On June 15, 1955, nine regents of the University of Hawai‘i, led by Chairman Philip E. Spalding, incorporated the University of Hawai‘i Foundation. In recognition of our 60th anniversary, we revisited a few of our historical highlights in this video.
Highlights from our 60 year history include:
- Jan. 21, 1960, saw the groundbreaking of Orvis Auditorium, the first campus facility built with private money.
- The President’s Club was formed in 1975 to encourage support for UH from alumni, friends and community leaders. Under the leadership of UH Foundation President Man Kwong Au, the club was formed with 13 members, including Walter Dods, Jr., Keiji Kawakami and Fujio Matsuda. Today there are 1,269 members.
- In 1976, the first endowed scholarship was created. Today UHF manages more than 1,500 scholarship accounts. Last year, we distributed $11+ million in student aid at all ten UH campuses.
- In 1983 UHF organized phonathons to encourage support for university programs. Our student callers now raise $1.2 million a year to support UH.
- The Centennial Campaign surpassed its $250 million goal in 2009. More than 90,000 donors contributed $282 million. With bequest intentions of $54 million, the campaign raised $336 million, making it the largest campaign in Hawai‘i at that time.
- On Oct. 20, 2014, we celebrated UH’s first $100 million donor when Jay H. Shidler announced his visionary commitment to the Shidler College of Business.
Thanks to generous donors, private support is making a big difference in the lives of UH students statewide, fueling innovative research, enhancing programs for our communities, and building excellence at Hawai‘i’s only public university.
Mahalo!
