SB3168 HD2 PROPOSED

SECTION 1. The legislature finds that in 2007, emerging creative media programs at the University of Hawaii academy for creative media, Waianae high school, and a broad range of multidisciplinary programs like Project EAST on the neighbor islands have achieved a specific level of achievement to evaluate their performance in the context of what a globally-integrated economy requires.

As pointed out by New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman in an op-ed commentary endorsing the National Center on Education and the Economy's report: "We need to radically overhaul ... an education system designed in the 1900's for people to do 'routine work' and refocus it on producing people who can imagine things that have never been available before, who can create ingenious marketing and sales campaigns, write books, build furniture, make movies and design software that will capture people's imaginations and become indispensable for millions" (December 13, 2006, New York Times).

Just as Waianae Searider Productions demonstrated the transformational power of multi-media literacy to engage at-risk students and Project EAST students have distinguished themselves in national competitions with their homegrown science-technology and multimedia skills, Hawaii has the opportunity to establish itself as a true "crossroads of the Pacific" in the field of creative media.

The legislature further finds that since being approved by the University of Hawaii board of regents four years ago, the academy for creative media program is the fastest-growing new program at the University of Hawaii. For spring 2007, 176 enrolled students, including 60 majors, filled 275 seats in 20 of the 32 new courses in film production, screenwriting, indigenous filmmaking, computer animation, critical studies, and video game design.

More than 350 original short films and video games have been written, directed, and produced by students that reflect their unique diversity and backgrounds. Over 48 student films were screened at film festivals from Atlanta to Shanghai, including the Hawaii International Film Festival 2004-2006. Students are also offered internship opportunities with major motion picture productions (Superman Returns) and television shows (LOST and local morning news shows), and have opportunities to showcase their work on local television, such as commercials for Toyota/Scion of Hawaii, which were entirely produced by students.

Since its inception, the academy for creative media program has been responsible for raising and funding all of its own operating expenses outside of faculty salaries and basic office overhead. This situation has meant providing all of the funding for hardware, software, computers, cameras, sound equipment, editing equipment, etc. In its first three years, the academy for creative media program raised over $1,481,000 to support the students and the program.

The program also received gifts from generous donors and supporters to build and install the school's animation render farm, a bank of over 50 computers that efficiently converts, assigns, and monitors animation projects. The system is available for all campuses on all islands via the Internet and is currently being used by the Manoa, Leeward, and Kapiolani campuses, as well as Waianae Searider Productions. Additional funds were also raised from the Kellogg Foundation to quadruple the capacity of the animation render farm project to provide system-wide animation computing power, via the Internet, to digital media programs on all of the University of Hawaii campuses and Hawaii public schools at all levels. Furthermore, a $500,000 federal grant was received for the school to produce an original documentary on statehood, which is currently in post-production.

In spite of its success, the academy for creative media program is without a central facility or permanent home on any campus and does not receive any funding for programmatic needs other than for faculty salaries. Yet it contributes significantly to economic development in the state and a first-rate University of Hawaii system.

For these reasons, the legislature finds that the establishment of an academy for creative media program within the University of Hawaii is an issue of statewide concern. It is an integral component of the State's development of a creative media industry in Hawaii, and as such, the siting of the academy for creative media program is the cornerstone of the State's development of the Kapolei‑west Oahu region as the hub of Hawaii's creative media industry.

In addition to the academy for creative media program, the legislature finds that a classroom-based innovative curriculum through creative exploration provides a way to capture the interest of, and help, Hawaii's students develop new approaches to problem solving, while developing the skills necessary to compete in the twenty-first century global marketplace through the integration of new media arts and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content and processes.

