University of Hawaii (UH) - School of Travel Industry Management (T.I.M.)

"UH TIM School is the best known Brand in Asia within the UH System"

T.I.M International Inc - UH T.I.M. Alumni Association (TIMI)

UH TIM Alumni Pacific Coast Region

UH TIM Alumni in the News

Dean Emeritus Chuck Y Gee of UH - School of Travel Industry Management celebrated his 70th Birthday on 08-28-03 at the Monarch Room of the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. It was attended by more than 200 guests from around the world.

Hawaii's China Connection Video - click on the picture to view live video

UH TIM Dean Emeritus Chuck Gee interviewed by Shanghai TV Station - 1st American University & Dean Invited by China Government to enter China in 1978

Join UH TIM Alumni on Facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=6048767519 

Join UH TIM Alumni on LinkedIn http://www.linkedin.com/e/vgh/1895876/

Download UH TIM School Newsletter in PDF format:UH TIM School and Newsletter Dec 2008 June 2009

 TIMI is an independent 501(c)(6) not-for-profit Organization - the purpose of the organization is to foster fellowship among its members for recreation, pleasure, and other non-profit objectives of a like nature, and for educational purposes except the carrying on a business, trade, a vocation or profession for profit

"Bring Back TIM Night - Pride of UH School of TIM" - Click Here to take the 1 minute survey  You are welcome to write more elaborate comments supporting TIM Alumni case and email it to jwkc8168@yahoo.com (mark "confidential" if you do not want to disclose your name) But just in case you are really busy, the 1 minute survey will at least give us some indication and a chance for you to express your opinion about TIM Night. In case you want to write, 50 - 60% of the current faculty may NOT know about the history of TIM School or TIM Night when they are hired to join UH TIM School. There may be some selling we have to do (i.e. like selling July 4th to someone in power to terminate Independent Day that know nothing about American history).

UH School of Travel Industry Management - Alumni Hall of Honor Recipients

1992 Ernie Nishizaki 1993 Roberta Wong
1994 Michael White 1995 Tim Marsden**
1996 Clyde Min & Joseph Pluta** 1997 Richard Hartman
1998 Kathy Inkinen 1999 Johnson Choi** & Ted Sakai**
2000 Paul Tang** 2001 Paul Yokota**
2002 Tsuyoshi Sakata 2003 Ren Hirose**
2004 Lois Sismar 2005 Dean Nakasone
2006 Recognize All Hall of Honor Recipients 1992 - 2005 2007 Hawai'i Hospitality Hall of Fame
2008 Anthony Wong & Ed Wary    
** Past Presidents UH TIM Alumni    

Save UH TIM School Student Initiative added September 9 2009

Honolulu Hawaii Nov 13, 2009 http://www.starbulletin.com/editorials/20091113_Keep_UH_TIM_School_separate.html
 
February 9, 2010 2:30pm - Conference Room 309, State Capitol, 415 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813 - UH TIM Student and Alumni Testified to Support UH TIM School Autonomy.

As one of the retired executive of the Starwood hotels who after retirement expand a Japanese Hotel chain from 3 to 40 in SUPPORT of UH TIM School Autonomy so well put it during his testimony "You do NOT merge the Starwood Hotels into the Hilton Chain to save cost (i.e. eliminate the Sr. VP Position of Starwood Hawaii) because they have different culture and cater to different clienteles..........".

The students, industry people and alumni were not consulted when UH administration decided to take steps to "terminate" UH TIM School and move it into college of business.

During the legislative hearing, the chair of the UH Board of Regent was informed that while the legislators do not want to interfere with UH operation, the legislative branch has the oversight power to ensure the public interest is being served. They have informed Howard Karr - Chair of UH Board of Regent and Virgina Hanshaw - UH Manoa Chancellor that based on the testimony provided that UH TIM Students, Other Stakeholders (other hotels and UH TIM Alumni) were not included in the decision process.

HB2315 HD1 is being deferred. What does it mean? We have discussed it with the legislators after the hearing. They told us if UH Administration does not accept the recommendation of the legislators (see above), they will recall HB 2315 HD1 and follow through with the UH TIM School Autonomy as the State interest override the interest of UH.

Based on the testimony provided - these people do NOT support TIM School Autonomy and/or wanting to merge TIM into CBA in an effort to destroy TIM Brand overnight which took us more than 40 years to build. Their assertion that CBA degree is better for TIM Students is disputed by the 400 students currently attending the program. Through the testimony we also found out through real experience a CBA degree is having difficult time obtaining a job in the hospitality industry.

Keith Vierra - Senior Vice President and Director of Operations for Starwood Hotels & Resorts, Hawai‘i and French Polynesia (Frits van Paasschen - President and Chief Executive Officer, Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, Inc. /  Matthew E. Avril - President - Hotel Group / Denise M. Coll - President - North America Division c/o Starwood Hotels and Resorts Worldwide, Inc., 1111 Westchester Avenue, White Plains, NY 10604. Phone (914) 640-8100, Fax (914) 640-8310)
Howard H. Karr - Chair, UH Board of Regent
Virginia Hinshaw, UH Manoa Chancellor
Linda Johnsrud, UH VP for Academic Planning and Policy


Based on the testimony provided these are the people support UH TIM School Autonomy
(please keep in mind the State of Hawaii and our current/future TIM students are the biggest losers if we merge TIM School into CBA).

Marsha Wienert, Tourism Liaison, Office of the Governor, State of Hawaii
John Brogan, Retired Vice-President, Sheraton Hotels and Resorts
David Kong, President and CEO of Best Western International, 2010 AH&LA chairman
Raymond K Tong, VP Development, Accor Hospitality, 4000 hotels 500,000 rooms 5 continents 90 countries
Long Ngan, Senior Development Manager - Greater China, Accor Hospitality
Marco Chan, V2 Leadership Group Inc
Fredrick M Collison, PhD, Professor Emeritus of UH School of Travel Industry Management
Knorad Talon, UH TIM Student
Agnes Kwok-Yates, LTD Trading Corp
Karin Li, Executive Director, Lanson Place Hospitality Management Ltd
Gregory Tong, Retired Acchitect & Chairman Emeritus, Wimberly Allison Tong and Goo
Robert W Zoller, Former President and COO, Hawaiian Airlines
Clyde Min, Asset Manager, Pacifica-Partners Private Limited
Tsuyoshi Sakata, President and CEO, TSC Consultant Group
Clifford J Reynold, Managing Director, Silver Saddle Ranch & Club
TIM International Inc - alumni association of UH School of TIM, representing more than 3,000 TIM Alumni worldwide
Chamber of Commerce Hawaii - representing more than 2,000 businesses in Hawaii
Hong Kong.China.Hawaii Chamber of Commerce - 380 members, 15 Collaboration Partners with 20,000 members worldwide
Johnson Choi, Past President, Director and International Chairman of UH TIM Alumni working with UH TIM School, Students, Deans and Professors since 1985
Victor Kobayashi, Professor Emeritus, Former Dean of Outreach College, University of Hawaii and President of the Faculty Retirees Association of the University of Hawaii
Kevin Iwamoto, Vice President, Enterprise Strategy, StarCite Inc
Cathy Wang, VP of Product Development, ASI Corp
Peter W Cannon, President, Hawaiian Resources Co Ltd
Holden Lim, President, Hospitality Link
Kasumi Hashimoto, Shangri-la Hotel Tokyo
Tomoko Yagi, Shangri-la Hotel Tokyo
Dean Le-Hoc Ha, Ph.D, Prof. of Hospitality Management & Tourism Studies at the HCMC-Saigon University of Economics, Vietnam
Ingrid Kuo, Owner, Cheers Wedding - a wedding consultant company
Ji-li Jiang, Children Book Author and Speaker
Pok Kung, Guest Service Agent Supervisor, The Kahala Hotel & Resort
Roberta Wong, Professor Emeritus, City University Hong Kong
Carmen Choi, Director of Accounting, Standard Fiber
Catherine Anderson, UH TIM Graduate
Chris Cone, UH TIM Graduate
Uta Guenther, UH TIM Student
Ryan Kobashigawa, UH TIM Student
Jasmine Nip, UH TIM Student
Hitomi Ozaki, UH TIM Student
Melissa Roy, UH TIM Student
Nino Nicole Santos, UH TIM Student
Merrian Torres, UH TIM Alumni
Daniel Pak, UH TIM Student

