Chaminade University of Honolulu

Press Release

O’Rourke Named VP for Enrollment Management

Chaminade University President Dr. Lynn Babington has strengthened her leadership team by appointing Cathy O’Rourke as Vice President for Enrollment Management.

A former New York resident, O’Rourke has extensive experience in higher education administration. This includes senior leadership roles in undergraduate and graduate admissions, strategic marketing, student access, financial aid, staff development , and budget management.

During her tenure as Vice President for Enrollment Management at Champlain College in Vermont, O’Rourke increased first-year applications to historic levels for two consecutive years, enhanced net tuition revenue, and improved the academic quality of, based on standardized test scores and grade point averages.

As Director of Enrollment Services for New York University, O’Rourke provided strategic direction for the campus recruitment and marketing program. This resulted in the enrollment of highly competitive and diverse first-year and transfer students at ten undergraduate colleges and schools.

O’Rourke also served as Director of Admissions at The Wood School and at Marymount Manhattan College in New York, and as an enrollment management consultant for State University of New York’s Fashion Institute of Technology.

Chaminade Partnering with Texas Advanced Computing Center to offer new Data Science Training for Hawaii Students

$300,000 National Science Foundation Grant Funds 2-Year Pilot Program

Chaminade University is partnering with universities in Texas and Georgia on a two-year pilot program that trains Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander (NHPI) students for careers in data science, analytics and visualization.

The SPICE (Supporting Pacific Indigenous Computing Excellence) project is funded by a $300,000 award from the National Science Foundation (NSF) through its INCLUDES (Inclusion across the Nation of Communities of Learners of Underrepresented Discoverers in Engineering and Science) initiative. INCLUDES is part of the NSF’s “10 Big Ideas” program.

Dr. Helen Turner

“The vision of SPICE is training a cadre of students who will lead data science, visualization and analytics efforts that support health, sustainability and social justice in Hawaii and elsewhere in the Pacific,” said Dr. Helen Turner, the project’s co-principal investigator and Chaminade’s dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Vice President for Innovation.

“Solutions to many critical regional problems lie in ‘big data,’” Dr. Turner said. “It’s key that Hawaii’s future science, technology and business leaders are prepared to use data science in their careers and advocacy.

“Analyzing and applying big data has the potential to change lives in Hawaii for the better,” Dr. Turner added, “and we want our students to be part of that better future.”

Partnering with Chaminade on SPICE are the Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin and the Center for Education Integrating Science, Mathematics & Computing at the Georgia Institute of Technology. SPICE principal investigator is Kelly Gaither, TACC Director of Visualization.

Gaither explained that SPICE students will work with large data sets offering possible solutions to current and emerging problems in the Pacific, including health inequities, natural resource management and economic development. Moreover, preparing these students for data science and computational careers will support Hawaii’s transition to an innovation economy.

“The long-term goal is developing the SPICE partnership into a backbone organization that can frame the current and future efforts as an NSF INCLUDES Alliance,” according to Gaither, “starting with a one-month summer immersion program in 2018 and building to a data science curriculum at Chaminade.

Chaminade President Lynn Babington said one of the “most compelling” aspects of this data science, visualization and analytics initiative is its broad applicability.

“These skills are needed by Hawaii’s future workforce across diverse sectors,” Dr. Babington said, “including business, science, health care and environmental protection. This is the gap Chaminade will address.”

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ABOUT THE TEXAS ADVANCED COMPUTING CENTER
The Texas Advanced Computing Center (TACC) at The University of Texas at Austin is one of the leading supercomputing centers in the world. Every day, thousands of researchers rely on the center’s advanced computing resources and expertise which support more than 3,000 projects from more than 400 institutions across the country. TACC’s mission is to enable discoveries that advance science and society through the application of advanced computing technologies. The infrastructure includes web portals and services, high-performance computing systems, advanced scientific visualization systems, data servers and storage/archival systems, cloud computing servers, IT systems, high-bandwidth networks, and a comprehensive software environment comprising applications, tools, libraries, databases, and grid software.

Dr. Helen Turner Named as Chaminade’s Inaugural Vice President for Innovation

Dr. Helen TurnerChaminade University President Dr. Lynn Babington has named Dr. Helen Turner, an internationally-regarded cellular immunology researcher, as the institution’s first Vice President for Innovation. The appointment is in addition to Dr. Turner’s responsibilities as Dean of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.

“Creating this new leadership role reflects Chaminade’s growth trajectory and commitment to providing cutting-edge academic and research programs that benefit our students, faculty and all the populations we serve,” Dr. Babington said. “Moreover, this appointment supports Hawaii’s critical transition to an innovation economy.”

