Hawaii Pacific University - History

History

Wanting a private liberal arts college in Honolulu, four prominent and public-spirited citizens—Eureka Forbes, Paul C.T. Loo, Elizabeth W. Kellerman, and The Reverend Edmond Walker — applied for a charter of incorporation for a not-for-profit corporation to be called Hawaiʻi Pacific College. The state of Hawaiʻi granted a charter of incorporation to Hawaiʻi Pacific on September 17, 1965.

In September 1966, Honolulu Christian College established in 1949 merged into Hawaiʻi Pacific College, and a new charter was granted by the state of Hawaiʻi.

In 1967, James L. Meader became Hawaiʻi Pacific College's first President. President Meader, in consultation with community leaders, developed a comprehensive educational program.

When President Meader retired on June 30, 1968, the Board of Trustees elected the Reverend George A. Warmer as Hawaiʻi Pacific's second President. Under President Warmer's leadership, the College implemented academic programs in the liberal arts and cooperative education.

In 1972, Hawaiʻi 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 Hawaiʻi Pacific's new School of Business Administration.

In 1973, 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 Oʻahu.

President Warmer retired in 1976, and Chatt G. Wright became Hawaiʻi Pacific's third President. Under President Wright's leadership, Hawaiʻi Pacific has seen rapid and continuous expansion. Augmenting its undergraduate program of baccalaureate and associate degrees, Hawaiʻi 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.

Hawaiʻi Pacific continued to expand and develop throughout the 1980s, and in 1990 became Hawaiʻi Pacific University (HPU).

In 1992, Hawaiʻi Loa College, a small, independent, liberal arts college located on the windward side of Oʻahu, merged into Hawaiʻi Pacific University. Although this campus is commonly referred to as the Windward campus, the proper nomenclature agreed upon from the merge of the two universities is Hawai'i Loa Campus.

In 2003, the HPU Cheer and Dance Program won a Division II (Non-NCAA) National Championship Title. Since then, the Sea Warrior Spirit Program has become one of the most dominant forces in collegiate cheerleading. They have acquired over 25 (Non-NCAA) national titles in the last seven years and continue to be a strategic ambassador for HPU in the continental United States and around the world.

In 2004, the HPU International Vocal Ensemble made their Carnegie Hall debut where they performed Morten Lauriden’s Lux Aeterna and O Magnum Mysterium.

In 2011, President Chatt G. Wright retired and Geoffrey Bannister, Ph.D., became HPU's fourth President. Born in the UK and raised in New Zealand, Bannister received his Ph.D. in Geography from the University of Toronto (Canada) and previously served as President of Butler University in Indiana.