Regents' Kuleana committee hears systemwide briefing on Hawaii Papa O Keaau; minutes approved

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents’ Committee on Kuleana heard a systemwide briefing on Hawaii Papa O Keaau and the Kuleana Imperative during its meeting. Director Punihei Lai, the recently hired director for Hawaii Papa O Keaau, walked regents through the historical reports and current implementation steps and outlined plans for surveys, campus cohorts and a system action plan. The committee voted to approve the minutes included in the meeting packet before adjourning.

The briefing traced the initiative’s “genealogy,” beginning with the Kau report (1986), the establishment of the Pukoa Council (2002) as a system advisory body, the Hawaii Papa O Keaau report commissioned under President Marcy Greenwood, and the working-group activity beginning in 2015. Director Punihei Lai said the system-level Kuleana Imperative — described in three objectives focused on Native Hawaiian success, systemwide learning about Hawaiʻi, and community well‑being — is being advanced through three strategies Lai summarized in Hawaiian terms as ao (teach and learn), alu (work together) and awamo (take action).

"I think we're in a really exciting time in the history of the university," Director Punihei Lai said, adding that the new director position (filled in 2024) is intended to coordinate systemwide efforts. Lai told regents the office plans a system survey tied to Imperative 1 to capture what campuses are already doing and to identify policy or operational barriers. Lai also described work on a systemwide directory of practitioners, a series of campus visits (including upcoming visits to Molokai and Windward), and plans to convene a larger cross‑campus meeting to develop an action plan.

Regents asked about measurable goals, curriculum integration and campus implementation. Regent Mujera asked whether the committee has established objective measures; Lai said metric development is part of the ongoing planning work and noted that campuses will likely need creative, campus‑appropriate tools to measure some goals. Lai said Manoa’s approach — multi‑year cohorts and school‑level five‑year plans tied to a Native Hawaiian place of learning goal — is one model and described a second cohort and continued professional development at Manoa.

Regent Tachiki praised the cohort immersion approach as building “a strong foundation” and asked for detail on a planned May convening; Lai said the meeting will bring together survey results and front‑line practitioners to surface obstacles and draft action steps. Lai also reported recent outreach to Kamehameha Schools, the Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Department of Education to explore partnerships.

Lai emphasized the complementary roles of Pukoa Council (an advisory body to the president with campus council representatives) and the Hawaii Papa O Keaau working group (campus‑appointed staff focused on organizational change). Pukoa Council is scheduled to appear before the committee on April 17 for a governance update, Lai said.

Before closing the meeting, the committee approved the minutes as posted in the packet; Regent Wilson moved and Regent Mayeron seconded. The transcript records the motion and the chair’s closing remarks but does not record a roll‑call vote tally.

Next steps identified in the briefing include launching the survey tied to Imperative 1, completing the system directory, convening the cross‑campus meeting to draft an action plan, and reporting back with Pukoa Council on April 17.