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Dr. Thomas Buning Named Chaminade’s Athletic Director

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Following an extensive nationwide search, Chaminade University is proud to introduce Dr. Thomas Buning as its new athletic director.

Dr. Thomas Buning

Buning previously served as senior associate director of athletics at Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, and brings more than two decades of experience in NCAA Division I and Division II athletics.

He also brings a passion for the job—and for the Marianist values Chaminade instills in students.

Buning is excited to hit the ground running—understanding the unique needs of Chaminade’s athletics program, today and into the future. He steps into the role at a pivotal time for Silversword athletics and as the university continues to look for new ways to support our student-athletes.

With his personable leadership style, Buning will head up a program with 10 NCAA men’s and women’s athletic teams and over 140 student-athletes, building new strategic direction in concert with the university’s priorities.

His business acumen and strong managerial background make him uniquely positioned to focus on fundraising and long-term budget planning for the athletics program.

Buning recently completed his Doctor of Education in Leadership of Higher Education at Southern Methodist University, where he also earned a Master of Business Administration.

He also has a Master of Science in Engineering Management from Missouri University of Science and Technology, and a Bachelor of Science in Engineering from the US Military Academy West Point.

At Southern Methodist University, Buning helped lead an athletic program with 150 staff and coaches and an annual budget for $55 million.

Previously, he served as director of athletics at University of North Dakota.

Before joining Chaminade, Buning was a senior partner and managing director at a privately held mergers and acquisitions business brokerage services advisory firm.

While he excelled at the work, Buning said it made him realize his real passion is in athletics.

Buning is set to start at Chaminade in July. Please join us in welcoming him onboard!

Welcome to the New Normal

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Spanish Mission architecture. Large expanses of green. Blooming bougainvillea.

Classroom set up per COVID-19 guidelines

At first glance, Chaminade doesn’t appear to have changed much in the last several months. But a closer look reveals a myriad of upgrades—all aimed at keeping people safe.

In classrooms and other shared spaces, seating is kept 6 feet apart and markings on the floor offer a guide for how to space out. Signage posted all over campus reminds everyone to wear a mask and practice social distancing. At strategic locations, you’ll find sanitation stations and no-contact thermometers. And Chaminade’s maintenance team is busy throughout the day, keeping high-traffic areas and frequent touchpoints sanitized and well-cleaned.

Contactless temperature station

It’s all part of the university’s commitment to ensuring a safe and healthy environment for everyone—and is thanks to a large team of Chaminade faculty and staff who worked tirelessly to develop and execute a campus reopening plan that put a priority on community wellbeing.

The university has already taken some major steps in that plan.

Like most campuses around the country and in Hawaii, Chaminade went fully to online instruction in March amid “stay-at-home” orders and a push to flatten the coronavirus infection curve. Shortly after closing campus, however, Chaminade got to work to craft a strategy—and a timeline—for safely welcoming people back.

Health screening checkpoint

Staff returned first—in June. Then, on July 6, in-person graduate instruction resumed. Undergraduate and Doctor of Clinical Psychology students come back to campus for the fall Aug. 24.

A COVID-19 task force was convened to gather data-informed safety protocols locally and nationally, determine what needed to be done—and then figure out how to do it. They tackled a host of projects in a short period, including a campus-wide effort to reconfigure classrooms, residence halls and common areas to accommodate social distancing requirements.

COVID-19 signage

The university also focused on other areas, including by posting bold signage with health reminders and communicating regularly with members of the Chaminade ‘ohana to keep them up to date with what was going on. The appeal to everyone: when you’re on campus, you’ll need to do your part to keep it safe by wearing a mask and practicing social distancing.

As more people have returned, it’s a message that has resonated across a university community that prides itself on a mission of service to others. Everyone understands they share the responsibility of creating a safe campus and that their actions protect not only themselves but other members of the Silversword ‘ohana—and their family members and friends, too.

Dr. William Rhey Named Dean

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After an extensive search, Chaminade is excited to announce the appointment of Dr. William Rhey as the University’s new Dean of the School of Business and Communication.

Dr. William Rhey, dean of the School of Business and Communication

Rhey comes to Chaminade with years of experience in university leadership roles, including most recently as the Dean of Hawaii Pacific University’s College of Business.

In addition to an impressive resume and a history of fostering development and growth at business schools, Rhey also brings a strong enthusiasm and belief in Chaminade’s strong public service mission.

He is especially passionate about the role of ethics in business development and entrepreneurship.

Rhey takes on this new challenge as the state faces an uncertain economic future. Chaminade looks forward to the School of Business and Communication serving as a hub of expertise and solutions as Hawaii looks to diversify its economy and bolster new and emerging growth areas.

In his new role, Rhey also hopes to explore opportunities for growing the School of Business and Communication in ways that meet community needs, including by offering new graduate programs and tracks, micro-credential and certificate programs, and other continued learning opportunities.