Honolulu Hawaii USA - UH TIM School "Celebrate a Legacy in Tourism" on Thursday April 5 2012 5:00pm Sheraton Waikiki

Pacific Business News: Governor Abercrombie: UH School of Travel Industry Management will stay independent by Linda Chiem, Reporter

In a night that honored two longtime Hawaii tourism executives, the University of Hawaii’s School of Travel Industry Management asserted its independence.

At least Hawaii Gov. Neil Abercrombie did so for the school — putting to bed long-simmering speculation over the TIM school’s potential merger with the Shidler College of Business.

The school’s annual “Legacy in Tourism” dinner, which took place Thursday night at the Sheraton Waikiki, attracted approximately 600 attendees, including Hawaii’s senior U.S. Senator, Daniel K. Inouye, and former governors George Ariyoshi, John D. Waihee III and Ben Cayetano.

In his remarks, Abercrombie said there’s a clear path forward and “new heights” for the school, which he said has more than earned its independence by the quality of the alumni it produces.

“As far as this administration is concerned, the TIM School is going to continue on an independent basis,” Abercrombie said.

At the dinner, the UH TIM School honored Allan Lum, general manager of the Waialae Country Club, with an alumni hall of honor award.

Meanwhile, the night’s big honoree was Kyo-ya Co. Executive Vice President Ernest Nishizaki, who was given the legacy in tourism award for his 40 years in Hawaii hospitality.

Friday, April 22, 2011, 1:21pm HST

 Pacific Business News - by Linda Chiem

UH TIM School event avoids 'elephant' talk 

 The University of Hawaii’s School of Travel Industry Management is a globally recognized leader in tourism higher education and is especially vital to training not only Hawaii’s future industry leaders, but those in emerging markets such as China.

That message was not lost amid the fanfare at the TIM School’s annual legacy dinner Thursday night at the Hilton Hawaiian Village Beach Resort & Spa — attended by 450 guests making up the who’s who of Hawaii’s travel and tourism industry, along with Gov. Neil Abercrombie.

But for those who have watched the UH TIM School earn its independence as a freestanding school, build up its program and reputation only to see budget woes of the last few years stir up administrative talks of a potential merger with the Shidler College of Business, it was hard to ignore the elephant in the room — the possible merger of the two schools.

 From the well-crafted video interviews and the speeches by Abercrombie and the night’s two honorees, Hawaiian Airlines President and CEO Mark Dunkerley, and Hospitality Advisors President and CEO Joseph Toy, it was made clear that the TIM School is important and it needs to be supported, not strapped down. (Or perhaps merged, though that word was never mentioned.)

To be sure, hammering home the point that it’s a good school with good graduates was done with class, gratitude and good cheer.

  It was also a big night for Dunkerley, who was honored with the school’s Legacy in Tourism award for turning around a homegrown airline that has gone from bankrupt to thriving in fewer than six years. Past Legacy honorees include TIM School Dean Emeritus Chuck Gee, former Gov. George Ariyoshi and Outrigger Enterprise Group Chairman Richard Kelley.

And, if you left the dinner with anything beyond your fill of steak, mahi mahi and haupia cake, it was that Hawaii needs to do all it can to stay competitive as a destination, and that means reinvesting in the infrastructure that supports the state’s No. 1 economic driver.

 Without a doubt, much like Hawaiian Airlines’ focus has been on expanding service to Asia, the state as a whole needs to recognize the potential in Asia as well, Dunkerley said.

“What is more important is to ask the question, ‘Has anything really changed in the long-term picture of Asia, the rapid growth in Asia, the fact that we’re seeing dramatic improvements in the disposable income that are enjoyed by people who live in the economies in Asia?’” he asked. “And the answer to that question is no. I think things are as rosy today for the long-term outlook of Asia as they were six months ago, as they were a year ago. What we have to do as a travel community, as a travel industry, is to keep focused on keeping ourselves a competitive destination and not letting the crisis of the moment distract us from the importance of remaining competitive and working hard to stay that way.”

 But back to the elephant. Not only will all of Thursday night’s dinner proceeds go to fund student scholarships, Dunkerley announced that Daniel K. Hilton — yes, of the Hilton family — has established a new scholarship at the TIM School in Dunkerley’s name.

 And, in Abercrombie’s words, no institutional framework or agency is more suited than the TIM School for making sure Hawaii has the core services it needs to see economic recovery, not just in the moment, but for the long term.

 Reporter Linda Chiem can be reached at 808.955.8042 | lchiem@bizjournals.com 

April 11 2011

University of Hawaii Could Close Tourism School By Lynn Nakagawa 

One consequence of the state's current budget crisis could be another attempt to close the University of Hawaii's tourism school and make it a part of the Shidler College of Business.

There's disagreement on campus and in the industry over whether such a move would help or hurt travel industry students. But as recently as 2009, UH Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw expressed a desire to merge the schools.

UH leadership believes the Shidler name will help make tourism a more attractive major for prospective students. The move is also expected to save money by eliminating the tourism school dean's position, among others.

But opponents of the merger say that Hawaii ought to maintain an independent school. Tourism is the state's top economic driver, making it an ideal place to learn the industry. Without an independent Travel Industry Management School, critics worry it'll become harder to funnel local talent into top positions in Hawaii.

“It’s a living-breathing laboratory here (in Hawaii), as one of the top tourist destinations in the world. It would be shame not to have a specialized institution for tourism,” said Joseph Toy, a tourism school alum and president and CEO of Hospitality Advisors, which provides consulting services for hotels such as the Four Seasons, Marriott and Ritz Carlton.......

Growing Local Talent

The school has about 400 undergraduate students and is the sixth most popular major for undergraduates at UH Manoa.

