http://hawaiiislandchamberofcommerce.createsend1.com/t/ViewE... February 2018 Chamber Connection Newsletter Web Version | Update preferences | Unsubscribe Like Forward President's Message By: Bill Walter, HICC President We opened the New Year with a good bit of activity. Government was on our minds. On January 18, four of us visited the state capitol along with members of Chambers of Commerce from around the state. The voice of local businesses needs to be well heard and understood by our legislators. In many ways we are the active life-blood of the state, providing the jobs, economic push and community volunteers that keep Hawai‘i moving in directions that are positive and advance our overall community interests. Our presence is magnified through the combined efforts of all Chambers. Following the walk, where we met and briefly talked with legislators from around the state, we met separately with our East Hawai‘i delegation to discuss Hawai‘i Island Chamber initiatives. Of note, one of our politicians expressed concern about what may be accomplished during the session in the context of an increasingly strong fight for the gubernatorial nomination and election this year. Still addressing government issues, Gordon Takaki and I initiated a meeting with Mayor Harry Kim and Managing Director Wil Okabe to discuss the coming budget. Officers from two other business groups joined us. We discussed several items important to the mayor and to our community. We made a point that taxes - of whatever variety - come from the pockets of county residents who we believe have been taxed enough as it is. In this line, we are likely to send an opinion piece covering the cost of taxes and government here on the Island of Hawai‘i. By simple calculation, a budget of $500 million for a population of 175,000 persons (men, women and children) works out to more than $2,850 per person or $11,400/family of four. That is a significant amount of money and raises the question of what services are we receiving, and do their costs and benefits line up? Recent salary increases at all levels only heighten the importance of making certain that the County is not overstaffed. It is important to note that, based on the West Hawai‘i Today (and Hawai‘i Tribune Herald) story by Nancy Cook-Lauer, the cost of pension payments and health insurance for current and former County employees will exceed 25% of the county budget. Unemployment for the island has reached an incredible low of 2% - the economy is kicking along well. Having said this we continue to be concerned about the underemployment (people who have jobs well below their capabilities) on the island. We have a need to upgrade the level of jobs available here. A number of groups are working on this problem as it speaks 1 http://hawaiiislandchamberofcommerce.createsend1.com/t/ViewE... to the future of the island economy and our ability to keep both our new professionals and our less skilled residents here, well employed and well paid. Whitey Rose Memorial President's Cup Golf Tournament Click here or the image above to download the Whitey Rose Memorial President's Cup Golf Tournament Registration Form from our website. 2 http://hawaiiislandchamberofcommerce.createsend1.com/t/ViewE... Hawai‘i CC Chancellor | Upcoming months filled with events at Hawai‘i CC By: Rachel Solemsaas, Chancellor Aloha, As we enter February, we enter the heart of the spring semester and a very busy time of the academic year. It's a stretch of months filled with events, culminating in our commencement ceremonies in Hilo and at our Pālamanui campus in Kona. Here's a snapshot of what's happening in the next few weeks. 5th Annual Hawai‘i Community College Day Coming up on Thursday, February 8 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. is our 5th Annual Hawai‘i Community College Day at the Manono campus in Hilo. Hundreds of middle and high school students will visit the campus and interactive displays set up by our academic programs. By bringing students to campus while they are still in middle and high school, we show them what's available in their backyard and help build a college-going community. This event is also free and open to the public and is a great opportunity for community members to see what we do. Even people who know us well are often surprised to learn the extent of our offerings! College Experience Days at Pālamanui For our kauhale in West Hawai’i, save the date for March 21 and 22 as we host our first College Experience Days at Hawai‘i CC - Pālamanui. These two days will be an opportunity for local residents who are thinking about attending college to visit the campus and even to sit in on classes to get a close-up look at the college experience. This enhanced version of a college tour will help give prospective students a better understanding of the campus, our offerings and what it's like to be a student at Pālamanui. The event is still taking shape, and we will share more details in the near future. 