News Archive Page 2

Shidler student leadership center unveiled, funded by $250K gift

The newly modernized Roland and Evelyn Casamina House of Finance Undergraduate Student Leadership Center was unveiled during a blessing ceremony held on January 6 at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business. The $250,000 renovation was made possible due to the generosity of alumnus Roland Casamina, BBA ’76, founder and CEO of House of Finance, Inc. and founding president of the Filipino Community Center, and his wife, Evelyn, who is co-founder of House of Finance, Inc.

TIM alumnus endows new scholarship benefiting Maui students

School of Travel Industry Management (TIM School) alumnus Ren Hirose, BBA ‘85, is no stranger to supporting his alma mater. His latest gift of an endowed $50,000 scholarship, called the Ren Hirose Family Endowed Scholarship, adds to his contributions over the years to the college and its students. As a Maui native and Baldwin High School graduate, Hirose’s scholarship will preference students from Maui high schools to give them opportunities to attend the TIM School to prepare them for promising careers in the tourism and hospitality industry.

Researcher Spotlight: Caroline Fry 

Shidler College of Business Assistant Professor Caroline Fry published a new study in the March 2022 issue of Organizational Science. Her paper, titled “Bridging the Gap: Evidence from the Return Migration of African Scientists,” outlines her recent research. The study examined the impact of researchers who returned home to Africa following masters and doctoral training at Top 20 institutions in the United States as part of a National Institutes of Health (NIH) funded program. The research follows HIV-related researchers based in African institutions and measures the influence of a scientist returning to their institution following training in the United States.

Nearly $1.1M in scholarships awarded to Shidler college students

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business’ annual scholarship luncheon event made its in-person return at the Royal Hawaiian Hotel on November 7. The event brought together student recipients and scholarship donors. It gave students the opportunity to meet and thank the donors, and share how their gifts impacted the students’ education.

Leasing starts for RISE at UH, new leadership scholarships available

Two major efforts begin today tied to the University of Hawaiʻi Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs (RISE) project. Applications open for leasing at RISE, which is slated to open in fall 2023, and scholarships for 50 UH students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship through the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACEPACE Leaders program.

Shidler Hall of Honor Awards raises $340K, inducts four distinguished alumni

University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business hosted its 2022 Hall of Honor Awards on Thursday, October 13, at the Sheraton Waikīkī to celebrate four distinguished business leaders and alumni. The event also raised $340,500 in support of the Shidler college.

Students find a recipe to tackle climate change in cookbook, more

A cookbook, picture books and podcasts are some of the ways University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa business students are raising awareness about the global fight against climate change. The projects were part of Instructor Constancio Paranal III’s summer 2022 marketing course called “Imagination, Entrepreneurship” in the Shidler College of Business.

Shidler international business program moves up in U.S. News ranking

The U.S. News & World Report released its “America’s Best Colleges” for 2022-2023 on Sept. 11, ranking the Shidler College of Business at the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa 13th on its list of top international business programs, up one spot from 14th on the previous ranking. Additional colleges making the list included New York University, Georgetown University, UC Berkeley, University of South Carolina, University of Michigan and Washington State University.

$250K gift to RISE project supports future small business owners

Ben Godsey knows how important entrepreneurs are to Hawaiʻi’s economy. As the president and CEOof ProService Hawaii, one of Hawaiʻi’s largest outsourced human resource providers, he counts more than 2,000 local small businesses as clients—most of them entrepreneurs.

$600k gift puts business college’s computer lab on cutting-edge

A blessing was held at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business on August 11 to celebrate the completed renovation of the Tom W.S. Hee Undergraduate Computer Room into a state-of-the-art facility. The $600,000 lab renovation was funded from the estate of Clifford and Blanche Hee and named in honor of their son Tom Hee, who was an admired alumnus of the college and an accomplished banking professional, computer expert and community-minded volunteer.

All UH students interested in innovation, entrepreneurship may apply for new housing

Students across the University of Hawaiʻi System who are interested in entrepreneurship are invited to apply to live at Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs (RISE), the mixed-use student housing/innovation center under construction across from the UH Mānoa campus.

