The March 2005 Alumni eNewsletter contains the following:
In his annual mid-year "state of the campus" address on March 2, BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway answered two questions he's frequently asked, reviewed the university's top priorities and initiatives, and summarized the success to date of the Voyage of Faith fundraising campaign. The answers:
Before proceeding, President Shumway also said, "One of the great blessings that I have become more and more aware of in the last several months is the love and support we receive from our leading brethren in the Church. Elder [Richard G.] Scott, who is the chair of the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees, could not be more complimentary and supportive of BYU-Hawaii, and President Hinckley has visited our campus and community three times in the last year."
The university's top priorities
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President Shumway |
"Returnability is among the top four priorities of the university. It has immense interest on the part of the Board of Trustees," he continued. "We have made tremendous investments in personnel, in space, in time, and in energy to achieve success in this endeavor. It should be on our minds, it should be in our plans, in our counseling, in our teaching, in our training of students, and in our admissions and placement."
President Shumway explained "our effort to create a culture of returnability involves an admissions initiative. That is, we screen students in terms of their commitment and desire to return to their home areas and we get that commitment to return in writing with signatures from parents, priesthood leaders and the prospective student."
"We are developing an on-campus mentoring and tracking program so students don’t get lost quite so easily. We are also developing an in-country internship program for international students to reconnect with their home environment. And finally, we are developing sophisticated placement support."
"The international internship effort we feel is key to returnability," he said, pointing out that over 120 students from 28 countries will take advantage of the international internship program this year, and that "travel to and from the home country, with some living expenses, is funded by scholarship from a single major donor to the university."
Referring to the university's priority on re-accreditation, President Shumway noted BYU-Hawaii must demonstrate "a system of ongoing educational effectiveness and improvement through outcome assessment" to the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. "WASC allows each school to choose the programs by which it will be judged."
"The accrediting cycle is now completed in 3 phases, including 2 visits to the campus. The first phase was submitting a proposal that describes the specific themes and objectives which we would like to achieve," he said, pointing out our proposal was so impressive that "BYU-Hawaii has now become a model WASC uses to help other institutions of higher learning get started in creating a proposal. It is wonderful to receive accolades on this part of our accreditation efforts, but clearly we will be judged by how well we achieve the stated goals and objectives which are enshrined in the accreditation themes themselves."
"That means that we are all involved in returnability. We are all involved in teaching English effectively. We are all involved in reviewing our general education and our major programs," he said, referring to the other top priorities. "And please note, that every single theme and objective ultimately translates in how we bless the lives of individual students. It is in the student's behavior and accomplishments that our educational effectiveness as an institution is measured."
Major initiatives and projects
President Shumway reported the university's major initiatives and projects include:
The new front entrance
The first phase of refurbishing the McKay Building foyer
The new Career Center
The new Alumni office
New study rooms in the library
Renovations to the CITO [Center for Instructional Technology and Outreach], Human Resources, Housing, Admissions and Alumni offices
Planned upgrades to the Financial Aid, Registrar, MIS and University Advancement areas
Additional married student housing to be completed in 2006
Refurbishing of the Aloha Center
Conceptual plans for a new School of Business
Schematics for a new upperclassmen's dormitory
Regarding fundraising
"As you recall two years ago we launched our Voyage of Faith campaign, receiving approval from our Board of Trustees to raise money for a number of priorities including international work study scholarships that would ease the burden of our IWES and Church appropriated scholarship funds," President Shumway said. "Although development and fundraising got off the ground in fits and starts in various points in our history, it wasn’t until 1994 that fundraising became a very serious part of our plan to increase the quality and significance of our campus and its several academic programs."
