Hawaii-2010-SCR103-Amended

WHEREAS, Honolulu Community College is a member of the American Association of Community Colleges and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges and has been continuously and fully accredited since 1970 by the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges; and

WHEREAS, the main campus of Honolulu Community College, a short distance from the heart of downtown Honolulu, occupies over twenty acres on Dillingham Boulevard in the Kalihi-Palama area, and the College also has facilities near Honolulu International Airport for the Aeronautics Maintenance and Commercial Aviation programs, automotive and heavy equipment shops on Kokea Street, and the Marine Education and Training Center on Sand Island; and

WHEREAS, Department of Education Learning Centers are designed to provide public school students and their parents with greater academic choice by creating distinctive, specialized, and excellent programs within public education; and

WHEREAS, each Learning Center, typically established within an existing Department of Education school, is organized around a single theme or focus area; and

WHEREAS, Campbell, Leilehua, and Waialua High Schools on Oahu; Lahainaluna High School on Maui; and Waiakea High School on the island of Hawaii are currently designated as Vocational/Technical Education Learning Centers in the State of Hawaii; and

WHEREAS, Honolulu Community College is the only community college in the State that offers programs in Aeronautics Maintenance Technology, Commercial Aviation, Refrigeration and Air Conditioning Technology, and Sheet Metal and Plastics Technology; and

WHEREAS, Honolulu Community College is the only community college on the island of Oahu that offers programs in Architectural, Engineering and CAD Technologies; Carpentry Technology; Diesel Mechanics Technology; Electrical Installation and Maintenance Technology; and Fire and Environmental Emergency Response; and

WHEREAS, students receiving credit from Honolulu Community College may transfer directly to the University of Hawaii at Manoa, the University of Hawaii at Hilo, and the University of Hawaii - West Oahu to complete a four-year baccalaureate degree; and

WHEREAS, Honolulu Community College also has transfer agreements with other universities in Hawaii and serves as a gateway to over two thousand universities and colleges across the United States; and

WHEREAS, students at Honolulu Community College receive instruction in small classes taught by well-credentialed faculty who are dedicated to excellence in teaching; now, therefore,

BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Twenty-fifth Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2010, the House of Representatives concurring, that the Department of Education and Honolulu Community College are requested to convene a task force to discuss and report on the feasibility of creating a Department of Education Vocational/Technical Education Learning Center at Honolulu Community College; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the report include:

(1) A working definition for "vocational/technical education" that would distinguish the goals of the proposed Honolulu Community College Vocational/Technical Education Learning Center from the focus of other Department of Education Learning Centers;

(2) The facilities needs, personnel needs, student accountability, and budgetary conditions and requirements that must be met for the proposed Honolulu Community College Vocational/Technical Education Learning Center to be established;

(3) A plan for the curriculum to be offered at the proposed Honolulu Community College Vocational/Technical Education Learning Center;

(4) Whether credits earned at the proposed Honolulu Community College Vocational/Technical Education Learning Center could be counted as both Department of Education and community college credits;

(5) Whether and how the contact hours for the classes would satisfy Department of Education or community college accreditation requirements; and

(6) The possibility of expanding the Early Admit, Running Start, and other similar programs to allow students who might attend the proposed Honolulu Community College Vocational/Technical Learning Center to take advantage of their time on campus and participate in college course offerings; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Department of Education and Honolulu Community College provide administrative support to the task force and submit the findings and recommendations of the task force to the Legislature no later than twenty days prior to the convening of the Regular Session of 2011; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Concurrent Resolution be transmitted to the Superintendent of Education, Chairperson of the Board of Education, and Chancellor of Honolulu Community College.

Report Title:

Honolulu Community College Vocational/Technical Learning Center

THE SENATE	S.C.R. NO.	103
TWENTY-FIFTH LEGISLATURE, 2010		S.D. 1
STATE OF HAWAII