3 http://hawaiiislandchamberofcommerce.createsend1.com/t/ViewE... UH Sustainability Summit This year for the first time the Hawai‘i Sustainability in Higher Education Summit comes to Hawai‘i Island. Also for the first time the summit will include a virtual symposium that allows for live streaming and capabilities for remote interaction. This is the sixth annual summit and Hawai‘i CC is proud to help host the events, which take place February 8-10. The summit kicks off on Thursday, February 8 in Kona at NELHA followed by a luncheon and awards ceremony at Hawai‘i Community College - Pālamanui and tours of the campus and its surroundings. The Friday events take place at UH Hilo. For a full schedule and to learn more about accessing the virtual symposium, visit this website. UH Transfer Day On February 20, Hawai‘i CC will host UH Transfer Day. A new initiative this year, it’s designed to help students at the seven University of Hawai‘i Community College campuses transfer to one of the four-year UH campuses after graduating. Dozens of representatives from UH Mānoa, Hilo and West O‘ahu will visit the Manono campus in Hilo to inform Hawai‘i CC students about academic programs and help them make the transition to bachelor’s degree programs. Providing pathways to bachelor’s degrees is a critical part of our role. Approximately half of our enrolled students are in "general and pre-professional" programs that are designed to lead into bachelor’s programs. With events like the upcoming transfer fair we can make the transition as smooth as possible to ensure students find success after they graduate from Hawai‘i CC. That's a snapshot of the larger events happening in the next several weeks at Hawai‘i CC campuses in Hilo and Kona. Thank you for your support of Hawai‘i Community College! Sincerely, Rachel Solemsaas 4 http://hawaiiislandchamberofcommerce.createsend1.com/t/ViewE... UH Hilo Interim Chancellor | UH Hilo to Host Sustainability Summit By: Marcia Sakai, Interim Chancellor University of Hawaiʻi students, faculty and staff will gather for the 6th Annual Hawaiʻi Sustainability in Higher Education Summit Feb. 8–10 on Hawaiʻi Island. This year’s theme is on the “Meeting of Wisdoms,” with focus on indigenous ways of knowing and western empirical science. Delegations from all 10 UH campuses will learn together from local practitioners, national experts on sustainability, and each other. Understanding indigenous ways of knowing is critical to UH’s success in being a model of sustainability in our state. The university’s geographic location puts it in a unique position to serve as a leader and model in how institutions steward finite resources of for the benefit of all. The university recognizes that an important knowledge base in sustainable island systems resides in the indigenous people of Hawai‘i and all those for whom Hawai‘i is home. We are committed to learning from local cultural practitioners and sustainability experts on best practices in sustainable resource allocation and use for the well-being of our communities and state. Summit activities will take place in Kona on Thursday, Feb. 8, and on the UH Hilo campus on Friday, the 9th. Part of Friday’s program includes a “Meeting of Wisdoms” panel where I will welcome Pualani Kanaka‘ole Kanahele, president of the Edith Kanaka‘ole Foundation and director of Hawaiian Traditional Knowledge Research at Hawai‘i Community College; research ecologist Christian Giardina of the USDA Forest Service; Luka Kanaka‘ole Mossman, a fishpond manager; Kealaka‘i Kanaka‘ole, a natural resource land operations manager with Kamehameha Schools; and Ulumauahi Keali‘ikanaka‘oleohaililani, lead ‘ōlapa/dancer with Hālau O Kekuhi and a UH Hilo senior majoring in geography. Moderator is John DeFries, president of Native Sun Business Group. The Student Sustainability Summit will take place Feb. 10 in Volcano, where students 5 http://hawaiiislandchamberofcommerce.createsend1.com/t/ViewE... will learn how to work with campus leadership on zero-waste campaigns on each campus. For the first time, this year’s summit will include a Virtual Symposium, where sessions and activities will be livestreamed to the internet with capacity for remote interaction. Sustainability is a Top Priority at UH Hilo UH Hilo is proud to be a leader in sustainability efforts ranging from academic courses and degrees, to energy use, food purchasing and composting. Some highlights of what’s happening on campus follow. Academics A Certificate in Sustainability is under development. So far 29 courses have been designated as focusing on sustainability in agriculture, anthropology, engineering, geography, Hawaiian studies, and business management.