"I am pleased to announce that in 2004 we achieved an all-time high of raising $9.1 million overall," he said, explaining these funds have enabled BYU-Hawaii to complete:
A $1 million Mongolian scholarship endowment
Defraying the costs of expanding the Polynesian Cultural Center's Hawaiian village, which will house the Hawaiian Studies voyaging canoe, Iosepa
$1 million for the International Work Exchange Scholarship (IWES) program
A $2 million endowment for the School of Business
Assistance to the Center for Instructional Outreach and Technology (CITO), International Teacher Experience Program, English as a second language initiative, the Center for International Entrepreneurship, and the David O. McKay Center for Intercultural Understanding programs
"Also, I'd like to report that 322, or 77%, of our 419 employees, staff, faculty and administration have given to the Voyage of Faith program," he added. "When I contemplate the blessings that have come from generous donors, and when I think of people who I have yet to invite to join friends and supporters with a donation to the future of our campus, I have the hope that some day this year I will be able to say to our brethren and to our generous supporters that 100% of our employees have contributed, either by payroll deduction or by a single deduction."
In conclusion
In concluding his semi-annual report and given all that's going on at BYU-Hawaii, President Shumway asked the university "family" to optimize their "professional courtesy, kindness and patience. If we ever needed to follow the prophet Alma's admonition — Let there be no contention one with another, but that they should look forward with one eye, having one faith and one baptism, having their hearts knit together in unity and in love one towards another (Alma 18:21) — it should be now as we celebrate Heavenly Father's goodness in preserving and in causing this place to flourish."
"Of course, tension is what good universities are made of, where there is stretching, discussing, achieving, exploring, and learning with all the attendant pressures of work and deadlines. But contention is poison even when we think we are justified in retaliation. We simply open up for our own self-destruction," he continued. "Let us be sure that our directions are laced with respect and encouragement."
"You and I belong to the greatest cause on this planet. You and I have a stewardship that is recognized by God and angels to bless, strengthen and lift the young people that Heavenly Father has brought to this place. I testify that you and I stand together, accountable before God, for our words, our thoughts and our actions."
"I also testify, brothers and sisters, that I know you were brought here to be here at this time. I am constantly amazed at the quality of people the Lord has gathered to this place," President Shumway said, noting that a number of recent applicants for faculty positions are also BYU-Hawaii alumni.
"The first thing I always ask them is why do you want to come back. To hear them rhapsodize about you, their faculty — the men and women who mentored them, who loved them and guided them — with tears in their eyes, they're deeply grateful for what you do and what quality people you are."
Golden Jubilee: Genuine
Gold Display honors alumni, others
On March 17 BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway — assisted by CES
Commissioner Elder W. Rolfe Kerr, who is also a member of The First Quorum of
the Seventy, and his wife, Janeil — untied a traditional maile lei
to unveil the new Genuine Gold Display.
The display prominently features a David O. McKay mural and a sampling of CCH/BYU-Hawaii alumni, who President McKay characterized as "genuine gold" in his initial blessing during the February 12, 1955, groundbreaking. Because of the Golden Jubilee celebration, the display this year also includes representative Church leaders and labor missionaries who played key roles in building the university campus and Polynesian Cultural Center.
President Shumway described the new display, which occupies the Aloha Center space that previously housed a collection of Leeteg black velvet paintings, as another "signature art piece" for BYU-Hawaii. Read more...
Elders Packer and Bednar address a special
BYU-Hawaii devotional
In honor of the BYU-Hawaii Golden Jubilee, Elder Boyd K. Packer,
Acting President of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles, and the newest member
of the quorum, Elder David A. Bednar, came to Laie
on their way home from a Church assignment in Guam and Indonesia to share messages
and an apostolic blessing in a special devotional. Read more...
Commemorative Jubilee DVD now available
From This School: Fulfilling the Prophecy — a commemorative
Golden Jubilee DVD — is now available through the Student
Alumni Association (saa@byuh.edu), phone 808-293-3278.
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The new DVD contains previously unpublished footage and recordings of President David O. McKay, the Church College of Hawaii, BYU-Hawaii, the Polynesian Cultural Center and the community of Laie. Bonus features include The Builders containing exclusive interviews with some of the labor missionaries who built the university, PCC and many other important facilities in Laie. Dr. Ishmael Stagner II ('61, Education) is the narrator. Read the poster.
