Question: Whatever happened to the student dormitories that the University of Hawaii-West Oahu agreed to provide for Hawaii Tokai International College’s adjacent campus in the Kapolei area?

Answer: The UH-West Oahu campus put out a call for offers in March for private financing, development, construction and operation of student housing that can accommodate students from both campuses.

No timeline has been established for completion of the project. Leila Wai Shimokawa, UH-West Oahu director of communications, said a review to determine the feasibility of the proposals is ongoing.

"The student housing complex is intended to provide both Tokai and UHWO students the opportunity

to experience a residential learning environment that promotes a deeper understanding and appreciation of global cultures," she said.

On Oct. 15, 2011, the Tokai campus, currently on Kapiolani Boulevard, purchased 6 acres of UHWO property for about $6 million, said Naoto Yoshikawa, the college’s chancellor.

At the time of the sale, an agreement between the two campuses designated 100 beds for Tokai in the student housing complex, which UHWO was looking to build with 200 beds.

Tokai, a two-year liberal arts college, broke ground on its new 26-classroom campus in October 2013. It’s slated to open in April 2015.

UH-West Oahu, a four-year university, opened its Kapolei-area campus in August 2012.

While there’s no agreement to share classroom facilities, Shimokawa said Tokai students will be able to use the UHWO library and be included in UHWO’s meal plan.

She noted that the UH campus is still exploring options for academic collaboration and possible dual enrollment.

Because Tokai’s campus is expected to open with limited ability to house students, UHWO connected Tokai with a home-stay program that its officials are exploring, Shimokawa said.

The Tokai campus, which is part of the Tokai University Educational System, is a two-year junior college that enrolled 250 students last school year. Additional high school and college students from Japan attend the campus for shorter-term programs.

According to Shimokawa, the UH campus is working on an articulation agreement with Tokai that "will lead to a seamless transfer of its graduates to UHWO as juniors," with opportunity to earn a UHWO degree.

"UHWO looks forward to the numerous opportunities our two institutions will have to collaborate in both curricular and co-curricular ways," Shimokawa said.

"Educational and social exchanges between students, faculty and staff will provide additional cultural vibrancy to our institutions and our students’ experiences."

Yoshikawa said the partnership serves as a great opportunity for the Tokai campus.

"A Japanese private university going next to an American state university is a faster kind of really innovative idea to educating the next future students, next generation of people," he said.

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This update was written by Noelle Fujii. Suggest a topic for “Whatever Happened To…” by writing the Honolulu Star-Advertiser, 500 Ala Moana Blvd., Suite 7-210, Honolulu 96813; call 529-4747; or email cityeditors@staradvertiser.com.