The University of Hawaiʻi Foundation is proud to announce the establishment of the Association of Government Accountants of Hawaiʻi Endowed Scholarship Fund at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Shidler College of Business. This scholarship was established to assist students pursuing an accounting or auditing career in public service and honor past and future Association of Government Accountants (AGA) Hawaiʻi Chapter Presidents, Officers, Directors, Committees, and members. The initial gift of $25,000 was matched by Shidler’s Matching Funds for a total of $50,000.

Founded in 1976, AGA Hawaiʻi Chapter (www.agahawaii.org) has approximately 150 members comprised of professionals from Federal and State of Hawaiʻi agencies, the City and County of Honolulu, international and local CPA firms, the University of Hawaiʻi, and various non-profit organizations. The chapter also has student members.

AGA currently has over 17,000 members with approximately 90 chapters throughout the United States and the world. Their mission is to serve government accountability professionals by providing quality education, fostering professional development and certification, and supporting standards and research to advance government accountability. The purpose of the Association and Chapter is to be a professional organization dedicated to the advancement of government financial management. AGA’s programs are highly recognized and respected for its opinion and views, and as a result are solicited by government, professionals, and public and private institutions worldwide.

"For many years, AGA Hawaiʻi Chapter has supported the College’s School of Accountancy, and its accounting clubs and students," said V. Vance Roley, Dean of the Shidler College of Business. "We are grateful to the AGA Hawaiʻi Chapter Executive Committee, and in particular, Shidler alumni, AGA President Spencer Lum, AGA Director and Scholarship Chair Kay Miyamoto and AGA Treasurer Patrick Oki for making this scholarship possible. This scholarship will help attract top students to our College to ensure a quality work force for Hawaiʻi’s public accounting community."

"Our AGA membership recognizes the importance of establishing a perpetual scholarship for accounting students at the Shidler College of Business," said AGA President Spencer Lum. "By supporting the education and development of accounting students with a career preference in the public sector, we are ensuring a healthier financially managed government in the future."

"We are grateful to the Association of Government Accountants (AGA) Hawaiʻi Chapter for its contribution and commitment to our accounting students," said UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw. "This scholarship will go a long way toward enabling students to reach their career goals in governmental accounting and cultivate a new generation of leaders."