Beginning in the Fall 2022 Semester, all incoming freshman and transfer students will be required to take Holokai Foundations during their first year at BYU–Hawaii. This development course prepares students to be effective stewards of the resources invested in their education, providing them with tools to improve their success, persistence, and spiritual outcomes. It applies the concepts of kuleana (stewardship) to encourage students' ownership of their studies and support the overall well-being of the campus community.
Although the course isn't new to the curriculum, some of this year's professors for the class are. This upcoming semester will be the first time in BYU–Hawaii history that the University President, John S.K. Kauwe III, and Academic Vice President, Isaiah Walker, co-teach a college course.
President Kauwe expressed his excitement by saying, "I love teaching, and I'm excited to return to it. This new course is an opportunity for every new student at BYU–Hawaii to clearly understand the university's mission and how it relates to their personal salvation and the perpetuation of eternal families. Our students will better understand how they fit into the university community, the broader community, and the world. I look forward to talking with them about the resources on campus for their well-being and the wonderful opportunities they have to develop academically and spiritually while they're here."
Expanding on the course, Academic Vice President Walker commented, "After encouragement from the Church Educational System leadership, we carefully adapted our student development 100R course to help students transition to university life generally and BYU–Hawaii specifically. President Kauwe and I spent months and many hours researching, discussing, and designing this course's specific content. This course was created for our students to improve their experience and understanding of this prophetic community and institution."
Upon approval from the University Curriculum Committee and Dean's Council, the course is now a requirement for all new students as part of the Holokai core. The projected class outcomes include learning more about the university's mission, academic resources, health resources, campus standards, financial resources, and more. Students can register now to take STDEV100R. It will be taught Mondays and Wednesdays as a single-block course. Kauwe and Walker are eager to spend this valuable time amongst students, learning about their backgrounds and helping them better navigate their time here.