The school's operating budget of $2 million represents the smallest budget of UH Manoa's 19 schools and colleges.

tedsakai.jpg (17128 bytes) Some notable alumni include Toy, of Hospitality Advisors; Ted Sakai, general manager of Miramar Hotel in Waikiki; and Paul Yokota, president of FCH Enterprises, a company that manages Zippy’s and Napoleon’s Bakery.

Toy said the tourism school has helped to funnel more local talent into top positions in the tourism industry.

“When I first came to Hawaii, a lot of companies recruited managers from the mainland,” he said. “Eventually we saw a number of homegrown talent come out of the industry and take positions in these companies. A lot of them are TIM graduates and I think we broke that glass ceiling."

“That executive talent might diminish and the glass ceiling might be put back in place (if the schools merge),” he said.

Toy said the school’s independent status allows it to attract and retain top local talent, who enter the industry understanding the places they work.

“Tourism in Hawaii is a multi-billion dollar industry and the hotels that are here really need managers, operators and executive talent that have the skills and familiarity with the destination. So it’s important to continue to graduate bright, young people who can enter the executive and operational side of it,” he said.

Possible Effect On Tourism Industry Donations

Juanita Liu, interim dean at the Travel Industry Management School, says that because many students specifically attend UH Manoa for its independent travel industry school, a merger with the business school could result in a decrease of TIM students.

“A merger will not save any money but will actually cost more and we will lose students and tuition revenues, Liu said. "It defies all logic."

Johnson Choi, a tourism school alum who owns a consulting firm that focuses on trade with China and has served on the school's board of directors for 20 years, said the merger could have a direct effect on donations to the school and discourage donors and businesses.

“If the schools are merged, it makes it difficult (for the tourism program) to raise money and receive donations,” he said. “The business school and Travel Industry Management School are two different animals.”.......

“There’s no question that there needs to be a tourism program at the university and its important for work force development. It provides billion dollars of revenue to Hawaii a month,” said Mike McCartney.....

A merger would be more costly for tourism program students as Shidler students pay $1,000 more per year. The move would also change the degree offered. Tourism school students currently earn a Bachelor of Science degree in travel industry management. Under the business school, this degree would change to a bachelor of business administration.....for complete story please go to http://www.civilbeat.com/articles/2011/04/11/10231-university-of-hawaii-could-close-tourism-school/

Tourism school should be separate

As a 30-year travel industry executive, including a tenure as president and COO of Hawaiian Airlines and a former Travel Industry Management School advisory board member, I am deeply concerned about the loss of the TIM School's independence.

As someone who strongly believes in the need for a premier travel industry school in Hawai'i, I find it extremely disturbing that your editorial staff and the relatively new university administration appear to be rushing to judgment over the future of TIM.

TIM has not only remained a relevant part of the university, the Hawaiian community and the worldwide travel industry, it has actually excelled. Year after year, TIM, its students and faculty are the recipients of numerous academic and industry awards and certifications.

Through those achievements and its innovative programs, TIM has long held a leadership position in the global travel and tourism industry. Its graduates, students and faculty have not only served as a unique resource in Hawai'i, but are often at the forefront for identifying, addressing and providing innovative solutions for a variety of travel industry issues.

TIM needs to be strengthened, not subjected to the bureaucratic ways of the business school, serving so many different academic disciplines.

It is my opinion that a merger as contemplated will diminish the TIM mission and organization, lay aside the almost 50-year history of academic and individual accomplishments, tarnish a hard-earned world-class reputation and quickly lead to the marginalization of what should be the leading travel industry and tourism education and knowledge-creation program in Hawai'i and the Asia-Pacific region.


Robert W. Zoller, Honolulu, Hawaii USA

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=20102140316

Robert W. Zoller has a distinguished and successful passenger, cargo and military aviation career with more than 30 years experience, highlighted by executive and Board of Director positions of increasing scope and responsibility. Mr. Zoller's management and consulting work includes service with: American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, Airtran Airways, USAIR, Saudi Arabian Airlines, other airlines and logistics companies, government regulatory authorities and numerous transportation industry organizations.

Mr. Zoller is currently President and Managing Partner for International Management Decisions (IMD) providing Middle East, Asia and U.S.-based investors and Boards of Director strategy and management services. Zoller has earned Master of International Business Administration (MIBA) and a Bachelor of Science (BS, Economics and Business Administration) degree from the University of Maryland, College Park, MD.

 HAWAII BUSINESS / AUGUST 2010 / HOW TO REVITALIZE HAWAII’S ECONOMY

 UH TIM Distinguish Alumni - Ernest Nishizaki, executive VP of Kyo-ya, owners of Hawaii Starwood Hotels: "My concern is that the University of Hawaii keeps talking about getting rid of the Travel Industry Management School, or consolidating it. I have a hard time understanding why, when the state’s No. 1 industry is tourism, we are going to dilute a program that is developing future managers. We’ve got to support good local people who want to be its managers."

 From left: Belsby, Okimoto, Dancil, Petranik (back to camera), Chock, Fukunaga, Sullivan and Nishizaki.Photos: David Croxford

Participants in this discussion:

Kirk Belsby, VP of the endowment for Kamehameha Schools
Kyle Chock, executive director of Pacific Resource Partnership
Keiki-Pua Dancil, president and CEO of the Hawaii Science and Technology Council
State Sen. Carol Fukunaga, Democrat, representing McCully to Punchbowl
Ernest Nishizaki, executive VP of Kyo-ya, owners of Hawaii Starwood Hotels
Dean Okimoto, owner of Nalo Farms and former president, Hawaii Farm Bureau Federation
Patrick Sullivan, founder and chairman, Oceanit

Moderator: Steve Petranik editor, Hawaii Business

For complete story http://www.facebook.com/johnsonwkchoi?v=app_2347471856 http://www.hawaiibusiness.com/Hawaii-Business/August-2010/How-to-Revitalize-Hawaii-rsquos-Economy/index.php?cparticle=1&siarticle=0#artanc

  August 20 2010 Pacific Business News Honolulu

http://www.bizjournals.com/pacific/stories/2010/08/23/editorial1.html?b=1282536000^3834581&s=industry&i=education

  click on the pictures on the left for full view

Read the article in PDF format http://www.b2bchinadirect.com/saveuhtimschoolpbnjoepluta.pdf

 Hawaii needs an independent UH TIM School

I am a 1974 graduate of the School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii Manoa.

I have been reading about Hawaii’s economy and how to revive it in PBN. This is an election year, and I believe our leadership needs to come to grips with and acceptance of necessary support of the state’s No. 1 industry — tourism. Every state in our nation supports its major industry by its state universities through an independent college or school devoted to that industry.

It’s a fundamental axiom to support programs that work and TIM School’s accomplishments, reputation and global outreach are well-established, especially in Hawaii’s newly emerging tourism markets. This year, the TIM School is the program of choice for government officials from Abu Dhabi, Shanghai and Hainan Island. Visiting scholars from China are being invited to TIM next year to study how Hawaii can best accommodate the emerging Chinese market. Requests from China, Japan, Korea, Malaysia, Vietnam and Singapore are continually flowing in.