Order your copy today.
More Jubilee news
To help keep the University's fiftieth anniversary Golden Jubilee celebration
at the top of mind, the University Advancement team recently created a series
of banners that now hang from the light poles along the main entrance to the
campus and around the "big circle."
Following our plea in the February Alumni eNewsletter, we got some good feedback and touching additions to the Favorite Faculty 'Blog' . . . but, quite frankly, we expected more interest in the Scrapbook, which has since been renamed the Alumni Scrapbook to see if that might spur more Seasiders to share old photos and memories of campus. Those two pages and more are on the Golden Jubilee web site at w2.byuh.edu/jubilee.
Alumna named Hawaii 'Young Mother of the
Year'
May Villanueva
Shumway ('95, Elementary Education) is the latest in a succession of BYU-Hawaii
alumnae to be named as the American Mothers, Inc. (AMI) Hawaii chapter "Young
Mother of the Year" for 2005.
Shumway — who is originally from Bacolod, Visaya, in the Philippines — came to Hawaii in 1991 to attend BYU-Hawaii, where she met her husband, Aaron Shumway ('95, English). The couple now has four children ranging in age from 9-3 and live in Ewa Beach. Aaron is an attorney for the Honolulu law firm of Ashford & Wriston.
"I'm a stay-at-home mom, which is a big plus. I do everything for my kids, every step of the way. I volunteer in my kids' school, and I get involved. After school I teach piano for a couple of hours, to supplement our income, and I also teach children's choir," Shumway said.
She added her own mother was an excellent role model. "There are 10 kids in our family. My mom was a professor in college teaching math and science, but she sacrificed her profession to be a mother. Still, she tried to learn skills and subbed in school. She was also very resourceful, productive and helpful. Since I graduated and got married 11 years ago, I've just stayed at home, but my mom was a working woman."
Shumway received her state "Young Mother of the Year" honors at a banquet in Waikiki on March 26. She will also go to the AMI national convention on April 27 in Houston, Texas.
Seasider sports news
Basketball: The Pacific West Conference named Seasider basketball
players Jake Chrisman, a senior, and junior Austin Smylie to its All-Conference
First Team on March 8; senior Thomas Watkins received Honorable Mention, and
junior C. J.
Fellars was named to the conference All-Academic team.
Chrisman — who led the Seasiders and was second in the Pac West in scoring with a 20.7 point average per game — was also named to the Daktronics West Region First Team for the second consecutive year, and the National Association of Basketball Coaches All-West Region Second Team.
Cross country: BYUH alumna Chelsea Smith placed 9th with a time of 28:39 in the senior women's 8k division of the World Cross Country Championships in Saint Galmier, southeastern France, on March 19 as a member of the U.S. National Team. Since graduating from BYU-Hawaii in December '04, Smith has been racing for BYU in Provo while she works on a graduate degree.
Golf: The newly formed BYU-Hawaii golf team placed second in its first match on February 28 with a team score of 327. Freshman Seasider Mark Neider took individual honors with a 74 at the Makaha Valley Resort Course, with Spencer Duncan tallying an 81, Ryan Smith an 83, and Jude Sells an 89. The BYU-Hawaii golfers went on to win their first team match on March 7 at Mililani Golf Club with a score of 310; and Neider became the first Seasider to finish a round with a sub-par score on the second day of play in the Kauai Collegiate Cup tournament at Princeville on March 19.
Tennis: The top-ranked BYU-Hawaii women's tennis team defeated Division I Cornell 5-2 earlier this month for their 112th consecutive dual match victory, and have since added three more victories to their perfect season record of 13-0. The men's team stands at 13-2 for the season.
For more BYU-Hawaii sports news...
