Marketplace creates space for the Chaminade community to come together in support of one another. Students get to showcase what they can do, shoppers discover the people and stories behind the products, and the campus ‘ohana grows a little closer in the process.

Whether shoppers came looking for a bargain, a handmade gift or a slice of banana bread, they found something more: a celebration of student initiative, creativity and community. At the Fall Campus Marketplace, the merchandise may have been made by hand, but the connections made along the way were just as valuable.

Poet Laureate of Hawai‘i Shares Stories, Spoken Word, and Fun Life Lessons

Chaminade University freshmen need to “keep things in perspective,” according to a celebrated pidgin poet and writer.

Lee A. Tonouchi is the author of several books, including the award-winning “Significant Moments in da Life of Oriental Faddah and Son: One Hawai‘i Okinawan Journal” and “Okinawan Princess: Da Legend of Hajichi Tattoos,” a children’s book that won the Skipping Stones Honor Award. He’s also edited an anthology of Hawaiian and Okinawan literature and wrote a renowned play.

Earlier this week, Tonouchi was invited to Chaminade’s campus to deliver a special lecture, the second in the CUH 100 course series. The CUH 100 seminar, required for all freshmen, is designed as an orientation to Chaminade life and scholarship in Hawai‘i.

Tonouchi kicked things off by entertaining the crowd with a lengthy retelling of one of his short stories, delivered entirely from memory. His specialty is literature that celebrates pidgin, the unique dialect endemic to these islands.

With wit and a sharp memory, he shared the story of when he first submitted his writing to a fiction contest held by Honolulu Magazine. He was the runner up, which he thought was pretty impressive, until a famous local writer informed him that he was “never going to win” because of his emphasis on pidgin words and phrases, as he recalled.

Tonouchi would go on to win the Honolulu Magazine fiction prize in 2004. He took those top honors again in 2006.

Regarding that famous writer he met and her discouraging words, Tonouchi said she never unfazed him; rather, he came out of that exchange more determined than ever to keep pursuing his passion for pidgin and the local culture.

“Can we fault her?” he asked the students of this famous writer. “Yes, you can still fault her,” he said, saying she not only behaved rudely, but she was also at fault for restricting her own imagination of what’s possible in local Hawai‘i literature.

His determination and hard work has paid off.

This past February, the State of Hawai‘i named Tonouchi the Hawai‘i Poet Laureate after a competitive review of contestants held by the Hawaiʻi Council for the Humanities, the Hawaiʻi State Foundation on Culture and the Arts, and the Hawaiʻi State Public Library System.

He’ll carry the title of state Poet Laureate until 2029.

The honor comes with a stipend that funds his travels across Hawai‘i to share his poetry and lead writing workshops.

Tonouchi was also granted a fellowship by the Academy of American Poets.

Despite his long list of accomplishments, Tonouchi came across in his lecture as affable, funny, relaxed, and supremely confident. That energy resonated with the student audience.

“Da Pidgin Guerilla” (the nickname given to him by a former professor) spent the Wednesday lunch hour sharing stories, poems, and anecdotes from his childhood growing up in Hawai‘i to his eventual pursuit of a career as a poet, book author, and playwright.

He recalled how, as a child, he once tried looking up the pidgin word “bumbai” in the dictionary because his classmate didn’t know what it meant. Bumbai is a pidgin word that loosely translates to “later” and sometimes “or else.”

The pidgin poems and stories he shared with the Chaminade community celebrated rice, spam, relationships, and a zeal for life and art.

Noted for his activism in linguistic justice, Tonouchi shared that, growing up, it never dawned on him that he was a pidgin speaker or speaking pidgin; he was simply expressing himself, and he understood that he had the right to share this part of himself with the world, and not hide it.

“I was born pidgin, but I never know I was talking pidgin,” he said.