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 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.

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 RCUH Financial Portal will be down for system maintenance on Tuesday, October 1, 2019 from 9:00 p.m. to 11:00 p.m.

We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause and thank you for your understanding.

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].

Obtaining competitive quotations is always a good business practice and under certain circumstances it may be required for an RCUH purchase (refer to Policy 2.103). RCUH has access to SuperQUOTE™, an electronic solicitation solution for obtaining quotations, proposals, information, and competitive sealed bids. Click here for a user guide of features.

If you’d like to learn more about SuperQUOTE™ or need a refresher, CommercePoint is offering training at UH Mānoa’s Financial Management Office Training Room (1406 Lower Campus Road, Building 171, Room 59), from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. on these dates:

• Tuesday, September 24, 2019
• Tuesday, October 15, 2019
• Tuesday, November 19, 2019

The training will cover creating a new request; awarding, canceling, or copying a request; understanding the process flow; writing an effective request; and qualifying vendors. The same content is covered in each class. Classes are limited to 25 seats and you must register to attend.

To sign up for an RCUH Buyer account, click here for instructions.

Questions about the training can be directed to CommercePoint at [email protected].

Questions about the use of SuperQUOTE™ in RCUH procurement may be directed to Erin Yoda, Procurement and Disbursing Manager, at (808) 956-3969 or [email protected].

Project Title	To provide legal services related to obtaining permanent residency status
Selected Consultant	Vaughn G.T. Cook; Torkildson Katz Hetherington Harris & Knorek AAL, ALC)
Contract Amount	$4,500.00 plus costs (federally-mandated employer-paid amounts only)
Date of Award	September 11, 2019
Consultants Considered (ranked candidates only)	Newton J. Chu; Torkildson Katz Hetherington Harris & Knorek AAL, ALC
Appointing Officer	Sylvia Yuen

The Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission will be offering ethics training classes in September and October on O‘ahu and Kaua‘i. The classes will provide an overview of the state ethics laws that apply to all state (including RCUH) employees. Attendance is highly encouraged if you have not previously attended or would like a refresher. If you’re unable to attend on the designated date, another option is to view RCUH’s online course on the Hawai’i State Ethics Code.

Classes are open to all State employees and there is no fee to attend. Be sure to register early because seating is limited. Please see below for training dates and locations:

O‘AHU

Date/Time: September 27, 2019, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Kapi‘olani Community College, Ohia Auditorium 118
To register online: https://ethics.hawaii.gov/2019-09-27honolulu/

Date/Time: October 22, 2019, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: State Capitol Auditorium (415 S Beretania Street)
To register online: https://ethics.hawaii.gov/2019-10-22honolulu/

KAUA‘I

Date/Time: October 4, 2019, 10:00 a.m. – 11:30 a.m.
Location: Kaua‘i Community College, OCET 106 C&D
To register online: https://ethics.hawaii.gov/2019-10-04kauai/

*Please note these trainings are managed and conducted by the Hawai‘i State Ethics Commission. For questions regarding this training, please call (808) 587-0460 or email [email protected].