Still time to register for Dr. Smith's
choral alumni reunion
Alumni and others who sang in any of Dr. James A. Smith's
choirs — including the A Cappella Choir, the Concert Choir,
the Seaside Singers, Chamber Ensemble, Men’s Choir, University
Chorale, Women’s Choir and the community-based Laie Choral
Union — still have time to register
online for a two-day reunion, which starts Saturday,
April 9, at 9 a.m. in the Student Multistake Center. The choir
alumni will hold practices for a performance that evening in the CAC, plus
enjoy some food and fun. Dr. Smith is retiring after the spring term.
Golden Jubilee calendars still on sale
While supplies last, copies of the beautifully illustrated and informative
BYU-Hawaii Golden Jubilee 2005 calendar are on sale through the Alumni
Association office for $5, including postage. It contains beautiful photos
of the campus, students and valuable historical information.
Subscribe to the PCC newsletter
The Polynesian Cultural Center invites all BYU-Hawaii alumni and friends
to subscribe
to its online newsletter.
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(R-l): BYU-Hawaii President Eric
B. Shumway, Sister Carolyn Shumway, and
Alumni
Association Executive Director
Rowena Reid officially open the new Alumni office in the
Aloha Center on March 17. |
The new Alumni Association office stages
grand opening
Right after the unveiling of the new Genuine Gold Display on March 17,
President Shumway and his wife, Carolyn Shumway, moved down the Aloha Center
mall to officially open the new Alumni Association headquarters.
The office suite, which is where the Plantation Store was formerly located, features a comfortable reception area, a private office for Executive Director Rowena Reid, new office furniture, and a multi-purpose conference room.
The University Advancement office has spread into the area previously occupied by the Alumni office on the second floor of the Administration Building.
All alumni are welcome to stop by the office whenever they're on campus. E komo mai (come in).
The Internet-based 'Alumni Community'
goes online
Have you ever wished you could contact one of your old friends from CCH
or BYU-Hawaii but
can't find any contact information? Well, now you can through our new BYU-Hawaii
Alumni Community Website at:
To use the new service, the first thing you have to do is register (click on "Register here" and follow the directions). Once you've done that, you can search for classmate information by name, ward, major, year graduated, clubs/associations, apartments, hobbies/interests, and favorite memories.
You can also do career networking, find job placement opportunities, communicate with alumni through a message board, and create your own online profile. If you have any difficulties logging on or have questions, email alumni@byuh.edu.
Log on today and update your own profile online. Check it out, and have fun connecting with old friends.
Chapter chair conference letters
If any international alumni leaders planning to attend the Golden
Jubilee Chapter Chair conference on October 17-18, 2005, need an official invitation
letter from the university for visa purposes, please e-mail
the Alumni office; phone 808-293-3648, fax 808-293-3279; or snail mail Rowena
Reid, Executive Director, CCH/BYU-Hawaii Alumni Association, BYU-Hawaii #1951,
55-220 Kulanui Street, Laie, Hawaii 96762, USA.
Alaska Chapter:
Chapter chair Carolyn
Fautanu ('89, Mathematics Education) has announced all BYU alumni are
invited to a potluck dinner at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 9, at the Lakewood
Chapel, 3340 W. 40th Avenue, Anchorage. For more information, e-mail her
or call 907-332-2005.
San Francisco Bay Area Chapter:
Chapter chair Raymond
Jou ('90, Computer Science) invites any BYU-Hawaii alumni or friends
interested in helping plan this year's Aloha Festival to the first planning meeting
which will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, April 9, at his home: 1423 Maxwell
Way, San Jose, CA 95131;
ph. 408.436.8925 (h) or 650.992.3313 ext. 588(w).
This year the chapter's Aloha Festival is tentatively planned for July 9 at the Foster City Chapel, 1000 Shell Blvd., Foster City, California.
Jou added the SFBA Chapter has also set up a Yahoo group: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BYUH_SFBA; Post message: BYUH_SFBA@yahoogroups.com; Subscribe: BYUH_SFBA-subscribe@yahoogroups.com; Unsubscribe: BYUH_SFBA-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com; List owner: BYUH_SFBA-owner@yahoogroups.com
Utah Chapter:
The Utah Chapter will hold its Golden Jubilee Luau on
Saturday, April 16, at 6:30 p.m. in the BYU Wilkinson Center Ballroom, Provo.
