Eric Wong, attorney; Virginia Hinshaw, Chancellor, UH Manoa; Dr. James Brandon, friend & colleague of Dr. Timothy Manley; Nancy Manley; Dr. Edward Silver, physician; Donna Vuchinich, President & CEO, UH Foundation and Arnold Morgado, financial advisor. (Photo courtesy of University of Hawaii Foundation)

To ensure Hawaii high school students have the opportunity to attend college, Nancy C. Manley pledged $200,000 to establish the Timothy M. and Nancy C. Manley Chancellor’s Achievement Endowed Scholarship.

In the 1940s, Nancy wanted to go to college but did not have the financial means. It was a difficult and painful experience for Nancy, one that she could never forget. For that reason, and to honor her brilliant and beloved husband, she wants to help extremely bright and motivated students who need assistance and will benefit from this scholarship.

The purpose of this fund is to recruit high-achieving Hawaii high school graduates to attend the University of Hawaii at Manoa, supporting them through up to four consecutive years. These funds will go toward tuition, books, fees and other costs associated with the student’s attendance.

Recipients may also be offered an automatic invitation to join the UH Manoa Honors Program, which provides opportunities for talented and motivated undergraduates to excel in their academic studies.

“How wonderful, especially during these tough times, to provide opportunities for Hawaii’s top high school students to pursue their academic dreams here at home. We’re grateful to Nancy Manley for creating a scholarship that helps Hawaii students do just that,” said Virginia Hinshaw, UH Manoa Chancellor.

Nancy and her husband Timothy, who passed away in 2003, led an exciting life together. Nancy was a devoted wife who enjoyed the freedom to travel around the world with Timothy, a loving, brilliant and accomplished man. He was a marine during WWII as a second lieutenant and later worked for the U.S. State Department as a foreign services officer. He obtained his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University, and his Ph.D. from UH Manoa in languages, linguistics and literature. He spoke several languages. Timothy later attended law school at night obtaining his degree from Cleveland Marshall Law School in Cleveland, Ohio.

The Timothy M. and Nancy C. Manley Chancellor’s Achievement Endowed Scholarship is also intended to complement and enhance the UH Manoa Chancellor’s Scholarships, geared to providing financial support for academically accomplished Hawaii students.

“We appreciate Nancy Manley’s generous commitment to UH students. The UH Foundation distributes more than $8 million in scholarships to students across the UH system each year, and we are working to raise even more funds for this purpose to assure Hawaii’s students have the opportunities that they deserve,” said Donna Vuchinich, UHF President & CEO.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa serves approximately 20,000 students pursuing more than 225 different degrees. Coming from every Hawaiian island, every state in the nation, and more than 100 countries, UH Manoa students matriculate in an enriching environment for the global exchange of ideas. For more information, visit manoa.hawaii.edu

The University of Hawaii Foundation, a nonprofit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaii System. Our mission is to unite our donors’ passions with the University of Hawaii’s aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaii and beyond. We do this by raising private philanthropic support, managing private investments and nurturing donor and alumni relationships. www.uhf.hawaii.edu

For more information about UHF scholarships, contact Director of Scholarship Development Malia Peters at 956-6311 or www.uhf.hawaii.edu/scholarships

Irene and Ron Nagata are flanked by Mariko Miho, UH Foundation senior director of development for community colleges (left) and Barbara A. Arthurs, Hawaii Community College dean of Student Services. (Photo courtesy of UH Foundation)

MEDIA RELEASE

Students enrolled in career or technical programs at Hawaii Community College are the beneficiaries of a new scholarship fund. 

Big Island residents Ronald and Irene Nagata recently established the Ronald H. and Irene M. Nagata Endowed Scholarship Fund with a gift of $25,000 to increase access and expand learning opportunities for students.  

Their endowed fund will provide financial assistance for tuition, books, equipment, and/or tools of the trade. 

“I would like to extend a mahalo nui to Ron and Irene for their generosity and aloha,” said Rockne Freitas, Hawaii Community College chancellor. “This gift will help eliminate the financial barriers many of our students face in pursuing a post secondary educational degree or certificate and allow them to take advantage of this window of opportunity we call education.”