Chaminade Board of Regents Chair Vaughn Vasconcellos describes Dr. Turner as a respected leader in the scientific and higher education communities with a “proven track record of innovation,” thus making her well qualified for the new position.

“Along with representing the campus on numerous scientific advisory boards, Dean Turner attracted grants and developed programs that placed Chaminade on the map for STEM education,” Vasconcellos pointed out. “She also helps students gain admission to prestigious graduate and health professional programs nationwide.”

In her new role, Dr. Turner said she’ll focus on “student readiness for the workplace, for leadership and for making contributions to their communities.”

“Our innovative programs and cutting-edge approaches draw on our deep faculty expertise,” Dr. Turner emphasized, “and will position our students to lead in Hawaii’s economic development.”

A biology professor, Dr. Turner conducts immunology research on pathologies such as asthma and eczema. She receives funding from the National Institutes of Health, National Science Foundation and U.S. Department of Defense, as well as private foundations.

Dr. Turner recently obtained a $1 million STEM education grant from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. She also developed the $9.6 million Ho`oulu STEM Scholarship program with Kamehameha Schools.

Prior to joining Chaminade in 2007, Dr. Turner was an associate director at The Queen’s Center for Biomedical Research in Honolulu. She earned her Ph.D. at the University of London and performed post-doctoral work at Beth Israel Medical Center and Harvard Medical School.

Chaminade University Announces Legacy Gift of Over $1.6 Million

Angela Starke’s (BGS English ’85) bequest will go toward supporting the Bridges to the Future campaign

Chaminade University announces the receipt of over $1.6 million bequest through the estate of the late alumna Angela Starke, BGS English ’85. The major gift will support Chaminade’s ongoing Bridges to the Future campaign. Starke’s generosity represents one of the largest, single private gifts from an individual in support of the campaign, and the largest bequest in school history.

Born in Saint Louis, Missouri, Angela Starke graduated from Chaminade University in 1985 with a bachelor’s degree in General Studies. Continuing her passion for emphasizing the importance of higher education and showing her appreciation for her professors, Starke established the Fr. Bolin Excellence in Scholarship Award benefitting Chaminade faculty members, and also made charitable gift annuity contributions to further the university’s educational mission.

“Angela was a lifelong learner,” said Chaminade President Bro. Bernard Ploeger, SM, PhD. “Her history of giving to Chaminade began the year after her graduation and continued steadily throughout her long life. As a non-traditional student, Angela became close to many of our faculty and staff, particularly Dr. Al Lum and Fr. John Bolin, SM. When she established the Fr. Bolin Award, Angela remarked, ‘a university is only as good as its faculty.’”

In 2008, Angela and her husband, Vincent Mainelli, were inspired by the history of the Marianists in Hawaii, and in particular, a collection of rediscovered nineteenth century photographic glass plates of the Hawaiian Kingdom, taken by Bro. Bertram Bellinghausen, SM, the first president of Saint Louis School. In a letter written to then Chaminade President Sue Wesselkamper, Starke and Mainelli announced that they would donate $100,000 towards the “preservation, expansion, and maintenance of the Bertram material and other archival material relating to the Marianists in Hawaii.” The exhibit later traveled to the neighbor islands and Washington D.C.

“My Chaminade experience didn’t end with a degree in 1985,” said Starke, in a 2002 interview for Chaminade Quarterly. “Instead, it spelled out reasons to give back to the university. I appreciated the quality education I received at Chaminade.”

ABOUT BRIDGES TO THE FUTURE
Bridges to the Future campaign focuses on four critical areas: (1) ensuring student access and support; (2) advancing academic programs; (3) building a richer campus life; and (4) renewing Chaminade’s athletics tradition. To contribute to the campaign, interested individuals should contact Diane Peters-Nguyen, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at [email protected] or (808)735-4772.

ABOUT CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY’S PLANNED GIVING
The Planned Giving Program creates a lasting legacy and supports the continuing educational opportunities for future students and tomorrow’s leaders. In 2016, Chaminade University was selected as a participating organization in Hawaii Community Foundation’s two-year Legacy Giving Campaign.

$1 Million Awarded to Chaminade in Recognition of National Excellence in Science Programs

Chaminade joins select group of 24 universities nationwide recognized for inclusivity and quality in STEM programs

NSM Student in LabChaminade University of Honolulu today announced a grant of $1 million from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) as an awardee in the 2017-22 ‘Inclusive Excellence’ program. Chaminade was selected as one of 24 awardees from a pool of over 500 universities who applied for the prestigious recognition as a Howard Hughes Undergraduate Institution. The program will fund culture-based STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education programs, Hawai‘i-centered research, and activities that link science to family and community for Hawaiian and Pacific Islander students.

