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Welcome Dr. Rhoberta Haley

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Dr. Haley joined the Chaminade ‘ohana as dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions in May 2019.

Dr. Rhoberta Haley, dean of the school of nursing and health professions.

When Dr. Rhoberta Haley came across the job posting for dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions at Chaminade University, she knew instantly it was the right fit.

“It felt like it was a blessing,” says Haley. “I think Chaminade is a great university.”

What first attracted her was the Chaminade mission and its commitment toward advancing and serving underrepresented communities
and populations.

“I love the emphasis on social justice and serving vulnerable populations. Chaminade has a wonderful mission, and nursing is a really good fit for that mission. It’s just a very nice synergy.”

Throughout her career, Haley has seen firsthand how nursing can transform communities. “A degree in nursing can be life-changing, especially if you are the first person in your family to go to college. When you become a nurse you have that healthcare knowledge, and that benefits your family, neighbors, friends and communities. You serve people everywhere you go.”

She was also drawn to the fact that Chaminade has an incredibly diverse student body. Just last year, Chaminade was listed as having the highest percentage of Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students in the nation, according to the Chronicle of Higher Education. Haley believes nurses should represent the people they take care of, and starting with a diverse group of students is essential. “We need men and women, people from all kinds of ethnic and racial backgrounds to inform how we care for patients.”

Haley brings with her 40 years of experience in nursing and nursing education, including from academic leadership positions in California, Nevada, Illinois, Indiana and Arizona.

She sees a lot of potential at Chaminade. Amongst her highest priorities: partnering with community healthcare groups to see where Chaminade can add value, and growing the program offerings within the School of Nursing and Health Professions. She also sees an opportunity to grow the current simulation center and develop even more experiential learning opportunities for students.

“Luckily, we have a really strong faculty. They’ve been here; they’re experienced nurses and educators.” To Haley, that’s critical. “You want to have a core group of faculty that understand the university and the mission and are really dedicated to our students.”

She’s excited to work with the faculty this fall to build a comprehensive plan and vision for the school driven by research, community and regional needs, employer demands and partner support.

“We’re positioned in a really nice way. We’ve already started a really good nursing school and it’s been successful,” says Haley. “This is the time to start adding programs and growing, and offering more to our region.”

Welcome Class of 2023

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Students, faculty and staff came out in full-force to welcome the newest members of the Chaminade ‘ohana.

New Student Orientation officially began with move-in day on Thursday, August 22. The Chaminade women’s soccer team, men’s soccer team and women’s volleyball team greeted new students and their families in the parking lot to help unload. Later that evening, families joined for a welcome dinner and meet and greet with residence life staff at Hale Lokelani.

Friday began with a welcome by President Lynn Babington and a prayer service in the Mystical Rose Oratory. After, students broke out to meet their faculty while parents met with the Dean of Students. They reconnected over lunch with our Marianist brothers before heading to learn more about student life and exploring the local area on a guided trolley tour.

The day culminated at Academic Convocation, a time-honored tradition where faculty gather and dress in full academic regalia to welcome new students in an official ceremony. As explained by President Lynn Babington, “Academic Convocation formally marks the beginning of your educational experience at Chaminade, bringing together for the first time faculty and students.”

This year’s faculty speaker, Assistant Professor of Forensic Science and Chemistry Dr. Kate Perrault, encouraged students to embrace new opportunities and explore new passions. “You guys are in the driver’s seat now,” said Dr. Perrault. “Your education is in your hands. You will actively make decisions—some small, some a lot bigger—throughout the next four years that are going to shape this journey. Focus on things and decisions that will bring you happiness or fulfillment. Experiment with a new hobby and try new things, and if it doesn’t work, try something else.”

On Saturday, students explored Oahu on an island tour, stopping along the way to take in the sights at various lookout points, explore a Macademia nut farm and taste Dole Whip at the Dole Plantation. On Sunday, the official last day of New Student Orientation, students and their families took an early morning hike up to the top of Diamond Head before heading off to prepare for the first day of classes on Monday.

Welcome class of 2023—we can’t wait to see what you do with your time at Chaminade.

Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation Supports Chaminade Psy.D. Students

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Chaminade University of Honolulu recently received nearly $480,000 from the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation to provide scholarships to students of the Chaminade Psy.D. program, formerly housed at Argosy University.

Raymond J. Tam (Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation Trustee), Dr. Lynn Babington (Chaminade University President), Dr. Sean Scanlan (Director of the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology at Chaminade University), Catherine H.Q. Ching (Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation Trustee ), John K. Tsui (Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation Trustee) and Kenneth T. Okamoto (Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation Trustee) 

When Argosy closed its doors mid-semester in March 2019, Chaminade was quick to act. Within weeks, the university acquired the Hawaii School of Professional Psychology (HSPP) doctor of psychology program and hired all of the full-time Psy.D. staff and faculty members.

