Tell us about the College of Social Sciences — what services it provides and how many students it will serve this year.

CSS is home to one of the largest student populations at the University of Hawaii at Manoa. This fall, there are approximately 12,250 students taking classes across our departments: Anthropology; Communication and Information; Economics; Ethnic Studies; Geography and Environment; Political Science; Psychology; Public Administration; Sociology; Urban and Regional Planning; and Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. We also house UHERO, the National Disaster Preparedness Training Center, Center for Oral History, Health Policy Initiative, Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, and the Social Science Research Institute.

Students are interested in earning traditional bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degrees in the classroom, but they are also expecting — and we’re offering — much more. CSS is among UH-Manoa’s leading schools and colleges in online degrees, and we are increasing accessibility for students statewide through collaborative efforts with our community colleges.

What are the major trends and challenges facing CSS?

A good “challenge” to have — both as a college and as the dean — is that an increase in students has also increased demand for classes. We have experienced tremendous growth in enrollment, so we’ve had to add many more sections of entry-level courses. This fall we offer 1,525 seats in Economics 130/131, up from about 900 seats in fall 2020. In Psychology 100, enrollment is at 860 seats, up from 522 in fall 2020; and Anthropology 151/152 is at 803, up from 560 in fall 2020. With fewer faculty, we’ve had to get creative with teaching assignments and expanding student teaching assistance.

CSS is one of the largest schools or colleges at UH-Manoa. What makes CSS an especially good choice for incoming students who want to pursue their degrees while becoming global game changers? How do the college’s programs help graduates, in real-world ways, enter the workforce?

Students wanting to take an active role in their education find dynamic learning options and huge opportunities for personal growth at CSS. Our internship and service-learning program enhances classroom time with professional work experience, allowing for first-hand involvement in specific fields. Examples include the Manoa Political Internship Program, which offers a rare chance to work at the top levels of government, and a climate-change internship focusing on policy programming, researching, writing and networking.

From an education standpoint, what new technologies and techniques in communication and information are developing?

One growing virtual tool is COIL, or Collaborative Online International Learning classes, in which faculty use online technology to facilitate student interaction between countries. We have linked CSS classrooms in Geography and Ethnic Studies to similar courses at Japan universities, and our Urban Planning students are meeting online with students in Indonesia, Thailand and American Samoa. We are utilizing COIL to provide more educational experiences to local students who aren’t able to physically come to the UH-Manoa campus.

The Matsunaga Institute for Peace and Conflict Resolution, Library and Information Science, Communication, Communicology and Journalism programs are combining in a School of Communication and Information. The consolidation, or partnering, of these programs was cost-neutral, but is expected to make for a stronger School of Communication and Information. How so? How do these changes benefit Hawaii specifically, in terms of meeting workforce needs, creating future academics or solving local problems?

This is one of the largest reorganizations in the history of UH-Manoa, combining five academic units with related yet distinct approaches to communication and information, from three different colleges. Synergies across these programs are outstanding, and this will result in better professional training.

For example, students may want to major in Journalism to report on natural disasters, but they can also discover how to help others find and evaluate information on disaster reports through courses in Library and Information Science. In Communicology, students can learn how language is used to mobilize and marginalize people during times of disaster and trauma, and how social identity processes contribute to conflict between peoples.

THE BIO FILE

>> Title: Dean of College of Social Sciences, University of Hawaii-Manoa, since 2012; professor of economics; research fellow and co-founder of the UH Economic Research Organization (UHERO)

>> Professional: International trade economist; economic adviser to president of Palau; previous advisory roles in Asia, Middle East, North Africa; board president, Northeast Asia Economic Forum.

>> Family and community: Married to Abel Konan, two sons, Joseph and Roy. Board member, Hawaii Health Data Center Steering Committee, Gun Violence and Violent Crimes Commission, Japan-America Society of Hawaii. Leadership fellow, Science Education for New Civic Engagements and Responsibilities.

>> Early formative experience: As a college student, I studied in China and Haiti, both vastly different from the Pennsylvania dairy farm where I grew up. Exploring different cultures and worldviews was a transformational learning experience. That’s why I’m passionate and committed to providing global opportunities for students through our CSS international programs.

>> One more thing: Every CSS student success story is gratifying and reminds me why I became an educator. For example, two years ago a 24-year-old mother of two was our first UH student to complete most all of her courses to earn an associate’s degree and bachelor’s degree (in economics) via distance learning, while also balancing work commitments. I’m proud that we were able to provide that option.