The creativity academies seek to integrate the teaching, learning and use of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and new media arts-related skills throughout Hawaii's educational system by:

(1) Locally developing a turnkey creativity academies curriculum that is responsive to the educational and workforce development needs of Hawaii;

(2) Pilot-testing this turnkey curriculum for the University of Hawaii, community colleges, and the department of education systems at Kapiolani community college and a neighbor island community college involving area high school students in the first year of the program;

(3) Developing and pilot-testing "teacher training program activities";

(4) Establishing an after-school program for middle school students in animation, game development, and creative publishing; and

(5) Establishing an after-school program for at-risk youth in animation, game development, and creative publishing.

The creativity academies will build on the best and promising practices of other similar innovative programs. For example, since 2002, the California Institute of the Arts "ArtsCOOL" program, developed in partnership with the Los Angeles unified school district arts education branch, has engaged students blending arts and sciences with great success. The program offers 30 weeks of courses in digital media, animation, and visual arts to 20 participating high schools in the Los Angeles unified school district. In addition, two pilot after-school programs in creativity, created by Ulua Media, LLC, were conducted at Iolani School and Niu Valley middle schools. These programs maintained a consistently high level of enrollment. Finally, the academy concept used by Kapiolani community college for the past two years in its summer science, technology, engineering, and mathematics program, bringing high school juniors and seniors to its campus, and involving them in creative, contextual learning in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and new media arts-related projects, has been shown to be highly successful in recruiting students into science, technology, engineering, and mathematics-related college majors.

The legislature further finds that the administration and lawmakers have recognized the need for the integration of creative cognitive, affective, and psychomotor processes in the classroom by supporting the establishment of programs such as Project East, the establishment of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics programs statewide, and the academy model of Hawaii excellence through science and technology. These programs provide a framework to integrate new skill set development in the areas of creativity and innovation—both critical components to advanced problem solving, collaboration, and creative solutions to the challenges that face future generations.

To engage, ignite, and sustain the interest of students in the core skills needed to gain the basic knowledge and skills necessary for the twenty-first century workforce, the creativity academies will infuse science, technology, engineering, and mathematics course curricula with animation, game development, digital media, and creative publishing projects, blending art and science into a comprehensive lesson plan.

In line with the department of education's core curriculum standards, the creativity academies will offer middle and high school students statewide an opportunity to expand their science, technology, engineering, and mathematics education.

The creativity academies fill the gap in arts and sciences education by introducing a program that meets the department of education's high school standards in an effort to move more students into and through the community college and four-year university system. As a logical progression to the effective "arts first" program in kindergarten through age six that provides an arts education tool kit for teachers, the creativity academies will introduce students ages seven through 16 to the relationship between arts and the sciences through a contextual approach. Participating high schools, as well as students in after-school programs, including a component for at-risk youth, will receive hands-on training through project-based learning in the arts and sciences that will:

(1) Foster creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship;

(2) Develop skill sets for creative problem solving at all stages of education;

(3) Support department of education's framework to graduate students in the areas of math and science;

(4) Offer a contextual approach to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics learning through creative engagement;

(5) Provide an integrated program from kindergarten through age 16 to job market;

(6) Provide articulated curriculum in creative media and arts within University of Hawaii community colleges and the University of Hawaii system and with the department of education; and

(7) Create science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and creativity programs for under-represented students.

The creativity academies will develop and implement the framework and course study for the system-wide program using in-class and web-based programs. As with the Hawaii excellence through science and technology academy, school participation will be voluntary. The pilot program for high school students will be spearheaded by the University of Hawaii, Kapiolani community college's science, technology, engineering, and mathematics program and new media arts and the department of education, and supported by local industry experts in education, new media, science, and engineering. The curriculum will expand on the existing Hawaii excellence through science and technology structure and include an integrated, project-based learning environment providing:

(1) Courses in animation, game development, creative publishing or science, technology, engineering, and mathematics disciplines for 100 high school students per participating community college (juniors or seniors);

(2) A turnkey pilot digital animation media arts program developed in Hawaii, using courses such as the existing art 112 course, "introduction to digital art", and grounded in the standards based curriculum methodology;

(3) A "train-the-teachers" summer boot-camp program to educate high school teachers in digital media integration with science, technology, engineering, and mathematics curriculum; and

(4) Courses in animation, game development, and creative publishing for 300 middle school students in an after-school program.

