Bill Text: HI SCR99 | 2011 | Regular Session | Introduced

Hawaii Senate Concurrent Resolution 99 (Prior Session Legislation)

Introduced

Bill Title: Hawaiian Language University; University of Hawaii at Hilo; UH

Spectrum: Strong Partisan Bill (Democrat 18-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-03-17 - (S) Referred to HWN, EDU. [SCR99 Detail]

Download: Hawaii-2011-SCR99-Introduced.html

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	99
TWENTY-SIXTH LEGISLATURE, 2011
STATE OF HAWAII

SENATE CONCURRENT

RESOLUTION

REQUESTING A PLAN FOR THE DEVELOPMENT OF A HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE UNIVERSITY WITHIN THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI�I AT HILO FROM ITS HAWAIIAN LANGUAGE COLLEGE AND A RESPONSE REGARDING THAT PLAN FROM THE PUKO�A COUNCIL OF THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAI�I.

WHEREAS, Hawaiian is an official language of the State of Hawaii which citizens should have a choice to use as their medium of education and in receiving comprehensive services from state educational agencies; and

WHEREAS, the provision of education through the Hawaiian language is a matter of statewide concern that is appropriately addressed by the Legislature; and

WHEREAS, in his 2011 State of the State Address, Governor Abercrombie praised the progress made in education using Hawaiian as the language of instruction, drawing attention to the 2010 awarding of a doctorate degree in Hawaiian and Indigenous Language and Culture Revitalization from the Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language established at the University of Hawai�i at Hilo; and

WHEREAS, the path to the use of Hawaiian as an official language in delivering state educational services, other than the second language instruction of Hawaiian students, began in 1986 with the Legislature's removal of legal barriers to the use of Hawaiian as the language of instruction in public schools, the legislative establishment of what is now the Hale Kuamo�o Hawaiian language support center for public schools taught through Hawaiian at the University of Hawai�i in 1989, and the legislatively mandated establishment of a Hawaiian language college at the University of Hawai�i in 1997 to provide "a quality education primarily through the medium of the Hawaiian language"; and

WHEREAS, in the short time since the legislative mandate to establish the Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language, the State has seen the graduation of the first seniors from the College's laboratory school in 1999, the first teachers to be certified completely through Hawaiian in 1999, the awarding of the first master's degree in Literature taught entirely through Hawaiian in 2004, the first master's degree in Education taught through Hawaiian in 2008, and the first doctorate taught through Hawaiian in 2010--all national firsts for an indigenous language; and

WHEREAS, while praising the progress made to date, the Governor called for the "next step", that is a "university-within-a-university", to move forward further with the use of Hawaiian as the language of education and its administration "for the benefit of all"; and

WHEREAS, Senate Bill No. 1070 (2011) was introduced in the Legislature to develop a Hawaiian language university-within-a-university at the University of Hawai�i at Hilo, incorporating the legislatively mandated Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language and building on its twelve-year record of leadership in institutionalizing the use of Hawai�i's official Hawaiian language as the medium of all internal administration, operations, support services, and delivery of education and in a variety of academic fields from the preschool level through the doctorate level; and

WHEREAS, it is appropriate for the Legislature to gather more details on how a Hawaiian language university-within-a-university could be created at the University of Hawai�i at Hilo to further expand the use of Hawaiian as the official language of administration, operations, support services, and academic program delivery in a variety of fields for the State of Hawai�i; and

WHEREAS, it is also appropriate that the Legislature receive input from the Chancellors and President of the University of Hawai�i System on how the work of a Hawaiian language university within the University of Hawai�i at Hilo might integrate efforts on other campuses of the University and at the system-level itself to further support the study of Hawaiian language, culture, and history throughout the University of Hawai�i System; and

WHEREAS, the Puko�a Council of the University of Hawai�i was chartered in June 2009 to provide a formal, independent voice and organization through which the Native Hawaiian faculty, administrators, and students of the University of Hawai�i System can participate in the development and interpretation of system‑wide policy and practice as it relates to Native Hawaiian programs, activities, initiatives, and issues; and

WHEREAS, it is appropriate that the Legislature receive input from the Puko�a Council regarding the impact on Native Hawaiians in the University of Hawai�i System that would result from a Hawaiian language university within the University of Hawai�i at Hilo; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-sixth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2011, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language prepare a plan for the development of a Hawaiian language university within the University of Hawai�i at Hilo; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the plan be delivered to the Governor of the State of Hawai�i, President of the University of Hawai�i System, Executive Council members of the Puko�a Council, and members of the Legislature no later than August 31, 2011, for their consideration; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Puko�a Council is requested to develop a response to the plan based on a formal symposium of the Native Hawaiian entities in the University of Hawai�i System that will include at least one representative from all Hawaiian studies programs of the University of Hawai�i System and the Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the symposium is requested to convene at a time and place that ensures maximum participation by faculty, students, and others from the University of Hawai�i System, private and public educational organizations and other entities committed to the advancement of the Hawaiian language, and interested members of the community; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the plan developed by the Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language consider at minimum the following issues related to establishment of a Hawaiian language university within the University of Hawai�i at Hilo: the mission, governance and administration, curriculum and degrees, facilities and technology requirements, financial and other resources available or that may be obtained, a timetable for implementation, and any other issues, as appropriate; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the President of the University of Hawai�i System and the Puko�a Council report in writing to the Legislature and the Governor regarding their response to the plan produced by the Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language and to the implementation issues described above no later than twenty days prior to the Regular Session of 2012; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Governor, Ka Haka �Ula O Ke�elikolani College of Hawaiian Language at the University of Hawai�i at Hilo, President of the University of Hawai�i System, Board of Regents of the University of Hawai�i, and Puko�a Council Executive Council members.