HB671

PART I

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that the graduate professional access program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa will increase the number of and success of disadvantaged students from low-income communities and from ethnic communities that are underrepresented in the undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs, particularly in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Graduates in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are critical to support the economic health and vitality of the State.

The University of Hawaii at Manoa is the only campus in the State that is classified by the Carnegie Foundation as a doctoral research extensive university. The Manoa campus offers eighty-seven bachelor, eighty-nine master's, and fifty-seven doctoral programs, as well as first degree programs in law and medicine. In 2006-2007, there were 13,082 undergraduates and 6,292 graduate students in graduate and professional degree programs. Students from low-income and disadvantaged and ethnic communities are severely underrepresented among Manoa graduate and professional programs.

Nationally, less than thirty per cent of students with low-income backgrounds complete a bachelor's degree, compared to over ninety per cent completion rate for students from communities in the top income quartile. The percentage of University of Hawaii graduate degrees awarded in 2006 as distributed by ethnicity are: Caucasian, thirty-five per cent; Japanese, eighteen per cent; Chinese, ten per cent; Hawaiian, seven per cent; Korean, four per cent; and Filipino, three per cent. In contrast, the student population of Hawaii's public schools by percentage are: two per cent African American; fourteen per cent Caucasian; twenty-one per cent Filipino; twelve per cent Japanese; twenty-seven per cent Native Hawaiian; and four per cent Pacific Islander. Among the Manoa campus tenured faculty, one per cent is African American; sixty-seven per cent are Caucasian; 1.5 per cent are Filipino; thirteen per cent are Japanese; and two per cent are Hawaiian.

The graduate professional access program will partner with current "pipeline" student support programs in the public schools with low-income families and with a high proportion of underrepresented ethnic minorities, all community colleges in the University of Hawaii system, West Oahu campus, and Hilo campus. The graduate professional access program supports students in various disciplines, particularly science, technology, engineering, mathematics, biomedical and behavioral sciences, heritage language, and cultural studies. The graduate professional access program conducts research, including research on access to higher education, provide on-campus and off-campus research training, internships, campus and community service, and language and cultural enrichment activities. Priority will be given to juniors, seniors, and first year graduate students from disadvantaged low-income, first generation college families, and to ethnic groups underrepresented in graduate programs.

SECTION 2. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $325,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for the graduate professional access program, as follows:

(1) Assistant specialist (2) $125,000

(2) Student services support staff (2) $85,000

(3) Stipends for student employees, interns,

graduate assistants $75,000

(4) Operating expenses

(supplies, equipment, transportation) $40,000

PART II

SECTION 3. The legislature finds that the goals of the University of Hawaii at Manoa health careers opportunity program are to increase the number of students entering health professions programs and to build a diverse health care workforce for Hawaii. The university seeks to accomplish these goals, in part, by providing services and opportunities for disadvantaged students in public high schools and those enrolled in the University of Hawaii in order to increase their awareness of health and allied health professions.

The health careers opportunity program provides educational support opportunities for individuals from disadvantaged backgrounds who have an interest and the potential to pursue careers in the medical and health professions. Native Hawaiian, Filipinos, Samoans, and other ethnic groups underrepresented in the health professions, including medicine, medical technology, social work, speech pathology, audiology, and other allied health fields will be encouraged to participate. The health careers opportunity program offers a broad range of academic, personal support, technology-based services, enrichment activities, and information about health and allied health programs and opportunities. Some of the services provided are academic advising, tutoring, career exploration, personal counseling, financial aid information, study skills enhancement, college preparation of college applications and applications to health professions programs, campus visitations, career shadowing, and other academic and experiential enrichment in the medical and health fields.

The health careers opportunity program builds on the success achieved over five years of federally funded educational services to students at Farrington, Nanakuli, Waianae, and Waipahu high schools, as well as rural schools on Oahu and the neighbor islands. Since 2001, the health careers opportunity program at Manoa has opened the doors to health professions for 328 high school, undergraduate, post-baccalaureate, and social work students from educationally, socially, and economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

The health careers opportunity program has achieved remarkable outcomes since 2001: eighty-six per cent of high school participants matriculated into college, and eighty per cent of college participants who graduated or matriculated into graduate school, or are working in health or allied health professions. In addition, the health careers opportunity program has partnered with other health programs and departments to host more than one thousand high school students enrolled in the department of education's health services pathway program. Unfortunately, federal funding for the health careers opportunity program has been terminated and state general funds are necessary to maintain this successful program.

SECTION 4. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $280,000, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007-2008, and the same sum, or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009, for health careers opportunity program, as follows:

(1) Assistant specialist (2) $125,000

(2) Academic support (1) $45,000

(3) Student assistants, graduate students $60,000

(4) Workshops, residential programs $30,000

(5) Supplies, transportation, equipment $20,000

PART III

SECTION 5. The sums appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2007.

INTRODUCED BY:	_____________________________

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES	H.B. NO.	671
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2007
STATE OF HAWAII