Others have tried to duplicate the school’s programs, but TIM is a unique program with a global competitive advantage. There is something very special about the TIM School in Hawaii due to its excellent programs, faculty expertise, location, Hawaii hospitality and reputation.

Any candidate who is running for office to lead this state on the road to economic recovery either in the governor’s office or our Legislature must recognize that an independent TIM School is a matter of statewide concern. There cannot be any further administrative avoidance of the importance of this issue and its statewide importance by relegating it solely to the university administration or Department of Education who seem to wholly miss the point lately. That conflicts with the history and past efforts.

Over the years, the state Legislature has invested in the TIM School by granting funds for additional faculty positions and seed monies for the Center for Tourism Policy Studies, which has produced many externally funded applied tourism studies for Hawaii and the Pacific Islands, including a number of master plans.

The TIM School is one of the best-known name brands at UH with a distinguished record of accomplishments. In the late 1950s, Gov. John Quinn established the TIM School to educate leaders for the then-emerging tourism industry. At the time, Hawaii prevailed over Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Hong Kong, Thailand and Singapore to establish this coveted program with the support of the Pacific Asia Travel Association (PATA). Since then, every Hawaii governor and many other visionary leaders in government and UH have supported the TIM School, which eventually outgrew and separated from the business college two decades ago.

The TIM School is the oldest tourism education program in the region and the first to receive the PATA Gold Education Award. The United Nations World Tourism Organization ranks the TIM School as one of the top two tourism education programs in the U.S. and among the top eight in the world. In the past, the school was a regional tourism education and training center, but it now serves as an international strategic center for UNWTO.

As anticipated, the Asia Pacific region is now leading the world in tourism growth. The school has many distinguished alumni in Hawaii and abroad. The school’s ability to maintain its hard-earned world-class reputation, relevance and position, however, is now being threatened by a proposal to submerge it under the Shidler College of Business.
Even more critical, the TIM School currently is being prevented from using its available resources to replace any permanent faculty positions. The school’s request to fill only two out of five faculty vacancies is being denied, even though more than 100 UH Manoa faculty positions in other programs are currently being advertised.

Thus, UH Manoa is failing in its obligation to provide the best education possible that TIM students have paid for and deserve. The chancellor is also planning to take back any vacant positions and funds from all programs for reallocation in January 2011. This will further penalize TIM students, who receive relatively fewer tuition waivers and are the second fastest to graduate in spite of holding jobs and completing mandatory 800 hours of internships.
As the feeder program for managers in the largest industry in Hawaii, the TIM School provides quality education with the smallest faculty and budget of only $1.8 million with the lowest instructional cost per student. Since TIM is the most efficient and cost-effective unit at UH Manoa, it means that TIM student tuitions are being unduly used to cover other costs.

A merger that eliminates the already well-established TIM deanship, exploits its resource efficiencies and dilutes its globally recognized curriculum is unwarranted and will be very difficult to restore once lost. Consider what is happening locally, nationally and internationally.

If UH succeeds in submerging the TIM School, this would relegate Hawaii to becoming the only state that does not support its major industry with a standalone college or school within its state university system. The other 49 states have more diversified economies. For Hawaii, especially the Neighbor Islands, tourism is the state’s leading income-generating economic activity for the foreseeable future. The merger is counter to the UH’s land grant mandate to support Hawaii’s economy.

Tourism, the largest industry in the world, will rebound and the best way to prepare for the future is to keep the TIM School intact. The TIM B.S. and M.S. degrees are the preferred degree for employers in Hawaii’s visitor industry with nearly 100 percent job placement for UH TIM graduates. The specialized service-based curriculum makes TIM graduates highly qualified for a broad range of service businesses, as well as in the hospitality, tourism and transportation industries.

Hawaii can best develop local managerial and leadership talent through an autonomous TIM School that can quickly respond to relevant changes in the field. Since the industry prefers to hire graduates with hospitality/tourism degrees, without a strong TIM program the alternative would be to go back to hiring graduates from Mainland universities like Cornell.

Joseph D Pluta is owner and principal broker of Joseph D. Pluta Realty LLC in Lahaina, Maui. He is current Director and Past President of TIM International Inc., Alumni Association of the UH School of Travel Industry Management - Contact him at pluta@maui.net

Monday February 22 2010 - Honolulu Advertiser Newspaper Editorial

TIM School needs independence to succeed - With no cost savings identified, merger doesn't make sense By Juanita Liu

The bills in the Legislature that would ensure an independent School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawai'i are supported by a wide representation of hundreds of students and alumni, the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, a number of key industry and business executives, and the governor's tourism liaison. While House Bill 2315 was deferred, the debate is widening.

University administrators testified that they are considering merging all schools with fewer than 30 faculty. This includes the schools of law, architecture, social work, Hawaiian knowledge, Asia Pacific studies, as well as the TIM School. It is questionable if any meaningful savings would be achieved by merging these schools with larger units.

Academic mergers are difficult and costly because of different accrediting bodies, specialized curricula, program requirements and nomenclature of degrees. When asked what savings would result from merging TIM with the Shidler College of Business, the answer was that the assistant dean position would be eliminated.

This would not save any money since the position is already vacant. Instead, payroll would need to be increased substantially to put TIM faculty on par with Shidler's high salary scale.

The TIM School is in the enviable position of having achieved a world-class name brand and a solid student base. It makes little sense to submerge a highly efficient unit that produces successful alumni without any clear benefits.

Cost cutting in the private sector usually involves reducing and consolidating corporate administrative overhead and positions. To merge the providers of direct services such as the schools and colleges at UH-Mānoa risks losing services, customers and revenues. A survey of graduating students indicates that 80 percent oppose the merger and 70 percent said they would have gone elsewhere if TIM were under the business school, which is at capacity.

It would also be a great loss to the people of Hawai'i and future generations to diminish the instructional mission of any of these professional schools that have served Hawai'i residents so well in providing credible alternatives to an expensive Mainland education.

With the wisdom and support from previous UH administrators and government leaders, these programs at the UH have brought professional degrees within the reach of many local residents, built up our local communities and enabled us to compete abroad.

While we are debating the issue, countries in Asia and around the world are investing millions into stand-alone tourism schools and colleges in the field and fast-tracking programs to prepare its citizens for the largest industry in the world.

Legislation supporting a specific program like HB 2315 and SB 2186 has rarely surfaced since the passing of the UH Autonomy Amendment in 2000.

However, Article 10.6 of the Hawai'i State Constitution grants the Legislature the exclusive jurisdiction to identify laws of statewide concern, which may be warranted when the land grant mission of the university in supporting Hawai'i's economy is jeopardized once again by the threat of submerging the school that supports the largest industry in the state.

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100222/OPINION03/2220301/

Juanita Liu is interim dean of the TIM School. She wrote this commentary for The Advertiser.



Monday February 22 2010 - Honolulu Advertiser Newspaper - Letter to the Editor

TIM School - Autonomy needed for best efficiency

I am a proud 1977 graduate of the University of Hawai'i School of Travel Industry Management and I am a past president, director, treasurer and international chairman of its alumni association, keeping me in close contact with more than 1,000 alumni.