Dr. Helen Turner
Dr. Helen Turner

“Chaminade has been building excellence in STEM for a decade with support from agencies such as National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation (NSF) and Kamehameha Schools, and this award recognizes the tremendous progress we have made in preparing the next generation of Hawai‘i and Pacific scientists” says Dr. Helen Turner, Chaminade’s Dean of Natural Sciences and Principal Investigator of the HHMI Program. “This award takes us to the next level of national recognition for the curriculum and cutting-edge teaching methods our faculty have developed. The HHMI program confronts the challenge of connecting STEM education with culture, family and community – which are critical for our local students to be successful and to build a strong Hawai‘i for the future.”

“Finding a way to include all students, from all backgrounds, in STEM is critical for building future generations of American scientists”, says David Asai, HHMI Senior Director for Science Education. “HHMI recognizes that science excellence depends on having a community of scientists that is rich in diversity of people and perspectives. This national experiment expects that the selected universities will produce useful models to address inclusivity in STEM.”

ABOUT THE HOWARD HUGHES MEDICAL INSTITUTE
The Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) is the largest private, nonprofit supporter of science education in the United States. The Association of American Colleges and Universities (AAC&U) has created an Inclusive Excellence Commission whose role will be to evaluate the outcomes of this national experiment, and to disseminate to the broader community what is being learned.

Bridges to the Future Campaign Nears $100 Million Goal

Bridges to the Future Campaign Nears $100 Million Goal

With a shiny, newly renovated campus and more building blessings and dedications on the way, Chaminade’s $100 million “Bridges to the Future” comprehensive campaign has gathered serious momentum — some $95 million, in fact.

With just eight months left to reach the total, the University is reaching out to alumni, friends and the community at large to join forces and propel the campaign successfully past its finish mark.

Bro. Bernard J. Ploeger, S.M., will complete his tenure as president in June. However, that has not slowed down the pace of fundraising in the least. “Meeting with the generous Chaminade donors who, one by one, have agreed to help us achieve our goals has been gratifying and rewarding for me personally,” he said.

After the initial launch in July of 2008, tremendous early campaign support came from the Clarence T. C. Ching Foundation, The Atlantic Philanthropies, and the US Department of Education’s Title III (for Native Hawaiian Serving Institutions).

In recent years, however, alumni and board members have quietly stepped up, as have local organizations. In the past year alone, a $5.4 million grant from the Kamehameha Schools for the Ho’oulu STEM scholarships and another $1 million from the Alaka`ina Foundation through Chaminade University Board of Regents chair Vaughn G. A. Vasconcellos have moved the university into striking range of its goal.

“Chaminade’s story is an unparalleled ‘Little College That Could’ story,” said Vasconcellos, recalling the famous basketball upset when Chaminade defeated top-ranked Virginia in 1982. In the mid-1990s, newly appointed President Mary Civille “Sue” Wesselkamper, D. S.W. brought on Ploeger and, with the help of the Marianists and the Catholic religious community which sponsor Chaminade, ushered in an era of growth and transformation.

Last year, Chaminade celebrated six decades of educating students for “life, service and successful careers” and looks forward to welcoming a new president in August. Dr. Lynn Babington will be the third woman to head a university in the state.

On hand for the campus salute to the outgoing president, Babington congratulated Ploeger and the team for their efforts related to the Bridges to the Future campaign. “Chaminade represents a beacon in the higher education realm due to its remarkable achievements with the under-served, particularly the Native Hawaiian community. I congratulate Bro. Bernie on the tremendous success of the campaign to date and look forward to joining efforts to surpass our overall goal.”

The campaign focuses on four critical areas: (1) ensuring student access and support (via new scholarships, for example); (2) advancing academic programs (such as recent grants to renew Chaminade’s pedagogy); (3) building a richer campus life (through the renovation of the Clarence T.C. Ching Hall and other facilities); and (4) renewing Chaminade’s athletics tradition. Gifts and grants in this latter area have enabled the renovation of the campus tennis courts as well as the construction of new coaches’ offices dedicated this year and a locker room and training facility to open in fall 2018.

For more information or to contribute to Chaminade’s Bridges to the Future campaign, interested individuals should contact Diane Peters-Nguyen, Vice President of Institutional Advancement at [email protected] or 808.735-4772.