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BYU–Hawaii News

Recent News

Mother of Eight Encourages Championing Families

October 14, 2003 12:00 AM
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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BYU-Hawaii, PCC Participate in Annual Marriott Event

October 07, 2003 12:00 AM
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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International Business Executive Imparts Formulas for Success

October 01, 2003 12:00 AM
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.
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History Missionary Traces Close PCC/BYU-Hawaii Ties

September 26, 2003 12:00 AM
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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Former BYU-Hawaii Seasider Signs NBA Contract

September 26, 2003 12:00 AM
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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Entrepreneur Lists Three Principles for Success in Starting a Business

September 24, 2003 12:00 AM
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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Local Entrepreneur Outlines Personal Path to Success

September 19, 2003 12:00 AM
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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Seasider Tennis Teams Receive Recognition from State Governor

September 17, 2003 12:00 AM
The BYU-Hawaii men's and women's tennis teams were honored by Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle last week Friday, in a brief ceremony at the Governor's office in the State Capitol Building. Both Seasider teams won the NCAA II national championship in May for the second consecutive year. Read Full Story

BYU-Hawaii Administrator and Wife Outline Conversion Process and Effects

September 12, 2003 12:00 AM
The Assistant to the President of BYU-Hawaii drew parallels yesterday between how people's lives in America were changed by the 9/11 terrorist attacks on New York and how lives are changed through the spiritual conversion process. Read Full Story

Dr. Norm Evans named BYU-Hawaii Faculty of the Year

September 09, 2003 12:00 AM
Dr. Norman W. Evans, a professor in English as an international language was named teacher of the year for 2003 by the BYU-Hawaii President's Council. Read Full Story