The autonomy of the school enables it to be one of the most efficient of the schools and colleges that comprise the University of Hawai'i-Manoa. Such autonomy also enables the school to remain competitive with its peer institutions in both the nation and around the world.

The TIM School is one of the best-known brands of the UH system. It has provided quality education, not only for residents, but also students paying higher out-of-state tuition. As such, it is one of the most cost-effective programs.

The TIM School has served the state's largest industry well for a half-century, especially under the leadership of Chuck Gee from the 1970s to 2000. He helped shape Hawai'i's travel industry policies in development, marketing and human resources development.

I strongly endorse keeping the TIM School autonomous.

Johnson W. K. Choi
Honolulu, Hawaii USA

http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20100222/OPINION02/2220305/1108

Testimony submitted for HB 2315 for testimony on Feb 1 2010 http://www.b2bchinadirect.com/uhtimautonomy020110a.pdf
Testimony submitted for HB 2315 for testimony on Feb 1 2010 http://www.b2bchinadirect.com/uhtimautonomy020110b.pdf
Testimony submitted for HB 2315 for testimony on Feb 9 2010
http://www.b2bchinadirect.com/uhtimautonomy020910.pdf

A big Mahalo for testifying in person.......

 

NOTICE OF HEARING (please be advise this is being moved to Higher Education Committee)

DATE: Tuesday, February 9, 2010
TIME: 2:30 p.m.
PLACE: Conference Room 309, State Capitol, 415 South Beretania Street, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813

HB 2315, HD1 (HSCR143-10) RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SCHOOL OF TRAVEL INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT.

Statutorily establishes a School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii (UH) at Manoa that is separate and independent of any school or college of business administration established at UH. Effective January 1, 2112.

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/hearingnotices/HEARING_HED_02-09-10_.HTM

(HB 2315, HD1) http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/Bills/HB2315_HD1_.pdf
(HSCR143-10) http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/CommReports/HB2315_HD1_HSCR143-10_.pdf
Status: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/lists/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2315

Header for Testimony (you can cut and paste the following on your personal or company letterhead, be sure to replace [    ] information with your own information)

Testimony to the COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, CULTURE, & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Tuesday, February 9 2010; 2:30pm.
Conference Room 309

HOUSE BILL 2315 HD1 RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SCHOOL OF TRAVEL INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT.

Chair Chang, Vice Chair Nakashima and Members of the Higher Education Committee:

My name is
[FULL NAME] and my company is [NAME AND DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY INCLUDING # OF EMPLOYEES]. I appreciate the efforts made by the chair and the committee in addressing autonomy of the School of Travel Industry Management. I support HB 2315 to establishes a school of travel industry management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa that is separate and independent of any school or college of business administration established by the university.

I am writing in support of the school of travel industry management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa remain autonomous from the Schidler college of business administration. The autonomy of the school of travel industry management enables it to be the most efficient of the schools and colleges that comprise the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Such autonomy also enables the school to remain competitive with its peer institutions in both the nation and around the world.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. If you have any questions, please contact me at
[FULL CONTACT INFORMATION].

DECISION MAKING TO FOLLOW

Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing with a transmittal cover indicating:

· Testifier's name with position/title and organization;
· The Committee the comments are directed to;
· The date and time of the hearing;
· Measure number; and
· The number of copies the Committee is requesting.

While every effort will be made to copy, organize, and collate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed to the incorrect office, may be distributed to the Committee after the hearing.

Submit testimony in ONE of the following ways:

PAPER: 1 original document to Room 319 in the State Capitol;

FAX: For comments less than 5 pages in length, transmit to 586-6121 (for Oahu) or 1-800-535-3859 (for Neighbor Islanders without a computer to submit testimony through e-mail or the Web);

EMAIL: For comments less than 5 pages in length, transmit to HEDtestimony@Capitol.hawaii.gov; or

WEB: For comments less than 4MB in size, transmit from the Web page at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony

Testimony submitted will be placed on the Legislative Web site after the hearing adjourns. This public posting of testimony on the Web site should be considered when including personal information in your testimony.

If you require special assistance or auxiliary aids and/or services to participate in the House public hearing process (i.e., sign or foreign language interpreter or wheelchair accessibility), please contact the Committee Clerk at 586-6120 or email your request for an interpreter to HouseInterpreter@Capitol.hawaii.gov at least 24 hours prior to the hearing for arrangements. Prompt requests submitted help to ensure the availability of qualified individuals and appropriate accommodations.

Selected meetings are broadcast live. Check the current legislative broadcast schedule on the "Capitol TV" Web site at www.capitoltv.org OR call 550-8074.

Feb 1 2010
 
HB 2315 Autonomy of the School of Travel Industry Management has passed

 
All testimony are in support of the "Autonomy of the School of TIM"
except one executive from the Starwood Hotel and one executive from UH.
 
We have win the first round, but stay tune as it will/may move to the next committee requiring more testimony.
 

Majority of the UH TIM Students have already indicated that they selected UH TIM School because of its autonomy and NOT part of College of Business.
 

UH TIM merging into College of Business will destroy the School.
 

 Please get your computer, fax and email fire up...it is not over yet!
 
 Please book mark this link http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/site1/house/comm/commTCI.asp
 
 Please book mark status of House Bill HB2315 http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/getstatus.asp?query=hb2315&currpage=1&showstatus=on&showtext=on&showcommrpt=on&showtestimony=on
 
 Please book mark this page that House Committee recommending passing http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/lists/measure_indiv.aspx?billtype=HB&billnumber=2315
 
Please book mark this page for the submitted testimony in PDF format http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/Testimony/HB2315_TESTIMONY_TCI_02-01-10_.pdf
 http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/Testimony/HB2315_TESTIMONY_TCI_02-01-10_LATE_.pdf

Testimony Requested TODAY Jan 29th - Autonomy of the School of Travel Industry Management

http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/hearingnotices/HEARING_TCI_02-01-10_.HTM

The hearing on the bill is on Monday Feb. 1, 2010.

Hearing notice on HB 2315 re TIM autonomy. If anyone is interested in submitting testimony, they can follow the instructions and submit it 24 hours prior by paper, fax, email, or web. The easiest is by web. Testimonies should be kept on file, since it will have to go to other committees if it passes the first one.

Header for Testimony (you can cut and paste the following on your personal or company letterhead, be sure to replace [    ] information with your own information)

Testimony to the COMMITTEE ON TOURISM, CULTURE, & INTERNATIONAL AFFAIRS
Monday, February 1 2010; 8:45 a.m.
Conference Room 312

HOUSE BILL 2315 RELATING TO THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII SCHOOL OF TRAVEL INDUSTRY MANAGEMENT.

Chair Manahan, Vice Chair Tokioka and Members of the Committee:

My name is
[FULL NAME] and my company is [NAME AND DESCRIPTION OF COMPANY INCLUDING # OF EMPLOYEES]. I appreciate the efforts made by the chair and the committee in addressing autonomy of the School of Travel Industry Management. I support HB 2315 to establishes a school of travel industry management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa that is separate and independent of any school or college of business administration established by the university.