Rhey’s scholarly pursuits include entrepreneurship, business ethics, and international marketing.

He received his doctoral degree in Marketing at the University of Mississippi, and has master’s and bachelor’s degrees in Business Administration from Baylor University and Bucknell University, respectively.

Rhey is also proud to volunteer his time at several organizations that serve the community, including the Hawaiian Council for Economic Education and the Metro Honolulu Rotary Board.

Chaminade looks forward to Rhey’s leadership at the Dean of the School of Business and Communication, and welcomed him to campus on July 1.

Gary Cordova Named VP of Advancement

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Gary Cordova, a longtime leader in higher education, has been selected as the Chaminade’s new Vice President of Advancement.

Cordova brings over 20 years of experience in public and private universities and independent private schools, including as the head of Chaminade’s advancement office from 2002 to 2007.

He returns to Chaminade from Mid-Pacific Institute, where as head of advancement he tripled its annual fund and quadrupled its major gifts from 2013 to today, launched major gift and international fundraising programs and oversaw a strategic initiative for long-term financial planning.

Cordova’s resume also features successful work in advancement and strategic development in higher education, including at the University of Oregon, Williamette University and the University of Chicago.

Donor support is critical to Chaminade’s ability to meet its mission, and Cordova steps into the advancement role at a critical time.

He looks forward to collaborating with existing donors and forming partnerships with new ones, all the while underscoring Chaminade’s direct impact on the lives of students.

Cordova, who describes himself as a team player and an out-of-the-box thinker, is also interested in generating new opportunities for philanthropy that tap into donor interests.

A graduate of the University of Northern Colorado, Cordova also received a master’s degree in English from Stanford University.

He began his new role on July 1. Please join us in welcoming him back to Chaminade!

Dr. Roy Panzarella Named Director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program

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Chaminade University is delighted to announce a familiar name—Dr. Roy Panzarella—has been appointed director of the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. He will begin July 1.

Dr. Roy Panzarella

Panzarella, who served as vice chair of the Board of Regents and volunteered as a Hogan Entrepreneurial Program mentor, brings his wealth of leadership experience to the role.

His business acumen and commitment to serving others have taken him around the world—and eventually brought him to Chaminade.

Panzarella is truly a perfect fit for the Hogan program, a signature initiative at the university that relies on strong collaborations with executives and challenges students to turn their ideas into business plans.

Panzarella sees Hogan students as ethical, transformational and innovative leaders-in-training.

Among Panzarella’s many previous leadership roles was as chief executive of Lockheed Martin-United Arab Emirates. As an Army colonel, Panzarella also served as the US defense attaché to Poland.

And in academia, Panzarella also wore many hats, including as dean of student affairs at the George Marshall Center for Security Studies in Germany.

Panzarella holds a Doctorate in Organizational Leadership from the University of Oklahoma.

He also has master’s degrees in Human Development and in International Relations, from Boston University and the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy at Tufts University, respectively.

Panzarella received his bachelor’s degree from the US Military Academy at West Point.

He considers serving others his lifelong calling and has volunteered his time with a long list of organizations, including the Chamber of Commerce, advisory board of NYU Abu Dhabi’s Department of Engineering and the Board of Trustees for the American School of Warsaw.

Please join the entire Chaminade ‘ohana in congratulating Dr. Roy Panzarella on his appointment.

PPE for Queen’s Medical Center

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CTRAC created PPE donated to Queen's Medical Center

The Castle Teacher Resource Activity Center (CTRAC) in Chaminade’s School of Education and Behavioral Sciences recently donated 62 face shields to nurses in the Trauma Unit at Queen’s Hospital to use as protection while treating patients with COVID-19.

CTRAC created PPE donated to Queen's Medical Center

When Chaminade staff approached Graduate Assistant Veronica Haskell about using the CTRAC equipment to create face masks, she immediately got to work creating a prototype. With a successful prototype in hand, she went into production and produced the face shields using the center’s 3-D printer and laser cutter.

Haskell, a graduate student in Chaminade’s Master of Arts in Teaching program, has worked at CTRAC for less than a year. She has learned to master both the 3-D printer and the laser cutter in that short period of time and has been invaluable on numerous projects, including this one.

CTRAC created PPE donated to Queen's Medical Center

CTRAC was established nearly 10 years ago through generous funding from the Samuel N. and Mary Castle Foundation, and provides a much-needed space for students to study, relax, create and socialize. The center was turned into a maker’s space in 2018 and now houses the 3-D printer and laser cutter, both of which are available for student use.

Haskell worked with Dr. Elizabeth Park, associate professor of education at Chaminade, and Dr. Amber Noguchi, director of Undergraduate Research and Pre-Professional Programs at Chaminade. Together, they were able to coordinate the delivery of the masks to Queen’s in a contactless drop-off on June 1, 2020.