The University of Hawaii West Oahu has been granted another eight years of accreditation by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges Senior College and University Commission. But while the college was applauded by the panel for promoting Hawaiian culture and serving the unique needs of the Leeward Oahu community, it also is being required to produce stronger plans for growth.

Among the nine areas the commission said UH West Oahu must show progress in are improvement of assessments to guide student learning, and development of steps to fight the national trend of declining college student enrollment.

Accreditation is a mark of quality. One reason it is important is that it is required by the U.S. Department of Education for students to be able to gain access to federal financial assistance, including student loans. The latest WASC reaffirmation continues the accreditation that UH West Oahu has held since 1981. The association is the primary accrediting body for four-year colleges and universities in California and Hawaii.

Alan Rosenfeld, UH West Oahu associate vice chancellor for academic affairs, and the liaison leading the reaffirmation process, said faculty, staff and students should feel proud of the accreditation. He especially appreciates the commission’s commending UH West Oahu for “demonstrating a deeply held and shared passion for the mission of the university, its students and the region it serves.”

“I take great pride in that,” said Rosenfeld, a Makakilo resident who has worked at the campus for 14 years. He said the West Oahu campus has paid special attention to such issues as helping students get over cultural roadblocks to college, and the need for graduates to be able to stay and work in Leeward Oahu.

“One of our hallmarks is that so many of our students come from this local community, and when they graduate they return. They serve this community. I see that in my daily life,” Rosenfeld said. “That holds true in the values of the institution, the ohana atmosphere, the way faculty and staff know (students) by first names and interact with them in such a supportive manner.”

UH West Oahu — where 89% of those enrolled are “students of color, including 29% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders,” the commission report said — was praised also for “intentionally centering Hawaiian culture and concepts within the meaning, quality and integrity of degrees and the needs of the community served.”

Rosenfeld and Chancellor Maenette Benham said Hawaiian culture manifests in numerous ways on the West Oahu campus, from its influence on UH West Oahu’s strategic plan and mission, to its growing course offerings in language and culture, to the tradition of opening school gatherings with a Hawaiian song written especially for the campus.

Other areas the WASC report praised UH West Oahu for were developing clear learning outcomes for courses, programs and the institution; maintaining an operating surplus even during systemwide budget cuts and tuition losses resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic; creating a university budget advisory council with wide representation; and maintaining a “highly developed institutional research office led by staff with notable experience in data collection, analysis, interpretation and dissemination.”

“They were impressed overall by the work our faculty have been doing,” Benham said. “And also being fiscally strong. It speaks to how everyone tightened their belts … to do what we need to do.”

UH West Oahu, the newest campus in the 10-campus UH system, has operated at its Kapolei site since 2012 and has 3,000 students and 200 employees. It offers 11 certificates, and nine degree programs at the bachelor’s level.

Other areas that the commission said UH West Oahu must work on, and provide an interim report on in 2025, include using data and analyses to inform decision making, especially for recruitment, enrollment and retention; and developing an academic plan for current and future majors, concentrations and programs, with clarity for the emerging role of distance education.

The commission report also said UH West Oahu must work with the UH system and the state Legislature so that a potential operations funding deficit can be avoided, planning and development of the surrounding University District and student housing can move forward, and positions lost in the pandemic can be restored. Improvements in fundraising, communications with students, standard operating procedures and professional developments also will required, the commission said.