Given the rapidly evolving COVID-19 situation and to safeguard against the spread of the coronavirus, RCUH is postponing its April 7, 2020 forum. Because of its importance, the topic of Foreign Intrusion into Academic Research and Training will continue to be the focus of the forum when it is rescheduled. Thank you for your understanding of the action we are taking.

When questions regarding travel arise as the COVID-19 situation plays out, Principal Investigators (PIs) with grant-funded or extramurally-funded travel should check with their sponsoring agency program/contracts officer and follow the directives issued by the agency.  PIs should also consult the following for additional information:

• State Department’s Travel Advisories website for guidance about foreign travel;
• the University of Hawai‘i for UH-sponsored travel by employees and students; and/or
• the state agency/private organization to which they belong.

Join us for the 2020 RCUH Annual Forum: Foreign Intrusion into Academic Research & Training. Learn about undue foreign influences and what universities are doing to protect their technology, talent, and intellectual property.  This annual forum is recommended for faculty engaged in research and/or training with foreign colleagues/students.

The Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission will be offering three ethics training classes in March on Hawai‘i Island, O‘ahu, and Kaua‘i. The classes are open to all state employees and online registration is now open. See details below:

HAWAI‘I ISLAND
Date: Tuesday, March 17, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: UH Hilo, UCB 100
Address: 200 W Kawili Street, Hilo, HI 96720
Click here to register

O‘AHU
Date: Tuesday, March 24, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Mission Memorial Auditorium (food/drinks prohibited)
Address: 550 S King Street, Honolulu, HI 96813
Click here to register

KAUA‘I
Date: Wednesday, March 25, 2020
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Pu‘uhonua Kaulike Building, Courthouse Multipurpose Room
Address: 3970 Ka‘ana Street, Lihue, HI 96766
Click here to register

Questions? Please contact the Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission at (808) 587-0460 or [email protected].

If you’re unable to attend these sessions, RCUH also offers the online course “Hawaii State Ethics Code” in the RCUH Training Portal. Click here to register for an account, or click here to sign in.

Yesterday, February 06, 2020, we encountered a system error which affected our check printing and end of business day processing.   The issue has been resolved and the Financial Portal is back in operation.  Online purchasing and payment transactions can now be approved.

We apologize for any inconvenience this has caused and thank you for your understanding.

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Yesterday, February 6, 2020, we encountered a system error in the afternoon and consequently checks could not be printed.   We are working to resolve the issue, and we will post a message when the RCUH Financial Portal is back in operation.  Until the problem is resolved, purchasing and payment transactions cannot be approved at this time.  We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Thank you.

RCUH recently added 17 new courses and updated 13 current courses in the RCUH Training Portal. Click here to view a complete list of courses.

RCUH also updated the Course Library giving learners the ability to search for courses by topic. Courses have been categorized into the following topics:

• *RCUH Courses
• Communication & Social Skills
• Conflict Management
• Customer Service
• Cybersecurity, Privacy, & Social Media
• Decision Making
• Diversity & Inclusion
• Health, Safety, & Well-being
• Leadership & Management
• Motivating Employees
• Office Applications
• Organizational Culture
• Personal Development
• Strategic Planning & Project Management
• Time Management
• Training Employees
• Work Teams

Learners can find these topics by clicking on “Course Library” and clicking on the desired topic in the white sidebar under “Topics” (below the Filters and Languages dropdowns).

If you don’t have access to the RCUH Training Portal, please complete this online form to register for an account. You may also email [email protected] if you have any questions.

Dr. Sylvia Yuen, executive director of the Research Corporation of the University of Hawai‘i (RCUH) since July 2015, will be leaving her position in June 2020. Established by the Hawai‘i State Legislature in 1965 as a public instrumentality, RCUH’s volume of business is more than $260 million annually and it has approximately 2,400 employees. “Sylvia is a visionary leader who has brought about transformational changes to the corporation,” said Donna Ikeda, chairperson of the RCUH Board of Directors. “We were very fortunate to have her at the helm of RCUH and are sorry she is retiring.”

