Future of University of Hawaii to Focus on AI Integration, Says Presidential Finalist
HILO, HAWAI’I — Wendy Hensel, one of two candidates vying to become the next president of the University of Hawaii (UH) system, outlined her vision for an AI-driven future during a public forum at the University of Hawaii at Hilo on Tuesday. The purpose of the session was to provide transparency and to enable the UH community to engage with the potential future leader. Hensel aims to replace David Lassner, the outgoing UH president, who has held the position since 2014.
Currently the Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost at the City University of New York (CUNY), Hensel previously served as the Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs at Georgia State University (GSU). Her background in academia and understanding of contemporary technological trends are pivotal aspects of her proposed approach to lead the UH system into a highly modernised educational era.
Emphasising the transformative potential of artificial intelligence (AI) and data analytics within the realm of higher education, Hensel remarked, “AI is the new electricity. AI will touch everything, not just areas of study like engineering. It's akin to electricity—it will permeate every other degree.” According to Hensel, employers are increasingly putting a premium on prospective employees who are proficient in harnessing this technology.
Hensel's vision includes integrating AI and tech-related courses deeply into UH curricula, which she asserts would not only attract a greater number of prospective students but also facilitate partnerships with employers to offer microcredential programmes, potentially leading to employment opportunities for students. By incorporating these technologies, she believes UH could significantly enhance its operational efficiency and improve the quality of student services.
An illustrative success story comes from Hensel’s tenure at GSU, where data analytics have been effectively utilised to monitor various student data points. Through this approach, the university could identify students in financial distress or those at risk of discontinuing their education. The analytics were then employed to tailor financial aid packages appropriately, which Hensel characterised as integral to student success.
Furthermore, Hensel highlighted the role of AI-driven initiatives in tackling issues like "summer melt"—a phenomenon where students who register in summer fail to start their courses in the fall. By deploying AI chatbots, which guide students through the cumbersome enrollment processes and provide essential information, CUNY reportedly reduced its summer melt by an impressive 22% within a year.
If appointed, Hensel wants her role at UH to focus on dismantling barriers that hinder diverse groups from both accessing and succeeding in higher education. “I want to reach the student that doesn’t reach out,” said Hensel. "And I can target that student using analytics to do the personal intervention, because it tells me who they are.”
She also praised the current initiatives at UH designed to support Native Hawaiian students and expressed a commitment to elevate and continuously seek funding for these programmes.
Hensel believes in enhancing online education to create better opportunities for students dispersed across the Hawaiian islands. Even though over half of UH students currently partake in fully online programmes, only 5% of degree programmes are entirely online. “When I speak about online, I don’t mean what we did during COVID,” Hensel clarified. “What we did during COVID was emergency education. It was educating students who did not elect to be in that format, taught by professors who did not want to teach in that format. I’m talking about highly technical, skilled, excellent academic programmes that are online to allow people who live anywhere on the islands to benefit from the opportunities that are offered at the university.”
As the UH Board of Regents deliberates on their final decision, Hensel’s proposed innovations underscore a potential future where enhanced educational experiences and technological integration could redefine the landscape of higher education at the University of Hawaii.
Source: Noah Wire Services