The University of Hawaii Board of Regents at a special meeting Friday will weigh how the university should grow in its various roles: Indigenous-serving institution, provider of online education, supplier of the state’s workforce, and more.

Board Chairman Randolph Moore says the goal is for the regents to generate added direction for the university as it creates a new strategic plan for 2023 to 2029.

Public testimony is invited as the regents discuss the future of the 10-campus state university. The agenda, which is broader in scope and vision than is typical for the board’s regular monthly meetings, includes topics and questions such as:

>> Based on what Hawaii needs from UH 10 years from now, how should the university help to get there?

>> UH as an Indigenous- serving institution.

>> UH’s role in addressing inequities in Hawaii.

>> The future of online education.

>> Are the UH mission and vision still responsive to today’s world?

>> Are the board of regents committees and agendas optimally organized?

The meeting will be an opportunity for the community and regents to step back and envision how the university can better serve the state, Moore said.

The question of what the state needs from UH is a wide-open topic, Moore said.

For example, he said, “What role does the university have in creating jobs? Does the university have any role in addressing the housing problem? Any role at all in addressing inequality that is present in society? Has the university any role at all in getting a fair, less expensive, more effective criminal justice system?”

UH is federally designated as an Indigenous-serving institution. In its latest accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges, the Manoa campus was praised for its progress in that area, but Moore said it still needs to evolve.

The regents will look at such issues as whether UH should do more to make Native Hawaiian students and faculty proportionate to the general population, he said, but also could consider whether the university has “a greater role to play in addressing longstanding unresolved issues that come from the American influence, overthrow and annexation.”

Meanwhile, the “intense period” of virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic has increased demand for online courses even as the disease tapers off, Moore said. Not only must the university now look at how that affects course offerings, but also, “What are the implications for our physical plant if half the students are online? We won’t need as much footprint,” he said.

The university, which has nearly 46,300 students and 9,200 employees, is aiming to generate the new strategic plan for board approval by the end of this year.

The agenda Opens in a new tab, materials packet and livestream for the virtual special meeting at 9 a.m. Friday can be found on the board’s website. Opens in a new tab Testimony can be submitted online via the board of regents page Opens in a new tab, e-mailed to bor.testimony@hawaii.edu, mailed to 2444 Dole St., Bachman 209, Honolulu, HI 96822, or faxed to 808-956-5156.

Written submissions in advance are preferred, Moore said. Those wanting to present oral testimony must register online by 7 a.m. Friday and will be limited to three minutes per person.