I am writing in support of the school of travel industry management at the University of Hawaii at Manoa remain autonomous from the Schidler college of business administration. The autonomy of the school of travel industry management enables it to be the most efficient of the schools and colleges that comprise the University of Hawaii at Manoa. Such autonomy also enables the school to remain competitive with its peer institutions in both the nation and around the world.

Thank you for the opportunity to submit testimony. If you have any questions, please contact me at
[FULL CONTACT INFORMATION].

DIRECTIONS ON SUBMITTING TESTIMONY

Here is a link to the hearing notice for yesterday’s HB2315 hearing before the House’s “Tourism, Culture, and International Affairs” committee: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/session2010/hearingnotices/HEARING_TCI_02-01-10_.HTM

From that notice, here are the instructions that appear at the bottom of the page:

Persons wishing to offer comments should submit testimony at least 24 hours prior to the hearing with a transmittal cover indicating:

· Testifier's name with position/title and organization;
· The Committee the comments are directed to;
· The date and time of the hearing;
· Measure number; and
· The number of copies the Committee is requesting.

While every effort will be made to copy, organize, and collate all testimony received, materials received on the day of the hearing or improperly identified or directed to the incorrect office, may be distributed to the Committee after the hearing.

Submit testimony in ONLY ONE of the following ways:

PAPER: 3 copies (including an original) to Room 322 in the State Capitol;

FAX: For comments less than 5 pages in length, transmit to 586-6271(for Oahu) or 1-800-535-3859 (for Neighbor Islanders without a computer to submit testimony through e-mail or the Web);

EMAIL: For comments less than 5 pages in length, transmit to TCItestimony@Capitol.hawaii.gov; or

WEB: For comments less than 4MB in size, transmit from the Web page at http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/emailtestimony

The hearing notices themselves are always the best resource to use when submitting testimony. They will give specific instructions, as this example shows, regarding the process for sending your comments to various committees.

If you’re ever in doubt about the correct addresses, you can go to the legislature’s website at www.capitol.hawaii.gov and choose “bill status and documents” then look in the 2nd box on that page – “2010 regular session hearing notices” – and click on the link to “get current hearing notices” to get to your specific bill’s instructions. If a measure isn’t yet scheduled, it won’t appear there. If it is scheduled, you can click on the date/time hyperlink for that bill (or resolution), to go directly to the hearing notices. The instructions are always at the bottom of the notice.

Meanwhile, your input is very important, and I would encourage you to submit your testimony to TCItestimon@Capitol.hawaii.gov anyway, so it can become part of the record for this measure.

Here’s another bit of information that might be really useful for you: To keep track of any specific measure, go to that “bill status and documents” page and put your bill/resolution number in the first box, the one for reading status, text, and committee reports. Enter the measure number with no spaces – HB2315 for instance – and press the ‘go’ key. That will take you to the status sheet – the history of that bill – where you can see everything that’s happened to it so far. Click on the big fat bill number at the top of the page to read the most current version, and click on “show hearing notices” to access any and all hearing notices that have been generated regarding your bill, where you’ll find those useful testimony-submittal instructions.

AND

3. Fax a copy to (808) 524-8063 or email it to jwkc8168@yahoo.com for our file

Try to submit testimony 24 hours prior to the hearing. This allows the chair and committee members enough time to thoroughly review the testimonies. HOWEVER, if you are unable to submit testimony by this deadline, please proceed to submit. It will still be considered.

DIRECTIONS ON ORAL TESTIMONY

The following provides some information for those attending the hearing:

* A two-minute oral testimony limit will probably take place.
* You are not required to stay for the entire hearing and may leave after you provide testimony. The order of testifiers is based on the order the committee receives written testimonies.
* Metered parking is available at the Capitol. Discounted parking is available at Alii Place on Alakea or at any downtown municipal parking lots.
* Tell your “story” however, please be courteous and professional.


If possible, please e-mail me a copy to jwkc8168@yahoo.com of your testimony and let me know if you plan to attend the hearing. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 808-524-5738. Thank you for your time and support. Together we can make a difference.

Keep UH TIM School separate By Juanita Liu
 
 Once again, a proposed merger between the University of Hawaii's School of Travel Industry Management (TIM) and Shidler College of Business is in the news. Ten years ago the matter was thoroughly examined and rejected because it would not serve the needs of the university and the state. The reasons still hold.
 
 More than 50 students met with Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw last month to strongly oppose the merger. They value the relevant TIM curriculum, knowledgeable faculty, personalized student services, internships and the competitive advantage of the TIM Bachelor of Science degree. They believe that a merger will diminish the relevance of their education and the value of their degree. Many stated that they would not have even chosen UH if TIM were under Shidler because of the different requirements.
 
 Shidler students also are concerned, since many classes were cut and the rest are full. TIM students collected more than a dozen letters and 265 signatures against the merger.
 
 The students wanted to know why this merger is being proposed when the TIM School is the most efficient unit on campus. It has the smallest budget and lowest instructional costs and the third-highest tuition revenues per student after medicine and law. It is the only unit on campus that earns more net tuition than is spent on its operational costs.
 
 Two decades ago TIM lost half of its students when it was part of the College of Business, which switched to a two-year program. After separating in 1991, TIM restored its four-year program and recruited students through the smooth transfer from the community colleges and feeder Academies of Hospitality and Tourism in six high schools on three islands. Thus, TIM enrollments have more than doubled to 450 students with 130 graduates in 2008 — a 60 percent increase from 2003. Graduates in TIM normally enjoy 100 percent job placement.
 
 The TIM faculty streamlined the curriculum by eliminating duplication in the basic business core, using its own specialized textbooks and faculty. A merger with Shidler would mean adopting the same core subjects at the expense of courses in service-based industries and other pertinent courses critical for tourism management. Rather than saving money, merging TIM would be costly since more resources would be needed to comply with additional accreditation and administration. For instance, about $750,000 would be needed to put TIM faculty on par with Shidler's high-salary scale.
 
 The TIM School enjoys a strong international reputation. Eduardo Fayos-Sola, executive secretary of the Education and Science Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Spain, said the following in his Sept. 4 open letter to Chancellor Hinshaw:
 
 "The School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii has been one of the most important university programs contributing to this work of the UNWTO over the years. Since the 1980s the TIM School has been one of the eight leading centers worldwide to provide leadership to other educational institutions. More recently it received the Tourism Education Quality ... certification and has continued to distinguish itself as a leader in the field."
 
 Fayos-Sola continued:
 
 "I cannot speak strongly enough to suggest that this move would be an incredible loss for the TIM School and for all who have enjoyed its leadership over the decades."
 
 The UNWTO lists the TIM School as one of the two top tourism programs in the U.S., along with George Washington University. The TIM School has a prestigious global brand that only a handful of programs at UH-Manoa have been able to achieve. Tourism is the world's largest industry. It is resilient and will rebound. Higher education has an important role in that process.
 
 The UH should consider alternatives to a merger in favor of the global trend of establishing separate colleges in the field.
 
