Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 25, Number 7, 1 Iulai 2008 — He aupuni palapala koʻu [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

He aupuni palapala koʻu

Coming home to lead HawaHnuiākea

By ī. Ilihia Giūnsan Publicatinns Editnr Maenette Kape'ahiokalani Padeken Ah Nee-Benham already has quite a rēsumē as a professor of educational administration, educated and later employed by many of Hawai'i's finest institutions, author of six books and nearly 50 articles, and a former Hawai'i Junior Miss. And on Aug. 11, she will add another title to the hefty tome: Dean of the newly created Hawai'inuiākea School of Hawaiian Knowledge at the University of Hawai'i at Mānoa. Hawai'inuiākea is the result of a merger of three separate programs of UH Mānoa: Kamakakūokalani Center for Hawaiian Studies, Kawaihuelani Center for Hawaiian Language, and Ka Papa Lo'i o Kānewai Cultural Garden. The merger was formally

approved by the UH Board of Regents in May 2007. The new dean

firmly believes that knowledge has the power to overcome society's ills. "But knowledge through our eyes, and knowledge that empowers us to make the decisions we need to make. Indigenous knowledge is very different than Western-based knowledge," Benham said. "We need to make decisions based on those core values, and explain how they connect us all so that the decision that we make best serves the interest of our children." Benham was most recently a professor of educational administration at Michigan State University. Previous to that, she worked at the Kamehameha Schools, Chaminade University, Kaiser High School, and several institutions on the U.S. continent. While at Michigan State, she worked extensively with indigenous educational institutions, such as American Indian Tribal Colleges and Universities, the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium, and culturebased and language iimnersion schools in Hawai'i and across the U.S. Benham already has quite a to-do list for Hawai'inuiākea. She plans on organizing a campaign to fund a new hale for the school and equipping it with the technology necessary to share 'ike Hawai'i with Hawaiians living away as well as indigenous peoples worldwide. She hopes to provide Hawai'inuiākea faculty with the opportunity to further their scholarship and engage with other indigenous scholars. And Benham's biggest goal is to ensure that the work faculty and students will be doing is connected to the community. There is a lot of work to be done, but the new dean isn't afraid to face it head on. " 'A'ohe hana nui ka alu 'ia," Benham recalls the 'ōlelo no'eau. "Building a caring culture among eolleagues, in whieh everyone feels responsible and committed to the mission and impact of the school, requires energy, hope, and love," Benham said. "I truly believe that at the very heart of what we all do exists the desire and passion to make a difference." E3

HO'ONA' AUAO ■ EDUCATIDN

Moenette Benham. - Photo: LisaAsato