Ka Wai Ola - Office of Hawaiian Affairs, Volume 31, Number 9, 1 September 2014 — Trustees OK $900,000 for Nā Pua Noʻeau [ARTICLE]

Trustees OK $900,000 for Nā Pua Noʻeau

By Harold Nedd Aprogram for more than 2,000 gifted and talented students got another major boost from trustees at the Office of Hawaiian Affairs.

Signaling its ongoing support for Nā Pua No'eau, OHA's Board of Trustees unanimously approved an $896,232 grant for the program, whieh is focused on helping bright Native Hawaiian ehildren reach their highest potential. This latest grant brought to $9. 1 million the total amount of OHA funding received by the program over the past 22 years. In fact, OHA is second only to the federal government in funding the program, whieh received an estimated $23 million from the U.S. Department of Education over the past two decades, according to Nā Pua No'eau. But OHA has been the lifeblood of

the program, funding its operation every year since 1993. Established at the University of Hawai'i-Hilo campus in 1989, the program is focused on increasing educational enrichment opportunities for Hawaiian children statewide in grades

kindergarten through college. "We are humbly ecstatic with the eontinued support from the Office of Hawaiian Affairs," said Kinohi Gomes, director of operations for Nā Pua No'eau. "With this advocacy, we are very excited to not only continue our work but we also look forward to deepening and broadening the capacity of learning opportunities for our Native Hawaiian youth throughout Kō Hawai'i Pae 'Āina (the state of Hawai'i) through community and university collaboration," Gomes said. "We also mahalo all of our 'ohana (family), haumana (students) and partners for their endless support, dedication and aloha to Nā Pua No'eau." ■

Nā Pua No'eau University of Hawai'i Native Hawaiian (NH) Enrollment

• Nā Pua No'eau college enrollment continues to be steady and make up 9% of the Native Hawaiian students enrolled at the University of Hawa i'i despite a decrease in the Native Hawaiian general enrollment at UH-Mānoa, UH-Hilo, Hawai'i CC, Honolulu, Kapi'olani, Kaua'i and Maui CC campuses. * 18% of all Native Hawaiian students enrolled at UH-Hilo are former Nā Pua No'eau students. • 14% of all Native Hawaiian students enrolled al Kaua'i Community College are former Nā Pua No'eau students. * 12% of all Native Hawaiian students enrolled at Maui Community College are former Nā Pua No'eau students. * 17% of all Native Hawaiian students enrolled at Hawai'i Community College are former Nā Pua No'eau students. • Hawai'i Community College has seen an increase in NPN student enrollment from Fall 2012 to Fall 2013 even though the overall Native Hawaiian enrollment at HCC has seen a decrease of 172 NH students. The same trend has occurred at Leeward CC and Kapi'olani CC. Source: Hā Pua Ho'eau

CAMPUS ENROLLMENT NH ENROLLMENT NH% NPN NPN% Manoa 20,006 2,979 15% 239 8% Hilo 4,043 1,026 25% 187 18% West O'ahu 2,361 634 27% 31 5% Hawaii CO 3,406 1,472 43% 243 17% Honolulu CO 4,368 1,173 27% 73 6% Kapi'olani CO 8,376 1,550 19% 119 8% Kaua'i CO 1,530 487 32% 66 14% Leeward CO 7,976 2, 190 27% 94 4% Maui College 4,076 1,337 33% 157 12% Windward CC 2,799 1,224 44% 43 4%