Under Dr. Yuen’s leadership, RCUH enhanced its communications by updating and increasing the platforms used to reach a larger audience. Improvements in the corporation’s IT systems led to new functionalities and services such as ePayments, eSign, electronic personnel action forms, and e-document processing, all of which increased efficiency and productivity. Dr. Yuen also greatly expanded training opportunities for staff, recognizing that such training was an ongoing process needed by employees to competently perform in an ever-changing and increasingly technological society. Since 2016, the number of people participating in RCUH training has increased by more than 200%. Clients rate RCUH highly, with 89% of survey respondents indicating they would recommend its services.

“I’ve been fortunate to work with the people at RCUH who are passionate about supporting and enhancing research, development, and training in Hawai‘i,” said Dr. Yuen. “The journey’s not quite over, but our wise and supportive board and wonderful staff can be proud of our accomplishments and what we’ve achieved together.”

The RCUH Board has begun the recruitment for the corporation’s next executive director.

Yesterday, November 4, 2019, we encountered a system error in the afternoon and consequently checks could not be printed.  We are working to resolve the issue, and we will post a message when the RCUH Financial Portal is back in operation.

Until the problem is resolved, purchasing and payment transactions cannot be approved at this time.  We apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience. Thank you.

Willingness to go above and beyond, powerful in pushing the science agenda, high quality, exemplary work ethic, and exceptional performance—these are a few of the phrases used by principal investigators to describe the work of their high-achieving employees.

RCUH proudly  congratulates the 2019 Outstanding Employees of the Year honored at yesterday’s awards luncheon at Waialae Country Club! (Click on employee’s name to view their video.)

Outstanding Researcher/Project Manager/Professional

1^st Place: Ning Li, Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System, UH School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

2^nd Place: Justin Hite, Kaua‘i Forest Bird Recovery Project, UH Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit

Honorable Mentions

Danielle Hull, UH School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology

Crissy Kawamoto, UH Cancer Center

Kiaina Schubert, Subaru Telescope

Rob Weryk, UH Institute for Astronomy

 

Outstanding Team

1^st Place: UH Animal and Veterinary Services
Diana Blanco, Tereso Dace, Jeff Hall, Bob Post, Ying Zhang

2^nd Place (tie): Academia Sinica Institute of Astronomy & Astrophysics
Geoffrey Bower, Derek Kubo, Susan O’Neal, Peter Oshiro, Philippe Raffin

2^nd Place (tie): East Asian Observatory
Graham Bell, Daniel Bintley, Steven Mairs, Izumi Mizuno, Harriet Parsons

Honorable Mentions

Mauna Kahālāwai Watershed Partnership (Kyle Alreck, John Comcowich, Kainoa Marchello, Marcus Richter, Daniel Tanaka), UH Pacific Cooperative Studies Unit

Pacific Islands Deep Sea Coral and Sponge Initiative (Sarah Bingo, Virginia Moriwake, Meagan Putts), UH Joint Institute for Marine and Atmospheric Research

The UH Manoa Department of Public Safety (DPS) offers the following training for UH and RCUH employees.

Active Shooter Awareness & Response Training*

Participants will learn about various active shooter situations, discuss measures and options that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of victimization, and learn what to expect when DPS and law enforcement arrive on the scene.

LOCATION: Campus Center Dining Room 203E

TIME: 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM

DATES:

• Friday, October 11, 2019
• Wednesday, November 13, 2019
• Monday, December 9, 2019

*To register for the Active Shooter Awareness & Response Training, you must have a UH email address. If you are a RCUH employee and need to request a UH email address, please click here to learn more. To schedule a group training for your project, please email [email protected].

 

Conflict Resolution & De-Escalation Workshop

DPS also offers a workshop on Conflict Resolution and De-Escalation. Participants will learn about precipitating factors and signs of agitation, discuss verbal and non-verbal de-escalation techniques, and learn techniques for what to do when de-escalation isn’t possible. This course is only offered to groups by request with a minimum of eight participants.  To schedule a session for your project, please email [email protected].