Kapiolani Community College

Coordinates: 21°16.177′N 157°48.148′W / 21.269617°N 157.802467°W / 21.269617; -157.802467

Kapiʻolani Community College, formerly Kapiʻolani Technical School, is a public, co-educational commuter college in Honolulu, Hawaiʻi situated on the slopes of Diamond Head in Waikīkī. It is one of ten branches of the University of Hawaiʻi system anchored by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa.

Academics

Kapiʻolani Community College is primarily a vocational school with technical, occupational and professional programs in business education, food service and hospitality education, and nursing. Nationally, Kapiʻolani Community College has been recognized for its programs in health sciences and education for emergency medical services. Locally, KCC is well known for its culinary program. Other students attend Kapiʻolani Community College as a starting point before moving on to the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa to complete a bachelor's degree. Of all the community colleges in the University of Hawaiʻi System, KCC has the largest liberal arts student body with over 4,500 students enrolled annually. The campus also attracts students from Asia such as Japan, Hong Kong and Korea because of its proximity to the Mānoa campus as well as Waikiki. It is also a leading community college campus in Hawaii for business education programs such as information technology, accounting and marketing.

Establishment

Originally located at Pensacola Street and Kapiʻolani Boulevard (from which the school gets its name), adjacent to President William McKinley High School in the Makiki community, Kapiʻolani Community College was established in 1946 as Kapiʻolani Technical College. The school was administered by the Territory of Hawaiʻi as one of its chief vocational schools, specializing in food service. In 1965, its curricula was modified and became an open-door public college administered by the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. As part of the realignment of programs, the school adopted its current name.

Expansion

Kapiʻolani Community College experienced rapid growth in the 1970s and in need of new, larger facilities. In 1974, the Board of Regents acquired a 52 acre (210,000 m²) parcel of land on the slopes of Diamond Head in Waikīkī, formerly owned by the United States Army. Kapiʻolani Community College opened its second campus at Fort Ruger, the only college in the University of Hawaiʻi system to have two campuses of its own. The Board of Regents then agreed to move with a complete transfer of programs to the Fort Ruger campus and close the Makiki campus. Kapiʻolani Community College finally completed the transfer in the late 1980s.

National acclaim

Kapiʻolani Community College gained national attention in 1976 when radiology instructors Roland Clements and Harry Nakayama developed a new hip x-ray technique. In 1986, Kapiʻolani Community College's respiratory care program won a national award as an outstanding vocational education program. Also in the late 1980s, Gallaudet University Regional Center opened at the Fort Ruger campus.

Recent developments

Kapiʻolani Community College is currently in the process of establishing the Culinary Institute of the Pacific, already challenging other notable culinary schools in the world to provide quality talent. Among the alumni of this program are Alan Wong, Sam Choy, and Wayne Hirabayashi, cofounders of Hawaii Regional Cuisine. Other notable alumni are Alan Tsuchiyama of Sheraton Waikīkī.

The school is working on expanding the curriculum to include such classes as culinology and perhaps a Bachelor's in Applied Sciences.

Points of interest

Campus art includes:

• Spirit Way, bronze sculpture by Sean K. L. Browne, 1987
• Pohaku O Leahi, ceramic sculpture with water feature by Lucille B. Cooper, 1994
• Hawaii, Hawaii, faceted glass mural by Erica Karawina, 1988
• Mai Ka Mea Hana Ka ʻIke (From Tools, Comes Knowledge), basalt sculpture by Mark Watson, 1988
• Sol III, fiberglass and steel sculpture by Mamoru Sato, 1973

Also of interest:

• Kapiʻolani Community College Cactus Garden

Resources

• Kapiʻolani Community College