Within the first year, the program will train high school and middle school teachers in the creative disciplines, provide in-classroom support via Kapiolani community college's new media arts, and University of Hawaii's academy for creative media students interested in the creativity academies to team-teach animation, game design, and digital media with industry professionals in feeder high schools and after-school middle school enrichment programs. This activity will provide a workforce development component for graduates and students in these programs. By 2009-2010, high school and college students in the program will have employment opportunities at the digital media production center incubator, as well as mentorship opportunities with animation and game development companies as a result of the partnerships developed in the implementation of the overall creativity academies. The creativity academies are conceived to develop a new avenue to facilitate and increase the number of transfers into the University of Hawaii community colleges and the University of Hawaii systems, thereby meeting the department of education's goal of increasing the number of students graduating from high school and entering into university study in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics core disciplines. The creativity academies will also provide improved preparation for high school students to increase their success in college, in addition to spurring innovation-based economic diversification opportunities for the students and residents of the State of Hawaii.

The purpose of this Act is to:

(1) Statutorily establish the academy for creative media program at the University of Hawaii;

(2) Amend Act 11, Special Session of 2007, to delete provisions relating to leasing the Public Broadcasting System Hawaii facility and clarify the purpose of the appropriations contained in the Act; and

(3) Statutorily establish and appropriate funds for the creativity academies program under the department of business, economic development, and tourism.

SECTION 3. Chapter 201, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§201- Creativity academies program; established. There is established within the department of business, economic development, and tourism, the creativity academies program to develop and implement a classroom-based innovative curriculum that, through creative exploration, provides a way to capture the interest of, and help, Hawaii's students develop new approaches to problem solving, while developing the skills necessary to compete in the twenty-first century global marketplace through the integration of new media arts and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics content and processes."

SECTION 3. Chapter 304A, Hawaii Revised Statutes, is amended by adding a new section to part IV, subpart M, to be appropriately designated and to read as follows:

"§304A- Academy for creative media program; established. (a) There is established within the University of Hawaii the academy for creative media program, which shall be a system‑wide, statewide program administered by the University of Hawaii.

(b) The academy for creative media program shall articulate its courses and coordinate its offerings at University of Hawaii campuses statewide and shall encourage and support mentor opportunities at all school levels throughout the state."

SECTION 4. Act 11, Special Session Laws of Hawaii 2007, is amended by amending part II to read as follows:

"PART II

SECTION 2. Since being approved by the University of Hawaii board of regents [~~three~~] four years ago, the academy for creative media program at the University of Hawaii at Manoa is the fastest growing new program at the University of Hawaii. [For spring 2007, with one hundred seventy-six enrolled students (including sixty majors) who fill two hundred seventy-five seats in twenty of the thirty-two new courses in film production, screenwriting, indigenous filmmaking, computer animation, critical studies, and video game design. More than three hundred fifty original short films and video games have been written, directed, and produced by students that reflect their unique diversity and backgrounds. Over forty-eight student films were screened at film festivals from Atlanta to Shanghai, including the Hawaii International Film Festival 2004-2006. Students are offered internship opportunities with major motion picture productions (Superman Returns) and television shows (LOST and local morning news shows), and have opportunities to showcase their work on local television, such as commercials for Toyota/Scion of Hawaii, which were entirely produced by students.

Since its inception, the academy for creative media has been responsible for raising and funding all of its own operating expenses outside of faculty salaries and basic office overhead. This has meant providing all of the funding for hardware, software, computers, cameras, sound equipment, editing equipment, etc. Overall, the academy for creative media has raised over $1,481,000 to support the students and program.

