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About Hawai'i Community College

WELINA MAI!

Aloha, and welcome to Hawai'i Community College. Hawai'i CC is a fully-accredited two-year community college on Hawai'i Island. The college is based in Hilo with a branch campus in Kona named Hawai'i Community College – Pālamanui and an education center in Honoka'a called the Kō Education Center. 

One of 10 campuses in the University of Hawai'i system, Hawai'i CC offers 26 associate degree and certificate programs that prepare students to succeed in the workforce right after graduation or continue their studies at a four-year college or university.

KAUHALE

Mālama Ke Kula Kaiaulu o Hawaiʻi i Kauhale, he ʻike kuʻuna Hawaiʻi ia no ke kaiaulu. ʻO Kauhale ke kaʻā e paʻa ai i nā luna hoʻoponopono, nā pūʻulu kumu kula, nā limahana, nā haumāna, ka ʻohana, a me ko ka Moku o Keawe kaiaulu i ʻohana hoʻokahi. A e hoʻolako a e hoʻonui launa ʻole Kauhale i ka holopono ʻana o ko kākou ala nuʻukia a me ko ke kula kaiaulu nei mau hopena aʻo. Na Kauhale e hoʻomāhuahua ana i ko kākou nuʻukia ma o ke kūkākūkā ʻana, ka hoʻolālā ʻana, ka ʻimi mau ʻana o ka ʻoi loa aʻe, a me nā loiloi holomua ʻana ma waho aʻe o ka mokuna kālaiʻike a me nā keʻena kākoʻo maʻamau o ke kuʻuna kula kaiaulu e kū nei. Na Kauhale e hoʻomana i nā lālā a pau o ko kēia kula kaiaulu nei ʻohana e mea e ʻike a hōʻike aʻe ai i ko kākou mau mākau iho, ko kākou naʻauao iho, a me ko kākou ʻike iho a hāpai pū ma ke ākea. ʻO Kauhale ke kaʻā e hoʻopili ana i nā mahele like ʻole o kēia kula kaiaulu nei i kaiaulu kālaiʻike me nā paia ʻole no ka holopono ʻana o nā kānaka ʻimi naʻauao, no ka honua ʻimi naʻauao a no ko lākou mau ʻohana ma o ka manaʻo ʻo "E ʻImi Pono."

KAUHALE

Hawaiʻi Community College embraces the concept of Kauhale that traditionally means the Hawaiian village. Kauhale is an ʻohana of administrators, faculty, staff, students, their families, and the Hawaiʻi Island community that contributes measurably to the success of our college's mission and outcomes. Kauhale maximizes the "community" in our mission through dialogue, planning, innovation, and assessment across traditional college divisions and units. Kauhale enables all members of the college ʻohana to recognize and celebrate our own individual skills, knowledge, and experiences as well as the skills, knowledge, and experiences of others. Kauhale unites all components of Hawaiʻi Community College into an "academic village without walls" for the overall success of our learners, the learners' communities and their families, in the spirit of E ʻImi Pono (seeking excellence).

KE ALA NUʻUKIA

No ka hoʻopiʻi ʻana i ka hoʻonaʻauao ʻia ʻana a kau i ka puaaneane, na ke Kulanui Kaiaulu ʻo Hawaiʻi e kaulele ma ka ʻike e pono ai nā hoa Kauhale i naʻauao a mākaukau hoʻi. Ma hope mākou o ke ala nuʻukia o nā Kulanui Kaiaulu Hawaiʻi a pau a na mākou nō e lawelawe i ko Hawaiʻi nui kuauli.

MISSION

To promote lifelong learning, Hawaiʻi Community College will emphasize the knowledge and experience necessary for Kauhale members to pursue academic achievement and workforce readiness. Aligned with the mission of the UH Community Colleges, we are committed to serving all segments of our Hawai'i Island community.

KA ʻŌLELO NUʻUKIA

E lilo ana nā kānaka ʻimi naʻauao o ke Kauhale i kupa hoʻoikaika a papau hoʻi i hiki ke ʻaʻa i nā kūlana nōhihi o ko kākou kaiaulu mokupuni a me ko kākou kaiaulu honua.

VISION

Our Kauhale of lifelong learners will be productive and engaged citizens capable of meeting the complex challenges of our island and global communities.

NĀ HOPENA AʻO HONUA KULA

INSTITUTIONAL LEARNING OUTCOMES

Na nā kānaka ʻimi naʻauao o ke Kauhale e (Our Kauhale of lifelong learners will):
  1. Hoʻokaʻaʻike pono i nā manawa like ʻole.
  1. Communicate effectively in a variety of situations.
  1. Noʻonoʻo loi ma ka huli ʻana i ka hāʻina a hoʻoholo manaʻo me ke naʻauao.
  1. Utilize critical thinking to solve problems and make informed decisions.
  1. Kōkua i ke kaiaulu, me ka ʻike a me ka mākau, a me ka mahalo hoʻi i nā kānaka ʻōiwi a me nā moʻomeheu ʻōiwi o Hawaiʻi nei, a me nā moʻomeheu ʻē aʻe o ka honua.
  1. Apply knowledge and skills to make contributions to community that are respectful of the indigenous people and culture of Hawaiʻi island, as well as other cultures of the world.
  1. Kūlia i ka nuʻu ma ka ʻimi naʻauao a ma ka ʻoihana hoʻi ma o ka huli ʻana ma nā ʻoihana a me nā kumuwaiwai maikaʻi.
  1. Utilize quality comprehensive services and resources in the on-going pursuit of educational and career excellence.
  1. Hoʻopuka a hoʻomau i kekahi kaiapuni aʻo maluhia me ona kaiapuni ʻoihana e mahalo i ke kanaka a me ke kaiapili.
  1. Produce and perpetuate safe, healthy learning and professional environments that are respectful of social and individual diversity.
  1. Mālama i ke kaiapuni no ke ola pono ʻana o ke kanaka a me ke kaiaulu.
  1. Contribute to sustainable environmental practices for personal and community well-being