For more information, contact Victor
Narsimulu ('00, Pacific Island Studies),
ph. 801-830-3467.
All chapters:
All chapters should submit details of their planned activities for posting
on the respective chapter
web sites.
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Jim and Cora Pollard |
We start off this month's Personal Updates with an intriguing BYU-Hawaii/PCC love story that has resulted in the March 22nd marriage of Cora Wong ('94) and Jim Pollard ('96, TESOL ) in the Salt Lake Temple:
Cora and Jim first met as Japanese tour guides at PCC in 1993. "Jim was interested but nothing ever happened," she writes, adding she returned to Hong Kong after graduating in '94 and he married a Tahitian girl later that same year.
In 1999, as a single parent teaching English in Taiwan, Jim had to take his son, Tiggy, to Hong Kong to adjust their visas. While there, he remembered Cora and wondered what happened to her. He eventually found her e-mail address and let her know he was looking; and Cora replied, "but I had absolutely no idea who 'Jim' was, due to losing touch for years."
After meeting in person, Cora instantly remembered "that goofy guy" who went by the name "Pochan" at PCC. Their friendship re-developed over the next four years, even though Jim moved back to his native Louisiana. When Tiggy got baptized in New Orleans in December 2003, Jim invited Cora, "although he knew there was probably no chance I would come." But she surprised them, and by the time she returned home in January 2004 "we had expressed our love for each other."
Cora and Jim were engaged in March 2004 when she visited Louisiana again, and by the end of May he moved to Hong Kong. "The more we think about all that has happened since 1999," she said, "the more amazing and humbling it is to know that Heavenly Father loves each and every single one of us and will never abandon us if we keep our faith and reach out to Him."
1950s & 60s
Beth Westwood Davies ('67, Mathematics) is a professional genealogist living in American Fork, Utah. Her husband and former Seasider, Vernon S. Davies ('65, Accounting), has passed away.
1980s
"I would go to BYU-Hawaii again in a minute! Wonderful people and great friendship opportunities are what I remember the most. My education there was in and out of the classroom. My classroom education prepared me to go on to Provo for a bachelor's and master's in speech pathology; and my ward, stake and PCC experiences prepared me for life," writes Cherryl Setchell Warnica ('81). She now lives in Thornton, Ontario, Canada, where she is a speech pathologist.
Cheryl West Laumer ('83, Art), is a self-employed artist originally from Brisbane, Australia, but now lives in Roy, Utah, with her husband, Robert Laumer ('83), who writes: "My training in art at BYU-Hawaii has been invaluable to me. I wouldn't have www.aussieartist.com without it. I'm glad to be back among the Saints in Utah, but I'd prefer to be back among the Saints in Hawaii. I loved the Asian/Polynesian/haole mix, not to mention the climate, which is so much closer to my native Brisbane."
Connie Barber Burke ('88), who now lives in Sedona, Arizona, and her twin sister — Maryella Barber-Scharnhorst ('87), who now lives in Scottsdale, Arizona — recall their days in Laie as the "most memorable times in our lives," Connie writes. "The same day we arrived at school, two guys asked us for a date. Only in Hawaii! Hale 2 was our home for two years; Bishop Mohetau was the father of our BYU-Hawaii 4th Ward. We loved all the food festivals, dances, activities and just the experience of being in a small family-like environment."
1990s
Wendy Jones Chmara ('93, Biological Sciences) who lives with her husband, Gregory Chmara, in Tucson, Arizona, writes: "I loved my time spent at BYU-Hawaii. It is something I will never forget. In April 2005, my husband and I will go to Hawaii, and I'm excited to have him meet some of my former professors. What I learned there at BYUH helped me when I was working at the University of Arizona doing research in a biochemistry lab from 1993-99."