Student sparked ‘inner fire’ to learn English, earns national accounting scholarship

The state’s lone recipient of a $10,000 national accounting scholarship is a University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business undergraduate student. Haiying Li, a junior accounting major, was named a Public Company Accounting Oversight Board (PCAOB) scholar for the 2022–23 academic year. These scholarships are awarded to outstanding students who will likely pursue a career as an auditor.

1st gen Shidler alumna endows $100K scholarship to honor parents

A new scholarship for full-time undergraduate business students has been created at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s Shidler College of Business. The UH Foundation announced that Shidler alumna Linh PhamBBA ‘00, and her husband Dao Pham have contributed $100,000 to establish the Cindy Doan and Hy So Duong Endowed Scholarship.

Accounting students lend a helping hand

Shidler College Accounting lecturer Michael Dell’s accounting class recently assisted nearly 100 local taxpayers in completing their taxes as part of the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) program. Each student helped with approximately 20 returns each and met the requirement to pass three VITA examinations before completing the 50 hours of volunteer work.

Omnitrak funds new student award at UH’s Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business announced on May 13 that Omnitrak, a marketing and research consultancy firm, has gifted $50,000 to establish a new student award called the “Omnitrak Innovative Leaders Award” at the Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship (PACE), which is housed within the Shidler college. Omnitrak established the gift in honor of the company’s 40th anniversary to support UH students pursuing their education and their business ideas.

Industry leaders share their expertise with TIM students

Hospitality industry leaders recently visited the classroom as panelists and reviewers offering their industry knowledge and feedback to TIM School professor Jerry Agrusa’s Food Service Management (TIM 313) students’ final course project presentations. Leaders from multiple segments of the hospitality and tourism industry including hotels, restaurants, private clubs, marketing firms and the transportation industry were represented and offered valuable, practical knowledge and feedback.

UH Business Night makes in-person return, strengthens student relationships with Hawaiʻi businesses

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business marked the in-person return of Business Night, its signature student event, on May 5, at the Sheraton Waikīkī after hosting it virtually for the past two years. The annual event, now in its 61st year, has connected Shidler students with Hawaiʻi’s leading business professionals over the past six decades, while honoring the college’s top students for their accomplishments.

National War College visits TIM School

The National War College (NWC) from Washington, D.C., recently visited Hawai‘i and requested that School of Travel Industry Management (TIM School) professor Jerry Agrusa, Ph.D., provide a presentation to the group on “Understanding the role of tourism in Pacific Island Countries (PIC) economies and how climate change and pandemics affect tourism.”

20th annual TIM School fundraiser honors Roy Yamaguchi, Dave Evans

The University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa’s School of Travel Industry Management (TIM School) at the Shidler College of Business held its 20th Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism gala on Thursday, April 7, at the Sheraton Waikiki. This year’s event honored Chef Roy Yamaguchi and TIM alumnus Dave P. Evans, who have each made significant and long-term contributions to Hawaiʻi’s tourism industry. The event also raised more than $260,000 for student scholarships at the TIM School. This year marked the first in-person Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism event since 2019.

HICSS 2022 welcomes 1,400 world-wide participants

The 55th annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences (HICCS), held January 3-8, 2022 went virtual for the second time. Despite the online format, the conference hosted more than 1,400 participants representing 90 countries.

Rick’s Corner: Shafkat Anowar at AP Chicago

Rick’s Corner – Shafkat Anowar at AP Chicago 

Rick Varley is the director of Shidler College’s Internship & Career Development Office. In this column, Varley selects an outstanding student to share their internship experience during the Fall 2020 and Spring 2021 semesters, Varley placed 291 Shidler students in internships. 

In this inaugural feature, recent graduate Shafkat Anowar, BBA ‘21, shares a day in the life as a multimedia intern for the Associated Press (AP) in Chicago this past spring. Anowar recently accepted a full-time position as a visual journalist with the Dallas Morning News.