Chaminade was determined to provide the students with a seamless transition and allow them to continue their spring classes. The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation gift provided student scholarships for Psy.D. students to help with spring semester tuition at Chaminade, as they had already paid their spring semester tuition to Argosy.

“We are incredibly grateful to the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation,” says Dr. Sean Scanlan, director of the Psy.D. program at Chaminade University of Honolulu. “This generous gift helped ease the financial burden on students who had already experienced a tumultuous first part of the year when Argosy University suddenly closed.”

The five-year doctor of clinical psychology program is the only program of its kind in Hawaii. Last year, students volunteered over 12,000 hours of direct services through clinical practicums to people in the community. The program’s closure would have meant that there would be no accredited Psy.D. program within 2,400 miles of Hawaii, severely impacting Hawaii’s mental health services. The move to acquire the program by Chaminade—and the support of the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation—eliminated this potential crisis and allowed students to continue providing care to their patients.

“This program fulfills such an important need in our community,” says Tertia Freas, executive director for the Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation. “It is our honor to support these incredible students in their journey to bring much-needed mental health services to Hawaii.”

Chaminade received permission from both accrediting bodies—the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC) and the American Psychological Association (APA)—to provide a teach-out, ensuring enrolled students can complete their degrees. The university recently received approval for the program from WSCUC, allowing Chaminade to continue the program into the future.

“We are excited to bring the Psy.D. program to Chaminade. It is a perfect fit for the academic programs we already provide and consistent with our mission to provide service to the community,” says Dr. Lynn Babington, president of Chaminade University of Honolulu. “Over the past 30 years, HSPP, as the only clinical psychology program in the state, has educated and trained hundreds of psychologists who have provided countless mental health services to Hawaii.”

Chaminade to Offer a New Emergency Student Endowment Fund

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Chaminade University Board of Governors member Julie T. Watumull and her husband JD Watumull have gifted over $100,000 to start an endowed emergency student fund at Chaminade University. The “Julie T. and JD Watumull Fund for Emergency Student Grants” will be the first of its kind at Chaminade, specifically created to help students who have experienced an unexpected temporary hardship while attending the university.

Students who receive the emergency grant will not need to repay the funds. There is an application process, and grants range from $100-$1,000, depending on the situation. The Watumull Fund will be administered by the Dean of Students, Allison Jerome, in close consultation with the Office of Financial Aid and other support service areas on campus.

“We have students who need assistance with unexpected and unforeseen emergency expenses, and this new fund gives us the ability to provide support in a different way,” said Jerome. “Our goal is to help students during a time of need so that they can address the emergency and continue to make progress towards their degrees. Being able to provide a small grant to a student is just one way to show how the Chaminade community cares for each student.”

Members of the Watumull family are longtime supporters of Chaminade with a 14-year philanthropic history at the university including the Fund for Chaminade and the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program’s business study missions to India, through the J. Watumull Foundation and Gulab and Indru Watumull.

Julie and JD’s vision to establish a new student emergency fund is bound to help generations of students at Chaminade for many years to come.

Chaminade Celebrates 2019 Graduates at Commencement

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The evening of May 13 was a time of celebration for Chaminade University of Honolulu’s class of 2019 as family, friends, faculty and staff gathered at the Neal S. Blaisdell Arena for Chaminade’s 61st Commencement ceremony.

Following the Oli chant, a traditional Hawaiian welcome and blessing, delivered by Chaminade class of 2014 graduate Kaipo Leopoldino, university president Dr. Lynn Babington welcomed graduates and guests to celebrate the work of faculty, new beginnings and to reflect on changes in the university since its founding in 1955.

In her welcome, Dr. Babington highlighted one of the five Characteristics of a Marianist education that Chaminade, the only Catholic university in the state of Hawaii, emphasizes: educate for adaptation and change. These values and Chaminade’s commitment to service proved to be a consistent theme throughout the evening’s exercises leading up to the graduation of nearly 500 students from 25 undergraduate and six graduate degree programs.

Among the honored guests in attendance were Governor David Ige and his wife Dawn Amano-Ige, who gave the Commencement address.

“You made it,” Amano-Ige said as she began her speech. “You own it. This is your moment. Tonight is your night as we honor you and your achievements.”