 Juanita Liu, Ph.D., interim dean of the University of Hawaii-Manoa School of Travel Industry Management, wrote this commentary on behalf of the school's faculty, staff and students.
 
 Once again, a proposed merger between the University of Hawaii's School of Travel Industry Management (TIM) and Shidler College of Business is in the news. Ten years ago the matter was thoroughly examined and rejected because it would not serve the needs of the university and the state. The reasons still hold.
 
 More than 50 students met with Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw last month to strongly oppose the merger. They value the relevant TIM curriculum, knowledgeable faculty, personalized student services, internships and the competitive advantage of the TIM Bachelor of Science degree. They believe that a merger will diminish the relevance of their education and the value of their degree. Many stated that they would not have even chosen UH if TIM were under Shidler because of the different requirements.
 
 Shidler students also are concerned, since many classes were cut and the rest are full. TIM students collected more than a dozen letters and 265 signatures against the merger.
 
 The students wanted to know why this merger is being proposed when the TIM School is the most efficient unit on campus. It has the smallest budget and lowest instructional costs and the third-highest tuition revenues per student after medicine and law. It is the only unit on campus that earns more net tuition than is spent on its operational costs.
 
 Two decades ago TIM lost half of its students when it was part of the College of Business, which switched to a two-year program. After separating in 1991, TIM restored its four-year program and recruited students through the smooth transfer from the community colleges and feeder Academies of Hospitality and Tourism in six high schools on three islands. Thus, TIM enrollments have more than doubled to 450 students with 130 graduates in 2008 — a 60 percent increase from 2003. Graduates in TIM normally enjoy 100 percent job placement.
 
 The TIM faculty streamlined the curriculum by eliminating duplication in the basic business core, using its own specialized textbooks and faculty. A merger with Shidler would mean adopting the same core subjects at the expense of courses in service-based industries and other pertinent courses critical for tourism management. Rather than saving money, merging TIM would be costly since more resources would be needed to comply with additional accreditation and administration. For instance, about $750,000 would be needed to put TIM faculty on par with Shidler's high-salary scale.
 
 The TIM School enjoys a strong international reputation. Eduardo Fayos-Sola, executive secretary of the Education and Science Council of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) based in Spain, said the following in his Sept. 4 open letter to Chancellor Hinshaw:
 
 "The School of Travel Industry Management at the University of Hawaii has been one of the most important university programs contributing to this work of the UNWTO over the years. Since the 1980s the TIM School has been one of the eight leading centers worldwide to provide leadership to other educational institutions. More recently it received the Tourism Education Quality ... certification and has continued to distinguish itself as a leader in the field."
 
 Fayos-Sola continued:
 
 "I cannot speak strongly enough to suggest that this move would be an incredible loss for the TIM School and for all who have enjoyed its leadership over the decades."
 
 The UNWTO lists the TIM School as one of the two top tourism programs in the U.S., along with George Washington University. The TIM School has a prestigious global brand that only a handful of programs at UH-Manoa have been able to achieve. Tourism is the world's largest industry. It is resilient and will rebound. Higher education has an important role in that process.
 
 The UH should consider alternatives to a merger in favor of the global trend of establishing separate colleges in the field.
 
Juanita Liu, Ph.D., interim dean of the University of Hawaii-Manoa School of Travel Industry Management, wrote this commentary on behalf of the school's faculty, staff and students.

Published: Monday, October 12, 2009

Ka Leo O Hawaii: UH Manoa Student College Newspaper & Media
by Junghee Lee

TIM students, chancellor clash over merger

Travel Industry Management students, faculty and lecturers met with UHM Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw last Thursday to voice their concerns about the proposed merger between the TIM school and Shidler College of Business.

Travel Industry Management students, faculty and lecturers met with UHM Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw last Thursday to voice their concerns about the proposed merger between the TIM school and Shidler College of Business.

Around 50 Travel Industry Management (TIM) students, faculty and lecturers gathered in the Sunset Reference Center last Thursday for an open discussion with Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw to voice their opinions on the proposed merger between the TIM school and Shidler College of Business.

“I wouldn’t have chosen to come to study in Hawai‘i if there was no TIM school,” said Wakako Nagata, a student in the TIM master’s program. “It’s surprising because in Japan there are more travel and management majors expanding, and Hawai‘i, they’re trying to eliminate it.”

According to Chancellor Hinshaw, the merger was proposed not because of the budget cuts but to better the TIM degree so that students are more marketable and have an easier time finding a job after graduation.

Hinshaw believes that TIM will benefit from being part of Shidler because there are over 100 faculty in the school and more business courses are available for the students.

However, some TIM students do not agree with this idea.

“Why would we fix something that is not broken?” said Uta Guenther, a senior TIM major. “We are doing well right now - why would you want to make TIM disappear?”

Hinshaw said, “TIM will not disappear, but it will be a school within the business school.”

If the TIM school becomes part of Shidler, TIM students face many changes. Firstly, the students will graduate with a Bachelor in Business Administration instead of a bachelor’s of science degree in Travel Industry Management. Secondly, the GPA requirement to apply for the program will go up from 2.0 to 2.5. Lastly, the cost of tuition would be higher as well; for the school year of 2009 to 2010, TIM students pay $7,167.40 for tuition and business students pay $8,167.40.

“TIM is well-known internationally - we don’t want to lose our recognition, and we don’t have a need to,” said TIM Dean Juanita Liu.

http://www.kaleo.org/tim-students-chancellor-clash-over-merger-1.1993272

Proposed merger at UH draws fire By Craig Gima POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Sep 10, 2009

An advisory committee to University of Hawaii at Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw is endorsing a proposal to combine the School of Travel Industry Management with the Shidler College of Business........In another e-mail yesterday, students and TIM school alumni began a petition drive to stop the merger with the business college. Former TIM Dean Chuck Gee, a member of the UH Board of Regents, said he is "not surprised" at the opposition to the merger. Gee, who as dean led the effort to make the TIM school independent, said he couldn't comment on the proposal to combine the schools because it may come up before the board. But, Gee said, "at the time we separated, it was in the best interest of both the profession and the industry in the state.".......click to read the complete story

Add your public comments here http://www.topix.net/alerts/forum/source/honolulu-star-bulletin/T21FHCH95M36TG5M7

Add your public comments for Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw http://www.manoa.hawaii.edu/ovcafo/newprocess/comments/

View Comments on "Save UH TIM School"

Saturday, September 12, 2009 7:20 PM

Subject: Express and share your (positive) feelings about TIM publically!

Aloha,

Many of you have probably read or at least heard about the article about the proposed merger in Thursday's (Sept. 10) Star Bulletin. http://www.starbulletin.com/news/20090910_proposed_merger_at_uh_draws_fire.html

Lots of people commented on those article, some of these comments were not very nice, nor were they professional. Some have been poorly researched and who ever wrote them did not get their facts right. However, we will NOT be discouraged by these comments or the people who made them and obviously do not support us. Everybody is entitled to their own opinion...

