BYU–Hawaii News
Recent News
Alumni, Special Guests, Employees Enjoy PCC 40th Anniversary Celebration
Hundreds of alumni and special guests from as far away as the U.S. east
coast, New Zealand, and points in between, have spent the past week in Laie
enjoying an outstanding array of celebrations marking the Polynesian Cultural
Center's 40th anniversary.
T. David Hannemann, the Center's first official employee, literally kicked off the week of activities from Oct. 20-26 by booting a coconut out of the Samoan village chief's house during a special presentation on the early days of the PCC.
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T. David Hannemann, the Center's first official employee, literally kicked off the week of activities from Oct. 20-26 by booting a coconut out of the Samoan village chief's house during a special presentation on the early days of the PCC.
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Retired BYU Journalism Professor to Write BYU-Hawaii's 50-year History
A week after retiring last summer from teaching nearly 20 years of print
journalism at BYU in Provo, Utah, professor emeritus Alf Pratte started to
tackle writing a history of BYU-Hawaii's first 50 years.
Two months later, Pratte and his wife, June, came back to Hawaii where they previously lived in Honolulu from 1964-81. "We feel like we're back home," said Pratte, who likes to say he's had four careers so far.
Armed with a B.A. degree in journalism from BYU and experience as a stringer for the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News, Pratte first came to Hawaii as a reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin for their first five years in the islands. By 1967 Pratte had completed his master's thesis through BYU on the history of the Star-Bulletin and had also started the Hawaii Record-Bulletin, a statewide LDS newspaper which continued for over 25 years.
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Two months later, Pratte and his wife, June, came back to Hawaii where they previously lived in Honolulu from 1964-81. "We feel like we're back home," said Pratte, who likes to say he's had four careers so far.
Armed with a B.A. degree in journalism from BYU and experience as a stringer for the Salt Lake Tribune and the Deseret News, Pratte first came to Hawaii as a reporter for the Honolulu Star-Bulletin for their first five years in the islands. By 1967 Pratte had completed his master's thesis through BYU on the history of the Star-Bulletin and had also started the Hawaii Record-Bulletin, a statewide LDS newspaper which continued for over 25 years.
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Concierge Service Entrepreneur Lauds Relationship Marketing
The 40-year-old head of a concierge services business has seen his company
grow significantly beyond its start-up client and physical location on the
strength of the "largest marketing system" in the world: Relationship marketing.
Pono Shim had turned down several opportunities to manage various enterprises at Victoria Ward Center in Honolulu before launching concierge services at Ward, a concierge or service assistance business associated with Consolidated Theaters' 16-plex at the center.
Shim, speaking at the BYU-Hawaii school of business entrepreneurship lecture series on Oct. 14, said the initial ideas for his new business came to him in an "incredible dream" in 1998, but he didn't launch it until Consolidated Theaters was nearly ready to open at Ward Center several years later.
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Pono Shim had turned down several opportunities to manage various enterprises at Victoria Ward Center in Honolulu before launching concierge services at Ward, a concierge or service assistance business associated with Consolidated Theaters' 16-plex at the center.
Shim, speaking at the BYU-Hawaii school of business entrepreneurship lecture series on Oct. 14, said the initial ideas for his new business came to him in an "incredible dream" in 1998, but he didn't launch it until Consolidated Theaters was nearly ready to open at Ward Center several years later.
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Mother of Eight Encourages Championing Families
A former Hawaii state young mother of the year encouraged BYU-Hawaii students
and faculty at the Oct. 9 devotional to be champions for their families.
Leilani Auna, a BYU-Hawaii coordinator for students with special needs who was named Hawaii young mother of the year in 1998 by the local chapter of American Mothers Inc., quoted President Gordon B. Hinckley in saying her husband and their eight children are her "greatest assets."
Auna, who was born in the Philippines, explained that she was adopted by a young family in Kona, Hawaii, where she was raised on a coffee farm—something that was common among Latter-day Saints in that place and time. When she was older, she recalled her father taught her, "As long as you are sealed in the temple of the Lord by the holy Priesthood, that is stronger than blood."
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Leilani Auna, a BYU-Hawaii coordinator for students with special needs who was named Hawaii young mother of the year in 1998 by the local chapter of American Mothers Inc., quoted President Gordon B. Hinckley in saying her husband and their eight children are her "greatest assets."
Auna, who was born in the Philippines, explained that she was adopted by a young family in Kona, Hawaii, where she was raised on a coffee farm—something that was common among Latter-day Saints in that place and time. When she was older, she recalled her father taught her, "As long as you are sealed in the temple of the Lord by the holy Priesthood, that is stronger than blood."
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BYU-Hawaii, PCC Participate in Annual Marriott Event
By special invitation, 23 administrators, staff and students representing
BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center participated in the 12th annual
Western Family Picnic at the Marriott Ranch in Hume, Virginia.
The ranch, owned by Richard Marriott of the Marriott hotel conglomerate, hosted over 200 guests, including world ambassadors, diplomats, and members of the U.S. Congress.
