New Course Requirement at Hawaii Pacific University

HPU Course Requirement Hawaii Pacific University is a liberal arts academic institution with a long history that can be traced back to 1965 when it was founded as Hawaii Pacific College. Since its inception as a liberal arts college, Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) has experienced rapid growth and expanded to include various academic programs. Some of the programs that have been included in the university include School of Business Administration and English Foundations Program.

The tremendous growth of the institution is also attributable to innovative undergraduate and graduate programs that are geared towards anticipating the ever-changing community needs (Hawaii Pacific University, p.8). As an international learning community with rich cultural context of Hawaii, Hawaii Pacific University has established a requirement that all students take a course focused on Hawaii and/or the Pacific. This requirement is established in order for the learning institution to develop a global learning community with Hawaii's or Pacific's cultural context.

In this case, this learning institution prepare its students to have a rich cultural context while living, working, and learning as active members of an international society. The requirement for all students to take a course focused on Hawaii and/or the Pacific has generated considerable debates and/or concerns among students, teachers, and other members of the learning institution. As a result, the issue will be under scrutiny in the next general education curriculum committee for Hawaii Pacific University.

As a student representative on the HPU general education curriculum committee, the institution should retain its new requirement that all students should undertake a course centered on Hawaii and/or the Pacific. One of the reasons for retaining this requirement is to help promote a rich cultural context as they experience professional growth and development. Through retaining this requirement, Hawaii Pacific University will be achieving one of its major goals or mission i.e. to create an international community with a rich cultural heritage.

This process will enable students to understand and integrate the significance of a strong cultural context in their daily lives. Secondly, the requirement enables Hawaii Pacific University to ensure that it provides a distinct or unique educational experience as compared to other international learning institutions. Given the recent technological advancements, learning institutions throughout the world have focused on creating an international learning community. As a result, the institutions have developed programs that are centered on preparing students to learn, live, and work as valuable members of an international community.

In light of this trend, learning institutions worldwide are constantly looking for measures to make their undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate programs distinct from those offered by others. For Hawaii Pacific University, retaining this requirement is a crucial element in providing a distinct learning and educational experience that distinguishes it from other academic institutions. Therefore, retaining this requirement enables the university to achieve its goal of remaining distinct among many.