Hawaii Pacific University

HPU was founded in 1965 as Hawai ʻ i Pacific College by Paul C.T. Loo, Eureka Forbes, Elizabeth W. Kellerman, and Reverend Edmond Walker. Wanting a private liberal arts college in Honolulu , the four applied for a charter of incorporation for a not-for-profit corporation to be called Hawai ʻ i Pacific College. The state of Hawai ʻ i granted a charter of incorporation to Hawai ʻ i Pacific on September 17, 1965. [ 3 ] In September 1966, Honolulu Christian College established in 1949 merged into Hawai ʻ i Pacific College, and a new charter was granted by the state of Hawai ʻ i. In 1967, James L. Meader became Hawai ʻ i Pacific College's first president. Meader, in consultation with community leaders, developed a comprehensive educational program. When Meader retired in 1968, the board of trustees elected George A. Warmer as Hawai ʻ i Pacific's second president. During Warmer's tenure, the college implemented academic programs in the liberal arts and cooperative education. In 1972, Hawai ʻ i Pacific College graduated seven students in its first commencement class and in the same year established a School of Business Administration. Chatt G. Wright became the founding dean of Hawai ʻ i Pacific's new School of Business Administration. The following year, the college received full accreditation from the Western Association of Schools and Colleges . The following years saw the creation of the English Foundations Program, offering instruction to non-native speakers of English, and the Division of Special Programs, administering off-campus instruction on various military installations on O ʻ ahu. Warmer retired in 1976 and Chatt G. Wright became Hawai ʻ i Pacific's third president. During his time in office, Hawai ʻ i Pacific continued to expand and develop through the 1980s. Hawai ʻ i Pacific launched a Master of Business Administration program in 1986, a Master of Science in Information Systems program in 1989, and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management in 1991.

Hawai ʻ i Pacific became Hawai ʻ i Pacific University (HPU) in 1990. Two years later, Hawai ʻ i Loa College, a small, independent, liberal arts college on the windward side of O ʻ ahu, merged into Hawai ʻ i Pacific University. In 2004, the HPU International Vocal Ensemble made their Carnegie Hall debut where they performed Morten Lauridsen 's Lux Aeterna and O Magnum Mysterium. In 2011, president Chatt G. Wright retired and Geoffrey Bannister became HPU's fourth president. In January 2013, the Aloha Tower Development Corporation (ATDC) consented to the university's ownership and management of the Aloha Tower Marketplace . The approvals passed by ATDC were essential to Hawai ʻ i Pacific's plan to move forward in redeveloping the marketplace into a mixed-use property featuring outstanding student housing, retail and dining businesses, and community gathering spaces. HPU completed a merger to bring Oceanic Institute formally into the university in January 2014. Later that year, HPU held a ceremonial groundbreaking and traditional Hawaiian blessing at Aloha Tower Marketplace, marking the official start of revitalizing this iconic waterfront destination. The $50 million Aloha Tower Marketplace revitalization project was completed in August 2015, opening to students and the community. Aloha Tower Marketplace serves as an anchor for the university's core downtown Honolulu campus, including a center for higher education and university housing integrated within a community gathering and retail space. In 2016, John Yukio Gotanda took office as Hawai ʻ i Pacific University's fifth president. [ 4 ]

Aloha Tower Marketplace is home to HPU's main campus. Aloha Tower Marketplace and Downtown Honolulu Campus Model Progress building, Honolulu Campus HPU's Aloha Tower Marketplace serves as an anchor for HPU in the downtown area. Aloha Tower Marketplace is a mixed-use facility that includes student housing, HPU's Welcome Center, Learning Commons, Lounge, Student Café, ESports Arena, and a variety of restaurants, businesses, classrooms, and meeting rooms for university and community use. HPU's athletic department is centrally located in Honolulu's business district, and it is a few blocks' walk to the state capitol. HPU's College of Business, which is headquartered in Pioneer Plaza, includes computer based classrooms along with meeting spaces. In 2016, HPU opened its downtown INBRE (IDeA Networks of Biomedical Research Excellence) research labs, providing students with biomedical instrumentation and laboratory facilities. Former Hawaii Loa College main building Hawaii Loa Campus In summer 2024, HPU closed the Hawaii Loa campus, commonly referred to as HLC. The former campus is located eight miles away from the downtown campus, near Castle Junction in Kāne ʻ ohe , on the windward side of the Ko ʻ olau Range . HLC was originally built by Hawai ʻ i Loa College , a liberal arts school that was merged into Hawai ʻ i Pacific University in 1992. This campus housed the natural sciences, nursing, public health, and social work programs. The name "Hawaii Loa" refers to the Polynesian navigator, Hawai ʻ iloa , who is credited in folklore with the discovery of the islands. [ 5 ] In 2017, HPU sold the property to Castle Medical Center, but continued to lease the space until 2024. [ 6 ] [ 7 ]

The Oceanic Institute (OI) of HPU is a research facility focused on the advancement of sustainable aquaculture technologies. OI of HPU is located on a 56-acre site at Makapu ʻ u Point on the windward coast of O ʻ ahu. OI conducts research, education, and training that focuses on marine aquaculture, aquatic feeds and nutrition, and coastal resource management. In 2013, OI of HPU commissioned a teaching laboratory to complement classroom and conference space at OI of HPU's Ocean Learning Center (OLC). The OLC annex supports biotechnology research and education with two research labs, a teaching lab, and a distance learning center