University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni Walter Dods, Jr. and Jay H. Shidler have gifted a sculpture by the late Bumpei Akaji to their alma mater. The sculpture, “RISE,” was installed outside the Walter Dods, Jr. RISE Center, and dedicated in a special ceremony prior to the official grand opening of the center on June 15.

The City and County of Honolulu has formally entered into a sister city agreement between Honolulu and Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan with a signing ceremony on May 31. Ahead of the signing, a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa tourism expert provided guidance to a Shibuya city delegation, including Mayor Ken Hasebe.

Reese Kisaba is a Hawaiʻi kid at heart. He grew up in Mānoa Valley, graduated from Roosevelt High School and will soon graduate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. Following his graduation this spring, Kisaba plans to stay and work in the islands to give back to the community that helped raise him to who he is today.

George A. “Red” Morris, BBA ‘63, considers himself a “late bloomer in life,” barely squeaking by to graduate from high school in Long Island, New York. When he arrived in Hawai‘i in January 1961, Morris had already attended junior college at Dean Junior College in Franklin, Massachusetts; served in the U.S. Coast Guard as an active duty member for six months and was completing his commitment of seven and a half years in the Coast Guard Reserve (which was a unique offering at the time); and didn’t want to follow his good friend, Ted Sung, to Boston University for the simple fact that he disliked cold winters and hated snow.

The Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa celebrated its 63rd Business Night on May 2, at the Sheraton Waikiki, hosting nearly 500 students and business professionals.

Gaining real-world experience running a digital marketing campaign was the goal of a spring 2024 project by University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business digital marketing students, under the guidance of Instructor Constancio Paranal III.

The Shidler College of Business’ School of Travel Industry Management (TIM school) held its 22nd annual Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism gala on April 10, at the Sheraton Waikīkī. Also marking the college’s 75th anniversary, this year’s fundraiser raised a record-breaking $517,000 thanks to the generous support of the hospitality and Hawaiʻi business community.

When School of Travel Industry Management (TIM School) assistant professor Adiyukh Berbekova arrived in Honolulu after earning her doctorate in hospitality and tourism management from the University of Massachusetts (UMass), she knew she’d landed in the perfect location for her academic interests. Berbekova’s research focuses on quality of life (QoL) and well-being as it relates to policies that can improve the tourism experience for all stakeholders.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa has made a significant mark in the global arena of digital marketing. Out of approximately 200 undergraduate student teams competing in the Spring 2024 Digital Marketing Competition, four Shidler College of Business teams placed in the top 13, including one among the top four finalists and one as an alternate into the finals.

In 2022, two University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business alums Christian de Quevedo and Scott Taber, joined forces with UH Mānoa architecture alumnus Jonathan “Malu” Stanich, to start LēʻahiLandscaping—an all-electric service committed to providing its customers with an environmentally friendly option for their landscaping needs.

A team of three University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business students won a national government case challenge, and each took home a $1,000 scholarship award.

Daniel Chun, a 2002 graduate from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of BusinessSchool of Travel Industry Management (TIM School), has been a key member of the Alaska Airlines leadership team in Hawaiʻi for more than 12 years, most recently serving as Alaska’s director of sales, community and public relations here in the islands. He was recently promoted to regional vice president—Hawaiʻi, which makes him the senior executive in the state for Alaska Airlines.

The Shidler College of Business Alumni Association, a 501(c)3 organization, held its annual Executive Vineyards fundraiser on March 7 at The Royal Hawaiian. $67,500 was raised, which supports the association’s mission to elevate the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business with alumni outreach efforts, student academic activities, scholarships and more. This year’s event also commemorated the Shidler College’s diamond anniversary, marking 75 years of international excellence, multicultural learning and fostering career readiness among graduates.

Tom Wellman’s attraction to Hawaiʻi started when he was a kid growing up in Wyoming, writing to pen pals from the age of 10. One frigid winter in high school, he read an article in Readers Digest about teenagers from the mainland coming to Hawaiʻi to pick pineapples.

Using artificial intelligence (AI) to improve energy efficiency, and transforming waste into pre-refined biomass are a pair of projects that won pitch events in Hawaiʻi and are headed to nationals to compete for more than $400,000 in cash prizes.

A lot of students have side hustles to offset the cost of paying for college and living in Hawai‘i. For Shidler College of Business marketing senior Jayson Siu, his car accessory business, called Invalid.jp, has turned to lucrative business. In 2022, Invalid.jp brought in $512,000 in revenue and continues to exceed that amount. Invalid.jp blew up after Siu posted a viral TikTok video in 2021, showcasing an LED-lined rearview mirror, which lead to $12,000 in sales in one day.Marketing Student Creates Lucrative Side Hustle Utilizing Social Media

Leveraging momentum generated by The Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS) 2024, Shidler College of Business’ (Shidler College) Information Technology Management (ITM) department took a bold step forward in enriching academic dialogue centered on artificial intelligence (AI), responsibility and social justice. Earlier this month, the department hosted its inaugural post-HICSS research workshop on campus, showcasing ITM’s dedication to exploring how cutting-edge technologies can be harnessed for the greater good, while ensuring the march of progress aligns with societal values of equity and responsibility.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business hosted nearly 300 donors and students at its annual Scholarship Luncheon at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on November 6. The event provided donors with an opportunity to meet their scholarship student recipients and learn first-hand about the impact of their gifts.

Corina Quach, a 2020 University of Hawaiʻiat Mānoa Shidler College of Business graduate, is better known on social media as @fiveftfoodie. A self-proclaimed introvert, she could have never imagined she’d be a social media sensation with more than 44,000 followers on Instagram. In fact, Quach was originally planning to attend culinary school in Tokyo to pursue her passion for baking. And then the pandemic hit, and she needed a new plan.

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business hosted its 30th annual Hall of Honor Awards on October 26, at the Sheraton Waikīkī. The evening celebrated the outstanding achievements of five distinguished alumni and raised more than $370,000 in support of Shidler college. These funds support the Shidler College of Business Advancement Fund, furthering its mission to bolster student programs, scholarships, faculty research, alumni outreach and special programs.

Honolulu philanthropist and former First Hawaiian Bank Chairman Walter A. Dods Jr. is donating $5 million to the University of Hawaiʻi’s new Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs (RISE) at UH Mānoa. In recognition of this momentous gift, the building will be renamed the Walter Dods Jr. RISE Center.

This story was reposted on Oct. 5 on UH News and originally appeared in the Shidler Business magazine. 

Promising University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business freshmen learned how to kickstart a business and pitched their ideas to investors, all while raising almost $2,000 to help victims of the devastating Maui wildfires.

Vance Roley, dean of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business, is a recipient of the Most Admired Leaders award by Pacific Business News (PBN). Roley is one of 27 awardees that span a range of industries, including education, nonprofits, health care and real estate.