The event was sponsored by the International and Government Affairs Office for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering an opportunity for hundreds of dignitaries around the world to come together and learn more about the Church.
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The ranch, owned by Richard Marriott of the Marriott hotel conglomerate, hosted over 200 guests, including world ambassadors, diplomats, and members of the U.S. Congress.
The event was sponsored by the International and Government Affairs Office for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, offering an opportunity for hundreds of dignitaries around the world to come together and learn more about the Church.
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International Business Executive Imparts Formulas for Success
An Asia-Pacific executive advisor for Bearing Point, Inc., who grew up in a small Midwestern town on the Ohio River but is now "passionate about doing business globally," told BYU-Hawaii students several steps they need to follow to succeed in international business at the Sept. 30 Entrepreneurship Lectureship Series. Robert Lees, former Secretary-General of the Pacific Business Economic Forum comprised of about 900 top international companies, explained that Bearing Point split off from KPMG Consulting several years ago and now has over 16,000 employees worldwide, with about 2,500 in Asia and the Pacific.
History Missionary Traces Close PCC/BYU-Hawaii Ties
Elder R. Lanier Britsch, a service missionary responsible for writing the
40-year history of the Polynesian Cultural Center, traced the close ties between
BYU-Hawaii and the popular visitor attraction during the University's Sept. 25
devotional address.
"The history of the Polynesian Cultural Center is closely bound to BYU-Hawaii," said Elder Britsch, the former Vice President of Academics at BYU-Hawaii and author of several history books on the growth of the Church in Asia and the Pacific. He is collaborating with the Center's first employee and long-time executive, T. David Hannemann, on the PCC history book.
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"The history of the Polynesian Cultural Center is closely bound to BYU-Hawaii," said Elder Britsch, the former Vice President of Academics at BYU-Hawaii and author of several history books on the growth of the Church in Asia and the Pacific. He is collaborating with the Center's first employee and long-time executive, T. David Hannemann, on the PCC history book.
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Former BYU-Hawaii Seasider Signs NBA Contract
Former BYU-Hawaii basketball player Yuta Tabuse signed an NBA contract with
the Denver Nuggets today. Tabuse, who played for the Seasiders during the
2001-02 season, becomes the first Japanese player to sign with an NBA franchise
and the first BYU-Hawaii basketball player to sign an NBA contract.
Tabuse, a huge crowd favorite during his year with the Seasiders, averaged 7.6 points per game and led the Pacific West Conference in assists 6.5 per contest. He finished fourth in the conference in steals at 1.8 per game and sixth in free throw percentage at .782.
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Tabuse, a huge crowd favorite during his year with the Seasiders, averaged 7.6 points per game and led the Pacific West Conference in assists 6.5 per contest. He finished fourth in the conference in steals at 1.8 per game and sixth in free throw percentage at .782.
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Entrepreneur Lists Three Principles for Success in Starting a Business
An entrepreneurship professor at the BYU Marriott School of Management told
BYU-Hawaii business students they don't necessarily need a lot of experience,
exceptional training or even much money to start a successful business.
Gary Williams, a successful entrepreneur in Utah before joining the BYU business school faculty three years ago, shared three principles on Sept. 23 with BYU-Hawaii students that could help them "evolve into entrepreneurs."
Number one: "Don't kill yourself trying to change the world."
"Some of the best companies out there didn't change the world," Williams said, who encouraged budding BYU-Hawaii entrepreneurs to "search for the not so elusive angle, or new twists on something that already exists."
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Gary Williams, a successful entrepreneur in Utah before joining the BYU business school faculty three years ago, shared three principles on Sept. 23 with BYU-Hawaii students that could help them "evolve into entrepreneurs."
Number one: "Don't kill yourself trying to change the world."
"Some of the best companies out there didn't change the world," Williams said, who encouraged budding BYU-Hawaii entrepreneurs to "search for the not so elusive angle, or new twists on something that already exists."
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Local Entrepreneur Outlines Personal Path to Success
A local businessman and former basketball star for the BYU-Hawaii Seasiders
told students, faculty and staff at the Sept. 16 entrepreneurship lecture that
"persistence" and "focusing on the task on hand" are the keys to success in the
business world.
Alan Akina, born and raised on Oahu, now resides in Kahuku with his family and runs and operates three successful businesses from his own personal computer at home.
Akina explained that his interest in business sparked when he first came to BYU-Hawaii to study in 1991. At that time he had aspired to be a physical therapist and decided to major in biology. His desire to explore various business ventures however, superseded those plans. "My heart was always in business," he said.
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Alan Akina, born and raised on Oahu, now resides in Kahuku with his family and runs and operates three successful businesses from his own personal computer at home.
Akina explained that his interest in business sparked when he first came to BYU-Hawaii to study in 1991. At that time he had aspired to be a physical therapist and decided to major in biology. His desire to explore various business ventures however, superseded those plans. "My heart was always in business," he said.
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