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Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation Grant Supports Scholarships
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meet the faculty and leadership team, and learn about library resources and other components of our university,” says Smith.
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Chaminade President Lynn Babington says that although the degree program is online, students will have close relationships with faculty and students of their cohort. “The faculty will support students and connect them with a network of field experts and opportunities.”
The second and third immersions will continue to offer unique learning opportunities such as standardized patient simulations, suturing, casting and splinting, and project management. “It’s some of the nuts and bolts of what the students are going to see in their clinical environments,” says Smith.
The cohort model, in which small groups of students progress through the program together, creates a supportive peer-learning environment. Each student is also paired with a DNP faculty member who will provide guidance and support through the program until they successfully complete a scholarly project.
“The student can come with a project already in mind, something they'd like to implement in their own workplace, or we will assist them in selecting from a menu of projects needed in our community that are appropriate for their specific track and their specific interests,” says Smith.
She says they want students to do scholarly projects they're interested in. “And they’ll all learn how to truly care for patients and their populations and communities in a way that is meaningful.”
She stresses that the program is very hands-on. “Students are treated as individuals, in terms of what their interests and strengths are, and we will have writing and statistical support for them. It sounds so cliché, but they are not just a number. This is a personalized and intimate university program where we have a lot of collegial support and also opportunities for networking.”
She says the potential applicants she’s been meeting with have so far been unique and very strong candidates.
“In terms of where they've been as nurses so far, they come with strong backgrounds and have much to offer the world. We want to cultivate those strengths and also discover what their deficiencies are, their gaps, so we can fill those for them.”
That’s the purpose of the interview, she says. “We want it to be a good match between the student and our organization. We really do care about each individual and optimizing their pathway.”
A MARIANIST FOUNDATION
Dr. Rhoberta Haley, dean of the School of Nursing and Health Professions, says they will care for the DNP students by offering them all the support they need. “We want the students to be successful, and that takes time, dedication, and a lot of support, which we’ll give them.”
Smith points out one more benefit of the DNP degree—that it opens doors. “That advanced practice degree on your résumé can help even if you don’t change jobs. You’ll have the tools and skills to perform better, to look at things from a different lens, and to be able to problem-solve with more capabilities.
“It's not just a degree,” she says. “It's an opportunity to improve yourself, and therefore improve others.”
CHAMINADE UNIVERSITY OF HONOLULU RECEIVED A $100,000 GRANT FROM THE MAMORU AND AIKO
TAKITANI FOUNDATION FOR STUDENT
SCHOLARSHIPS. THE GRANT WAS
SPLIT TO FUND CHAMINADE’S LEGACY
SCHOLARSHIP AND THE STEM AND
NURSING SCHOLARSHIP FOR THE
2020–2021 SCHOOL YEAR.
The Legacy Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students who demonstrate a commitment to community service and are in financial need. The STEM and Nursing Scholarship is awarded to undergraduate students studying any Bachelor of Science or Nursing degree. Both scholarships are given to full-time undergraduate students who are residents of Hawai'i and demonstrate leadership qualities and innovative skills.
The Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation has provided funding for student scholarships to Chaminade University since 2014. The Foundation was established in 1993 by entrepreneurs Mamoru and Aiko Takitani, founders of Hawaiian Host, to assist the youth of Hawai'i with their goals. Since its establishment, the Foundation has donated $2.3 million in scholarships and provided educational opportunities to students in Hawai'i.
