Presidential center belongs where the president was born

Late last month, President Barack Obama launched a nonprofit foundation to evaluate proposals for his presidential library.

In the coming months, the state of Hawaii will be making the case that locating this institution in Honolulu will be good for the president, good for our islands and good for the world.

Thanks to the University of Hawaii team that has been leading this effort since 2008, Honolulu is considered a primary contender for a presidential center, along with Chicago and New York. I have been collaborating on this initiative with the Hawaii Presidential Center steering committee and the Hawaii Tourism Authority, and we believe Hawaii brings several advantages to the table.

In a city cradled by mountains and sea, we can provide a uniquely impressive site. In fact, the Abercrombie administration and the Hawaii Community Development Authority have already set aside vacant parcels near the ocean in Kakaako that feature stunning views, abundant green space, public accessibility and proximity to UH facilities. Our hope is that a presidential center there will help ensure that Kakaako maintains a civic and educational orientation.

Only Hawaii can tell his true American story — how a skinny kid with a funny name from a remote island in the middle of the Pacific grew up to be president. These islands have shaped the president’s inclusive values and collaborative style of governing. Our cultural diversity and indigenous values — our aloha spirit — foster cooperation and compromise.

"We’re a single ohana," remarked Obama during the 2011 APEC meeting. "We remember that beneath the surface, behind all the different languages and some very long names, we all share the same hopes, the same struggles and the same aspirations."

Honolulu, the center of the world’s fastest-growing economic region, is also strategically positioned to tackle major problems — from climate change to the widening gap between the rich and the rest — that require fresh thinking and global solutions. Building a presidential center in Hawaii that embraces the world and leans to the future helps Obama not just preserve his legacy but add to it.

A presidential center in Honolulu would be good for us as well. In the near term, it will bring in outside resources and create jobs. In Little Rock, Ark., the Clinton center attracts 300,000 visitors a year and has catalyzed some $2 billion in economic development.

Over a longer time frame, a Hawaii presidential center, which could include research and education facilities in addition to a museum, would bolster the visitor industry by adding a world-class civic attraction and by showcasing Hawaii as a place not just to vacation but to innovate and work.

With education as a focus, Hawaii students and teachers would gain as well. A policy research institute, like those at other presidential centers, would make UH more attractive to top scholars and enable it to produce even stronger classes of future leaders. High-profile events hosted by Obama would elevate Hawaii’s global stature and reinforce our reputation as a vital meeting place between the East and West.

We believe that the president’s future can be as important as his past and that Hawaii can make the difference. At the APEC welcoming dinner, Obama delivered a toast that can serve as our inspiration, and his, as we embark on this journey: "‘A‘ohe hana nui ke alu ‘ia." No task is too big when done together by all.

Hawaii has been provided a unique opportunity to play a significant role in this nation’s history. As a community united, we must embrace this opportunity and offer our collective support.