The school recently received a total of $200,000 that was privately raised or gifts from generous donors and supporters to build and install the school's animation render farm, a bank of over fifty computers that efficiently converts, assigns, and monitors animation projects. The system is available for all campuses on all islands via the Internet, and is currently being used by the Manoa, Leeward, and Kapiolani campuses, as well as Waianae Seariders Production. An additional $146,500 has been raised from the Kellogg Foundation, to quadruple the capacity of the animation render farm project to provide system-wide animation computing power, via the Internet, to digital media programs on all of the University of Hawaii campuses and Hawaii public schools at all levels. Furthermore, a $500,000 federal grant was received for the school to produce an original documentary on statehood, which is currently in post-production.]

The purpose of this part is to[:

~~(1)~~ Authorize the academy for creative media to designate the existing public broadcasting system (PBS Hawaii) facility and studio located on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus as an interim home; and

~~(2)~~ ~~Appropriate~~] appropriate funds for the [~~purposes of this part.~~] academy for creative media program.

SECTION 3. [(a) The existing public broadcasting facility and studio located on the University of Hawaii at Manoa campus shall be leased to PBS Hawaii for a term of not less than thirty-five years. The lease agreement shall include the following:

~~(1)~~ ~~PBS Hawaii shall be responsible for renovation and construction of any additional space to the existing facility located at 2350 Dole street;~~

~~(2)~~ PBS Hawaii shall provide an interim home for the academy for creative media in space equal to forty per cent of the net usable square footage of the facility, including any newly constructed space; provided that the academy for creative media shall occupy an exclusive space with no common areas with PBS Hawaii and shall be the only subtenant at the facility;

~~(3)~~ PBS Hawaii shall be responsible for the annual maintenance and operating costs of the building and shall continue to pay for the costs attributed to the academy for creative media based on current allocations of cost to square footage;

~~(4)~~ The University of Hawaii shall expend at least $4,870,000, as appropriated in section 3 of this Act, for equipment and installation suitable for the academy for creative media programs, costs associated with handicapped compliance, and common area spaces; and

~~(5)~~ ~~A written memorandum of understanding of the above conditions shall be executed between the University of Hawaii at Manoa and PBS Hawaii in 2007.~~

(b) PBS Hawaii shall share the long-term use of the building without cost, apart from the costs under subsection (a)(1), (2), and (3); provided that if PBS Hawaii is no longer a public broadcasting system affiliate in good standing, or is no longer licensed by the Federal Communications Commission as either a community or university licensee, the facility shall be returned to the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

~~SECTION 4.~~] There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of [~~$2,870,000~~] $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2007‑2008 and [~~$2,000,000~~] $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the [~~equipment and installation suitable for the~~] academy for creative media [~~programs, costs associated with handicapped compliance, and common area spaces of the PBS Hawaii facility and studio.~~] program.

The appropriation made for the [~~equipment and installation for the~~] academy for creative media [~~programs~~] program authorized by this part shall not lapse at the end of the fiscal year for which the appropriation is made; provided that all moneys from the appropriation unencumbered as of June 30, 2009, shall lapse as of that date.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the University of Hawaii for the purposes of this part[.]; provided that funds shall be expended to expand programs and facilities of the academy for creative media program at a system‑wide, statewide level administered by the University of Hawaii pursuant to section 304A‑ , Hawaii Revised Statutes; provided further that the expansion of programs and facilities of the academy for creative media program shall be directed to the University of Hawaii – west Oahu campus."

SECTION 5. There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $ or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2008-2009 for the creativity academies program, including equipping, training, hiring of instructors, and marketing for a creative or production center incubator, and for the development of turnkey digital media program that can be replicated for use in the University of Hawaii community colleges.

The sum appropriated shall be expended by the department of business, economic development, and tourism for the purposes of this Act.

SECTION 6. Statutory material to be repealed is bracketed and stricken. New statutory material is underscored.

SECTION 7. This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2025.

THE SENATE	S.B. NO.	3168
TWENTY-FOURTH LEGISLATURE, 2008		S.D. 2
STATE OF HAWAII		H.D. 2
		PROPOSED