Leialoha Hingano Pakalani ('95, English), who's been teaching at the University since 2000, writes: "The thing I most attribute to BYU-Hawaii is that before I came here, I was so self-absorbed and I forgot how to live. Then I came back and became immersed in people of other faiths, cultures, races and academic backgrounds. Some of my most cherished experiences (and the legacy I will leave my children) happened here. In my teaching experience, or as I refer to it, my second wind and chance to make a mark at BYUH, I have tried to incorporate everything I learned, and everything I ever wanted in a teacher in my own classroom. I am who I am today because of my experiences both past and present at BYU-Hawaii."
James Gardner ('96, TESOL) and his wife, Yvonne Davies Gardner ('98, TESOL) now live in Mooroobool, Queensland, Australia. He is an English teacher in nearby Cairns.
Courtney Mason ('99, Biology), who lives in Silver Spring, Maryland, and claims she is employed by "my children," writes: "Sometimes it feels like it was all a dream — four years in paradise, amazing friends and experiences, lots of photos to remind me of the fun aloha spirit that was everywhere we went. Now, I treasure a thought of watching the moon rise over Temple Beach, or riding a bike as my only transportation; or finding your stolen bike outside of Foodland and taking it back, or thinking that 68 degrees was really cold. Not to mention that, through it all, I was getting a college education and life lessons from all I came in contact with. Thanks, Laie and BYU-Hawaii."
2000s
Tamara Josselyn Kupu ('01, Biological Sciences), who now lives in Spotsylvania, Virginia, writes: "I am now married and we are raising our two boys, but I reflect upon my time spent at BYU-Hawaii every day. I treasure the friendships that were started there that will last a lifetime. I must say that I miss Hale 5, Mom Sisi and Dad Muti with all my heart. Being an RA, even for a short time, helped me to experience what it would be like to be a mom, only in the distant future. There is a special spirit at BYUH that you will not find anywhere else. The professors teach in a manner that makes you strive to do your best and better. Of course, I cannot finish without commenting on the aloha spirit and paradise of Laie. Should I have the opportunity, I would spend my days there."
Kim Davis Loudon ('03, ICS: Tourism) writes: "My husband, Eric, and I are currently living in Sao Paulo, Brazil. We have a beautiful 14-month-old girl and are expecting a baby boy in June. I will forever remember my experiences at BYU-Hawaii, and the many people I was able to meet. I left BYUH with a passion for culture and people that has forever shaped my life."
Ching Ching Jean Yau ('04, EXS Education) is now a P.E. teacher at St. Mary's Conossian College in Hong Kong.
Editor's Note: It's been another fabulous month of Golden Jubilee celebrations, including the special devotional address of Elders Boyd K. Packer and David A. Bednar of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as well as the unveiling of the new Genuine Gold Display, the official opening of the new Alumni office, and several other major events that will be reported in the April issue of the eNewsletter. Next, I highly recommend the new Alumni Online Community: It's a great way to look up old friends and classmates. And finally, we hope our eNewsletter helps you feel some of the spirit and aloha...and mahalo for your continued support.
— Mike Foley ('70, TESL), Editor
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The BYU-Hawaii Alumni Newsletter is published by the University Advancement office, under the direction of Napua Baker ['59-61 and '70-72], Vice President; Rob Wakefield ['75, Asia/Pacific LTM], Director of Communications and Media Relations; and Rowena Reid ['76, Social Work], Alumni Association Director. Brigham Young University Hawaii Campus is a four-year comprehensive undergraduate institution sponsored by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. About 2,400 students from 70 nations are currently enrolled.
You have received this e-newsletter because you are an affiliate of BYU-Hawaii. If necessary, please update your alumni profile. If you have received this e-mail inadvertently, or wish to unsubscribe, please send a message with NEWSLETTER UNSUBSCRIBE in the Subject line and your e-mail address in the body to alumni@byuh.edu. If you are aware of other BYU-Hawaii alumni who have not received this newsletter, please forward a copy and encourage them to update their profiles. Mahalo.
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