Both Ronald and Irene attended the University of Hawaii at Hilo and the University of Hawaii at Manoa before they received their masters’ degrees at Kansas State University.  

After having been away for a time, they took up residency in Hilo where Irene taught at Hawaii Community College (Trade & Industries & Liberal Arts, professor emeritus) and Ronald started an architectural practice.

They raised three children: Robb, a graduate of the University of California at San Diego and University of Hawaii at Manoa John A. Burns School of Medicine, is now an anesthesiologist; Renee, who started her schooling at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and went to Iowa State University Graduate School for Veterinary Medicine, is now a practicing veterinarian; and Rochelle, who started her schooling at the University of Hawaii at Hilo and went on to the University of Idaho Architecture Program and Massachusetts Institute of Technology for graduate school, is now a practicing architect and Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) consultant. 

“Our family is making this gift to say mahalo to our community for the kokua they gave to us when we first moved back home to Hawaii,” Irene said.  

Scholarship criteria include students who are full-time undergraduates with a cumulative grade point average of 3.0 or above. 

Preference will be given to a Big Island high school graduate and financial need is a criterion in making this award, although not necessarily as defined by federal guidelines.

Recipients will be selected by a committee appointed by the Chancellor of Hawaii Community College, and the number and amount of awards shall be determined by the selection committee based on the availability of funds. 

The University of Hawaii Foundation, a non-profit organization, raises private funds to support the University of Hawaii System. Its mission is to unite donors’ passions with the University of Hawaii’s aspirations to benefit the people of Hawaii and beyond. 

— Find out more:

University of Hawaii Foundation: hawaii.edu“>www.uhf. hawaii.edu

MEDIA RELEASE

In the fourth quarter of 2008, the Hawaii Medical Service Association Foundation approved grants for nine health programs and community organizations across the state. 

Among the organizations with Big Island ties are:

* Child and Family Service. The grant supports efforts to provide therapeutic treatment to neurologically impaired children with amplified emotions, self-injury, and communication problems. Parents and foster parents will also receive behavior training for effective and appropriate child interventions. Grant amount – $60,000.

* Hawaii Island Adult Care, Inc. The grant supports Caregiver Connection, a program that provides education and hands-on training for caregivers who work with frail mentally and physically challenged adults, including those with Alzheimer’s disease. Grant amount – $5,000.

* Office for Social Ministry. The grant supports the Mobile Care Health Project. Funds will provide a dental services safety net for low-income, uninsured and QUEST/Medicaid patients on the Big Island. Grant amount – $50,000.

* Organ Donor Center of Hawaii. The grant supports the Donor Registry Program, a statewide effort to register first-time organ and tissue donors through a centralized online database. Grant amount – $10,000.

* Prevent Child Abuse Hawaii. The grant supports a conference for professionals and concerned parents called Strengthening Families Because Children Matter. Featuring local and national speakers, the conference focuses on the prevention of child abuse and neglect. Grant amount – $18,000.

* University of Hawaii Foundation. The grant supports the Hawaii Initiative for Childhood Obesity Research and Education, a program of the Department of Pediatrics at the John A. Burns School of Medicine. Funds will provide leadership in research on Hawaii childhood and adolescent obesity. Grant amount – $419,790 (over three years).

The HMSA Foundation is a nonprofit, tax-exempt private charitable organization. It was founded in Hawaii in 1986 as a public foundation with the goal of stimulating research aimed at some of the pressing issues that confront Hawaii’s health care industry. In 1997, the Foundation was converted to a private foundation to allow for larger contributions from donors, such as HMSA.

The mission of the HMSA Foundation is to extend HMSA’s commitment to provide community access to cost-effective health care services, promote health, provide health education and relevant research, and improve social welfare in Hawaii.

Health plan dues from HMSA members and employer groups are not used to fund Foundation grants. Foundation grants are funded with annual investment income earned on its original endowment. 

— Find out more:

HMSA Foundation: www.hmsafoundation.org