Amano-Ige became the first lady of Hawaii in December 2014 when her husband was sworn in as Hawaii’s eighth governor. She has also been an alumna of Chaminade since 1986 when she graduated with her master’s degree in business administration. In her address, Amano-Ige bestowed a few pieces of wisdom on the soon-to-be graduates. She encouraged them to make the most of every opportunity they’re given, to be realistic when starting off in their careers and to take action in moments of uncertainty instead of holding back or withdrawing. The first lady, similarly to Dr. Babington, emphasized how valuable a Chaminade education is because of its values.

“You are so fortunate to be graduating from a place where diversity is celebrated in culture-based learning and where ethical leadership is the focus,” Amano-Ige said. “The rich combination of the two gives you the power to make a difference. When done collectively with your classmates, that power is multiplied to have a great impact on our community.”

Savannah Lyn Relox Delos Santos, the Undergraduate Speaker, delivered an equally impactful speech in which she conveyed the gratitude she feels toward the Chaminade community and her family.

Delos Santos, who earned her bachelor’s degree in business marketing, has spent her years at Chaminade serving as a peer mentor and tutor, student office assistant and president of the Residence Hall Association—all while excelling in her classes, working and volunteering.

She was also an active participant in Campus Ministry, student government and Chaminade’s Hogan Entrepreneurial Program. Her commitment to service and the university’s Marianist values earned her the prestigious Founders’ Award earlier this year. Delos Santos’ dream is to be the second and youngest Native Hawaiian fashion designer to present their work at New York Fashion Week and plans to move to the Philippines after graduation to pursue her professional goals and learn more about her roots.

“Our differential advantages are the Marianist values and the Aloha Spirit,” Delos Santos said. “We are the only university with both and we all live it in our Chaminade community. So embrace it, use it, because we are so blessed.”

Both Amano-Ige and Delos Santos were the first college graduates in their families and shared how education and Chaminade were significant contributors to who they are today.

And finally, after many semesters of hard work and sacrifice, the Chaminade class of 2019 turned its tassels and became alumni, forever part of the Chaminade family.

“Your passion, along with your education and experiences here at Chaminade, will be part of the sometimes messy but beautiful process we call life,” Amano-Ige said. “So tonight be jubilant, be proud, go out and celebrate—safely of course—the joy of your achievement. Tomorrow, your focus shifts to putting your college education to good use for your community, for our Hawaii, for the world and for generations to come.”

Commencement 2019 (short version)
Commencement 2019 (long version)

Hogan Program Honors Graduates and Welcomes New Students

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Chaminade’s future business professionals were honored at the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program’s Induction and Graduation Ceremony on April 25 at the Mystical Rose Oratory.

The Hogan Entrepreneurial Program, funded by the Hogan Family Foundation, aims to teach Chaminade students how to be successful in business through weekly lectures with experienced Hawaii business leaders, study abroad trips, community service projects, academic coursework, mentorship and more. Each year, about 25 students from all majors, including undergraduate juniors and seniors and graduate students, are accepted into the one- or two-year certificate program.

Hogan’s motto is “doing business things that make social sense, doing social things that make business sense,” and emphasizes entrepreneurial practices that benefit the community.

At the ceremony, the graduating Hogan students were honored for completing the program and the incoming Hogan students were inducted in front of their Chaminade community, friends and family. Six awards were presented to 11 Hogan students, including the Outstanding Hogan Entrepreneur of the Year Award, the Outstanding Graduate Student Award, the Outstanding Junior and Senior Awards, as well as the Aloha Spirit Awards and the In the Arena Award.

The Lifetime Achievement Award was presented to Vaughn G.A. Vasconcellos, former president and CEO of Akimeka LLC and founder and principal of the Alakaʻina Foundation, which is a Native Hawaiian Organization nonprofit based in Hawaii. The foundation provides federal contracting opportunities to Native Hawaiian companies and a portion of the profits from these companies aid the foundation in its philanthropic mission. Vasconcellos has formerly served as advisor to the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program and was a Chaminade University Board of Regents chairman.

The program also featured a special tribute to the Hogan Family with remarks from Savannah Lyn Delos Santos, a business marketing major from Saipan, and readings of original poems by Fabian Patterson and Laurin Von Krueger.

Patterson and Krueger’s poems both touched on how the Hogan Entrepreneurial Program provides equal opportunities to everyone involved. Patterson, a psychology major originally from Jamaica, thanked the Hogan family for providing him with academic and professional opportunities in his poem “How Could This Be?”

“I didn’t get here because America is the Promised Land, but because there is a God, because of helping hands, because of people like the Hogans,” Patterson said. “It’s people like them that make this country greater than all the other countries in foreign lands. It’s the Hogan’s belief that if you’re not having fun while working, then you’re certainly not pursuing your passion. It’s their belief in me, us, the younger, future generation that strengthens my belief and refuels my passion.”