“Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism,” the largest fundraiser for the University of Hawaii School of Travel Industry Management at the Shidler College of Business, has set a record and is expected to support about three times the student scholarships that it did two years ago.

The gala, which takes place Wednesday at the Sheraton Waikiki Beach Resort, comes as enrollment at the TIM school is down and demand is up for local tourism managers who understand the need for regenerative tourism and can authentically contribute to perpetuating Hawaii’s culture.

Mufi Hannemann, president and CEO of the Hawai‘i Lodging &Tourism Association and Hawai‘i Tourism Authority board chairperson, is this year’s Legacy in Tourism Award honoree. Other honorees include Holden Lim, president of Hospitality Link International Inc., who is receiving the TIM Alumni Hall of Honor Award, and Kyo-ya Hotels &Resorts, which was selected for the Distinguished Service Award.

Some 640 attendees are expected to attend the gala, which supports TIM School student scholarships.

Vance Roley, dean of the Shidler College of Business, said the gala is on track to raise more than $500,000, and fund anywhere from 75 to 84 scholarships. That’s up from 45 scholarships last year and 28 in 2022.

Student scholarships, worth $4,000 each, are expected to bolster TIM School enrollment, which at 227 students this spring is slighter lower than years past.

Roley said, “Due to the pandemic, there has been a shift in the workforce overall, with the hospitality and service industry taking the biggest hit.”

Hannemann said the visitor industry labor shortage and the importance of workforce development, especially to local students, is why he is encouraging continued donations for the TIM School even though the gala is sold out. He said a strong TIM School is important to the success of Hawaii’s visitor industry, which supports some 200,000 jobs annually, and contributes $19 billion in visitor spending and $1 billion in transient accommodations taxes to Hawaii’s economy.

“We are dedicated to equipping Hawaii’s local talent to not only succeed in our island home, but to be competitive in today’s global economy,” Roley said.

He added that “faculty research is addressing the pressing issues facing the industry today — including sustainability and environmental management, DEI (diversity, equity and inclusion), as well as how tourism impacts Hawaii’s residents.”

Roley said the TIM School ranks 18th in the United States, and 49th in the world in the 2023 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

The TIM School’s ranking is high; however, honorees Hannemann and Lim said they are hopeful that the scholarships and other support restores the TIM School to its earlier glory.

Lim recalls selecting the TIM School for its international prominence, and said that it played an important role in launching his career. His favorite memory was serving as executive director for TIM Night, a 100% student-volunteered event, in 1989 when the theme was the Legend of Camelot. Lim said Hawaii Gov. John Waihe‘e was in attendance as were many top hotel executives.

“TIM Night was a great opportunity to network, and for me I jump at networking opportunities,” Lim said. “You never know when the next good opportunity is going to show up. You just have to be out there, especially with me being on the real estate side of the hospitality industry. I help my clients buy and sell hotels and raise debt and equity. Some of the deals that I’ve worked on, I had the contact not through the normal channels, but through these networking events.”

Michael Takayama, Kyo-ya Management Co. senior vice president, said the company has had dozens of TIM School graduates serve as leaders in its hotels, including current general managers Tetsuji Yamazaki at the Sheraton Maui Resort &Spa, and Nicole Okuna at The Royal Hawaiian.

“Kyo-ya recognizes the phenomenal job the TIM School does in providing a firm foundation for industry leaders,” Takayama said. “The next generation of graduates will continue to support Kyo-ya’s 60-year legacy in Hawaii and into the future.”