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HPU Celebrates 74th Commencement Ceremony
The valedictory speakers for Hawai’i Pacific University’s Spring 2010 graduation ceremony (left to right) Kira Virginia Vinke, B.A., representing undergraduate degree programs; Alexis Rivera, B.S.B.A., representing Military Campus Programs; and Earlynne Oshiro, M.B.A., representing graduate degree programs.
Hawai‘i Pacific University conferred associate, baccalaureate and master degrees to nearly 900 graduates in the Spring 2010 class. The 74th commencement ceremony was held on May 19 at the Waikiki Shell where the HPU community, faculty, friends and family all gathered to congratulate the graduating class. HPU’s own Dr. John Fleckles presided as the commencement speaker. Fleckles is a past recipient of the HPU Fellow of the Pacific Award, the University’s highest accolade for outstanding leadership, research, contributions to higher education, and service and dedication to the community. Fleckles retired as HPU’s senior vice president of Academic Affairs in 2008 after 38 years of service. He returned to the University in January 2009 as special assistant to President Chatt Wright. Three valedictory speakers, chosen for exemplary academic performance and community service, also addressed the graduating class. Two speakers were chosen from the CBA: Earlynne Oshiro, Master of Business Administration, represented the graduate degree programs; and Alexis Rivera, Bachelor of Science in Business Administration in Computer Information Systems, spoke on behalf of HPU Military Campus Programs. Representing the undergraduate degree programs was Kira Virginia Vinke, Bachelor of Arts in International Relations.
Faculty Recognition and Honors Dr. Jerome Agrusa, Professor of Travel Industry Management, was selected to train tourism authority officials in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Dr. Agrusa is also the recipient of HPU’s 2010 Excellence in Scholarship, Golden Apple award. Dr. Cheryl Crozier Garcia, Associate Professor of Human Resource Management, was the keynote speaker at the 2010 Benedictine Oblate Renewal Conference at St. John’s University. While at St. John’s, Dr. Crozier Garcia also conducted a leadership training seminar for the St. John’s University student council officers. Dr. Crozier Garcia has also been selected as an item writer for the SHRM Assessment of Learning Outcomes exam, which will be used to assess the achievement of learning outcomes in programs aligned to the SHRM Curriculum Template. Of over 100,000 certified HR professionals in the world, only 55 people were chosen to be item writers. Dr. Susan Fox-Wolfgramm, Professor of Management, presented an abstract titled: “Towards Increasing Business Strategic Management Approach,” at the Oxford Round Table Program in Oxford, England during the week of March 21-26 2010. Dr. Thomas Kohler, Assistant Professor of Marketing, received the Citation of Excellence award for his recent research article, “Avatar-based Innovation: Using Virtual Worlds for Real-world Innovation” published in Technovation (http://dx.doi. org/10.1016/j.technovation.2008.11.004). The article was also selected as one of the 50 best articles published in 2009 in man-
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Hawai‘i Pacific University • College
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agement and has won an Emerald Management Reviews Citation of Excellence. Dr. Kohler’s article was one of 50 best articles that were selected out of over 15,000 articles in over 400 research journals. Dr. Brian Kulik, Assistant Professor of Management, made a presentation at the Pacific Guardian Life Insurance Honolulu office in May 2010. The title of his talk was “Working Smarter: Improving Quality & Productivity in a Competitive Market.” In attendance was staff from Individual Life Administration and Actuarial Departments. Dr. Mark Lane, Associate Professor of Finance, was selected as the incoming Editor of The Journal of Finance Case Research beginning in January, 2011. The Journal of Finance Case Research focuses on real-world cases that can be used in the classroom. Mr. Stephen Phillips, Instructor of Management, has retired after 16 years of instruction at HPU. Phillips has decided to continue his services as a golf instructor for the HPU golf team. Dr. Ken Rossi, Assistant Professor of Information Systems has been recognized by Multimedia Educational Resource for Learning and Online Teaching (MERLOT) for his contributions as a Peer Reviewer last year, and has been invited to join the Business Editorial Board for the 2010-2011 academic year. The MERLOT Business Editorial Board Members are selected based on several criteria: Expertise in the discipline, Excellence in teaching, Experience with technology, and Participation in professional organizations.