University of Hawaii Maui College Chancellor Clyde Sakamoto will retire this fall, after leading the Maui campus for more than two decades.

Sakamoto, who is credited with pioneering distance learning opportunities across Maui County’s three islands, will retire at the end of October, UH announced Wednesday.

He also pushed for the name change from Maui Community College to UH Maui College in an effort to better compete with four-year universities as a school where students can earn a baccalaureate degree.

Sakamoto has been with the UH system for 41 years and has been the head of the Maui campus since 1991.

“I am continually and deeply grateful to have been given an opportunity to contribute to higher education in Maui County and Hawaii,” Sakamoto said in a statement.

UH said enrollment at UH Maui College has grown under Sakamoto’s leadership from 2,346 students in 1990 to 4,076 last fall. He also has helped secure more than $147 million in extramural funds for the college since 1997.

“Clyde has been the singular face of higher education on Maui for decades.  He has always been an innovator and visionary,” interim UH President David Lassner said in a statement. “Clyde’s legacy includes the beautiful UH Maui College campus, a robust suite of educational programs that support economic development, and a county-wide understanding of the importance of higher education to the community.”