Nevertheless, to further educate people on our situation with the TIM School, we want to encourage you to speak your mind (in a professional and courteous manner - we don't want this to turn nasty!) by commenting on articles in the newspapers or by finding other outlets that will let you share your thoughts and feelings about TIM with the world. And if you really don't feel comfortable doing that using your real name, then you can always choose to identify yourself as "Proud UH TIM Student" or "a TIM student/grad/alum/supporter" etc. You get the idea :o)

Mahalo for your continued support! As always, we will keep you posted on the latest developments! And those of you who have not signed the petition yet, but would like to: SEND AN EMAIL TO utag@hawaii.edu saying that you SUPPORT THE PETITION and SIGN WITH YOUR FULL NAME. If you would like to see the petition text again or if you have any other questions feel free to email me (utag@hawaii.edu) or send me a message.

- Konrad & Uta

Sept 8 2009 8:57pm

Dear Fellow UH TIM Alumni & Friends:

I am writing to ask you to support the "Save the UH TIM School Student Initiative", please refer to the details behind my signature.

The students are taking the lead, asking UH TIM Alumni and Friends for help.

I (we) are asking for your help.

Johnson W. K. Choi, MBA, RFC
UH TIM 1977, UH TIM Distinguish Alumni 1999, Past President/Director UH TIM Alumni
http://www.uhtimalumni.org 
2008 SBA Minority Small Business Champion of the Year - National Winner
http://www.hkchcc.org/sba.htm
President - Hong Kong.China.Hawaii Chamber of Commerce
http://www.hkchcc.org
Vice Chairman - Hawaii Pacific Export Council
http://www.hkchcc.org/hawaiipacificdec.htm
International Businesses: http://www.johnsonchoi.com/contactus.htm


 
Sept 8 2009 7:00pm

Aloha Mr. Choi, Aloha TIM alumni ~

We are writing to you today to give you a brief update on the latest developments regarding the UH Manoa's suggested merger between the TIM School and the Shidler College of Business.

Today, the Chancellor released an update on the preliminary recommendations of UH's Prioritization Committee (download document from http://www.b2bchinadirect.com/preliminaryrecommuhpriorcommittee.pdf). In this update (under the heading "Meeting UH Manoa's goals" Part A, point 8), the committee recommends that smaller academic units merge with larger units, specifically mentioning the reconsolidation of the TIM School with the business school.

As students of the TIM School, we do not want this merger to become a reality so over the summer we started our Save the TIM School initiative. We started a group on Facebook (Save the TIM School at UHM) which to date has over 260 members. http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=112520630799. We asked current and former students to write letters-of-concern addressed to the
Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw http://www.hawaii.edu/admin/chancellors/manoa.html vhinshaw@hawaii.edu, the UH President M.R.C. Greenwood http://www.hawaii.edu/admin/executives/president.html mrcgreenwood@hawaii.edu and the UH Board of Regents http://www.hawaii.edu/admin/regents/index.php, but as you can imagine, it was quite difficult to motivate students to write these letters during summer break. Nevertheless we managed to gather about 10-12 letters. We also want to thank TIMI for supporting our cause by writing a letter to the Chancellor as well.

Now with school back in session we launched Round 2: we drafted up a petition which has circulated around the TIM School since last week Friday. We are proud to say that about 170 people have signed so far and we are only at the beginning...

In the attachment you will find a copy of the petition which we would also like to circulate among TIM alumni and industry professionals who support us students in fighting this merger. May we therefore ask you to help us out by passing this petition and the latest updates on to TIM alumni to give them a chance to learn about recent developments and sign our petition? Supporters can simply 'sign' the petition electronically via email. They only need to send an email saying they support the petition and oppose the recommended merger and putting their full name at the end of their email. This has worked great so far for members of our Facebook group that are off-campus/off-island. We will then add their names to the hard copy/the actual petition. For your convenience, e-signature emails can be send to me at utag@hawaii.edu. Also, we adjusted the petition text from our student-version to make it a better fit for the alumni and industry professionals, but please feel free to make additional changes where necessary.

On behalf of the TIM students, Mahalo for all your help and support in this matter! We are confident and hopeful to win this fight and appreciate everyone's support!

Best regards,

Konrad Talon konrad@hawaii.edu & Uta Guenther utag@hawaii.edu
(undergraduate students at the School of Travel Industry Management; Save the TIM School initiative)

(download http://www.b2bchinadirect.com/petition-uhtimalumni&industry.doc)

Please email to jwkc8168@yahoo.com or fax it to 808-524-5738

SAVE THE UH TIM SCHOOL PETITION

We, the undersigned, represent the alumni and travel industry professionals supporting the University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa School of Travel Industry Management (TIM). We strongly oppose the UHM Administration’s suggested merger of the TIM School with the Shidler College of Business.

While the College of Business is a respectable and renowned institution of learning, we highly value and cherish the TIM School and its reputation. Its strengths are due to having its own dean, a dedicated faculty, highly personalized student and advising services, and a well-rounded and diverse curriculum that has prepared students for successful careers in the service industry for almost five decades. In addition, the TIM School is the most efficient unit on the UH Mānoa campus, meaning that revenues from student tuition covers the school’s expenses. We are highly concerned about the adverse consequences a merger will have on the TIM degree programs and curricula, TIM faculty and staff and most importantly the TIM student body such as:

- Loss of accreditation by the Accreditation Commission for Programs in Hospitality Administration (ACPHA)

- Changes in graduation requirements

- Changes in entry/admission requirements for prospective TIM students

- Loss of ease of transferability of students from hospitality, tourism and travel programs in the Community Colleges

- Changing the BS in TIM to a BBA diminishes our marketability for being hired in the visitor industry

- Reduction in student services, especially regarding internship and career placement

- Reduction and undesirable changes in TIM courses/curricula and TIM faculty and staff

If you agree that the TIM School is special and should be left alone, then please print and sign your name below, along with your affiliation to the TIM School.

Affiliation abbreviations (if applicable):

ALUM - TIM Alumni
IP – TIM Internship Partner
SPON – TIM Sponsor
SUPP – TIM Supporter

NAME_______________________________________

ADDRESS_________________________________________________________________ (required for Hawaii State Legislators to verify)

SIGNATURE___________________________________

AFFILIATION____________________________________

TITLE___________________________________________

Contact us:

Corner Bishop and South Beretania Street  

Business Hours: 8:30am - 4:00pm (M - F) Advance Appointment Requested
USA Address: 1188 Bishop Street, Century Square, Suite 3403, Honolulu, Hawaii 96813, USA
Hong Kong SAR Address: 253 Des Voeux Rd #1305, Central, Hong Kong
China Address: 31-35 Yongjia Rd, #520, Shanghai 200030, China
San Francisco USA Phone: (415) 691-6138;
Hawaii USA Phone: (808) 524-5738;
Hong Kong SAR Phone: (852) 8171-3118 & (852) 9239-3999 (mobile)
USA Toll Free Fax: (877) 852-8548
Hawaii USA Fax: (808) 524-8063
emails: jwkc8168@yahoo.com and johnsonwkchoi@mycingular.blackberry.net,  johnsonchoi@johnsonchoi.com or cmcconsultinginc@yahoo.com

 

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