University of Hawai?i at Manoa

01/22/2025 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 01/22/2025 18:10

VNR: New UH President Hensel engages with students, employees at UH Mānoa visit

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa

Contact:

Link to video and sound (details below): https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/QFlmMki0UN

***VOSOT script below for consideration***

WHAT: Students, faculty and staff officially welcomed University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel to UH Mānoa, the second stop of her tour of all 10 UH campuses and six of the university system's education centers during her first 90 days on the job. The visits aim to foster connections with students, faculty, staff and campus leadership.

President Hensel was greeted with a traditional ceremony on the Hawaiʻi Hall lawn this morning. More than 200 people were in attendance. She also spent the morning touring several culturally significant sites on campus.

She participated in a series of meetings with the Mānoa Cabinet, Kūaliʻi Council, Mānoa Staff Senate and student governance groups, before ending the day with a campus open forum that featured an in-person audience and was live streamed via Zoom.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 22, 2025

WHERE: UH Mānoa campus

WHY: The campus visits provide President Hensel with opportunities to connect, listen and learn directly from the UH community. Insights from these interactions will help to shape the foundation of her leadership and strengthen the 10-campus system.

ADDITIONAL DETAILS:

  • President Hensel will wrap up her visit to UH Mānoa tomorrow, January 23, with a campus tour and meeting with the Mānoa Faculty Senate.
  • President Hensel began her role as the 16th president of the state's public higher education system on January 1, 2025.
  • The tour includes open campus forums at each location, allowing the UH community to share recommendations and observations directly with the president.
  • President Hensel expressed her dedication to building meaningful connections through pilina, a Native Hawaiian concept shared with her which embodies the essence of relationships, interdependence and connections across generations and places.

Full schedule of President Hensel's campus/education center visits

Link to video and sound (details below): https://spaces.hightail.com/receive/QFlmMki0UN

VIDEO

BROLL: (1:34)

0:00-1:34 - President Hensel's UH Mānoa visit, including a traditional ceremony and tour of several culturally significant sites on campus

SOUNDBITES:

Wendy Hensel, UH President (0:19)

"Just new beginnings and the hope of what's in front of us and the absolute open arms that people greeted me with. But more than that, the feeling and the depth of history that's behind everything on this campus and the culture, I'm just so touched."

Punihei Lipe, Director, UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office (0:14)

"That is the goal, right, that this university, wherever you come from in the world, that you get more rooted and grounded here and learn from this place and can then utilize what you know in many different ways like in a welcome like in helping to ground our new president into this place."

Michael Bruno, UH Mānoa Provost (0:14)

"It's meaningful for us that that importance, that role that we play in the system is recognized and that she will be spending two days here on campus, meeting all of our members of our community."

VOSOT SCRIPT:

INTRO:

New University of Hawaiʻi President Wendy Hensel was welcomed by students, faculty and staff at UH Mānoa today-the second stop of her statewide tour of UH System campuses and education centers.

NATS:

*5 seconds of traditional ceremony

VO:

A traditional ceremony on the Hawaiʻi Hall lawn kicked off her visit today.

More than 200 people were in attendance to greet President Hensel.

She also spent the morning meeting with the Mānoa Cabinet and toured several culturally significant sites on campus.

SOT:

Wendy Hensel, UH President (0:19)

"Just new beginnings and the hope of what's in front of us and the absolute open arms that people greeted me with. But more than that, the feeling and the depth of history that's behind everything on this campus and the culture, I'm just so touched."

Punihei Lipe, Director, UH Mānoa Native Hawaiian Place of Learning Advancement Office (0:14)

"That is the goal, right, that this university, wherever you come from in the world, that you get more rooted and grounded here and learn from this place and can then utilize what you know in many different ways like in a welcome like in helping to ground our new president into this place."

Michael Bruno, UH Mānoa Provost (0:14)

"It's meaningful for us that that importance, that role that we play in the system is recognized and that she will be spending two days here on campus, meeting all of our members of our community."

VO:

Hensel also met with faculty, staff and student governance groups.

She wrapped up the day with an hour-long campus forum.

Hensel began her role as UH President on January 1.

Her next campus visit is set for next week at Kapiʻolani Community College.