A RICH LEGACY

From its start in 1941 as the Hawaiʻi Vocational School, the college has provided access to higher education opportunities, trained a skilled workforce and supported the economic development of the County of Hawai'i. With the advancement in technology and expansion of educational opportunities into broader fields of technical training, the institution was renamed the Hawaiʻi Technical School in 1956.

In May 1970, the institution joined the University of Hawaiʻi as a comprehensive community college with the name Hawaiʻi Community College. Other significant developments for the college were the offering of college degree classes in Kona beginning in 1982, and the establishment of the continuing education programs throughout the island of Hawaiʻi in 1992.

COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT

Community partnerships and collaboration are central to the mission of the College. To keep curricula and requirements current and relevant, the College has invited community leaders in business, industry, and the professions to serve as advisers to provide guidance regarding course content, selection of training equipment, employment needs, and the effectiveness of different programs.

Program advisory councils are formed for each degree program. In addition, the Chancellor of the campus seeks advice from community and business leaders on ways the College can assist in development for the community. Members of these advisory groups are listed throughout the catalog.

ACCREDITATION

Hawaiʻi Community College is accredited by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, 428 J Street, Suite 400, Sacramento, CA 95814, (415) 506-0234, an institutional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the U.S. Department of Education. Additional information about accreditation, including the filing of complaints against member institutions, can be found at: www.accjc.org For further information regarding the college's accreditation process, visit our accreditation webpage.

In addition to the College's overall accreditation, there are other specialty accreditations for certain programs.

PROGRAM ACCREDITING ORGANIZATION
ECE/Children's Center • National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC)
Culinary Arts • American Culinary Federation Foundation, Inc Accrediting Commission (ACFFAC)
Intensive English • Commission on English Language Program Accreditation (CEA)
Nursing & Allied Health • Accreditation Commission for Education In Nursing (ACEN)

 

THE HAWAIʻI COMMUNITY COLLEGE LEARNING EXPERIENCE

The uniqueness of the Hawaiʻi CC experience is the focus on four complementary elements that frame the learning climate: Community work-based learning; using and learning Technology; perpetuation of Hawaiian culture; and caring for the Environment.

The College has a rich history of work-based learning, from the award-winning Model Home project where the construction trades programs design and build a house, to working on customer jobs, and including a wide range of internships, service learning and volunteer work. Students in every discipline have opportunities to apply what they have learned in the classroom, and give back to the community.

Technology is interwoven into nearly every aspect of the College and is used to support distance learning utilizing the Internet or videoconferencing. Technology supports classroom instruction such as the use of global positioning systems (GPS) in Agroforestry, computer assisted design (CAD) in the Architectural/Engineering/CAD Technologies Program, and in certificate and degree programs such as Information Technology and CISCO networking.

The College has made a commitment to become the center for the study of Hawaiian culture, with an emphasis on the practice, perpetuation, and evolution of the culture. This includes an Academic Subject Certificate in Hawaiian Life Styles, and an Associate in Applied Science degree which is being delivered in Hilo, Waimea, and Kona.

An Associate in Science Degree and certificate program in Tropical Ecosystem and Agroforestry Management is a key component of our focus on caring for the Environment. The College also supports an Academic Subject Certificate in Environmental Studies and has numerous projects on campus to reflect our commitment to the natural environment.

Learning by doing through community work-based learning and expanding the classroom through the use of technology, spiced with the unique Hawaiʻi Island environment and the uniqueness of Hawaiian culture, equals the Hawaiʻi Community College Learning Experience.

HAWAI'I CC DEGREES & CERTIFICATES

Download the current complete list of degrees & certificates or the entire college catalog in PDF format.

1941
Founding

Hawai'i Community College founded as the Hawai'i Vocational School.

1956
Move to Manono

The college moves to a newly constructed campus at Manono Street and is named the Hawai'i Technical School. 

1965
First Model Home

Carpentry students build the first "Model Home," which becomes an annual project and continues to this day. 

1970
Joining UH

The school becomes part of the University of Hawai'i and is renamed Hawaiʻi Community College.

1982
Serving West Hawai'i

To meet the needs of West Hawaiʻi, Hawaiʻi CC begins delivering programs in West Hawaiʻi.

1999
I Ola Hāloa Established

The I Ola Hāloa Center for Hawai'i Life Styles created to improve access, retention and graduation of Native Hawaiʻi students.

2015
Pālamanui Opens

The new Hawai'i Community College - Pālamanui campus opens in North Kona. 

2019
KōEC Joins the Kauhale

Hawai'i CC assumes administration of the Kō Education Center in Honoka'a.