Select an option below to continue reading this premium story.
Already a Honolulu Star-Advertiser subscriber? Log in now to continue reading.
The University of Hawaii at Hilo has kicked off a new initiative to help manage student enrollment and boost retention.
The effort is called Opihi, named after a limpet known to remain “stuck to rocks despite crashing waves and rising tides,” the Hawaii Tribune-Herald reported, citing a campus newsletter. The Opihi effort encourages students and faculty to “stick with it.”
Under Opihi the campus is rolling out a new system called MySuccess that allows instructors to flag students who are either performing poorly or well.
Campus leaders also began pairing new students and transfer students with existing students to “make sure they’re connecting and talking to someone who has gone through what they’re going through,” said Kainoa Ariola, interim associate vice chancellor for student affairs, Thursday.
Enrollment campuswide was 3,539 in the fall semester, down 3.5 percent from fall 2016. Enrollment as of Friday was 3,291, according to the UH website.