Celebrating Chaminade University’s 60th anniversary at Honolulu City Hale were (front L-R) Council member Brian Elefante, MBA ‘ 11, Chaminade regent Ruth Ann Becker, Chaminade governor Jeannie Wiercinski, Council member Ann Kobayashi, Chaminade Alumni Relations director Be-Jay Kodama, Chaminade BSN student Arielle Regis, and Chaminade Institutional Advancement vice president Diane Peters-Nguyen, as well as (back L-R) Council members Trevor Ozawa, Ernest Martin (chair and presiding officer), Kymberly Pine and Carol Fukunaga.
The Council of the City and County of Honolulu on August 3, 2016, formally congratulated Chaminade University of Honolulu on the occasion of the institution’s 60th anniversary. Councilman Brandon J.C. Elefante, MBA ’11 and Councilwoman Ann H. Kobayashi co-introduced the recognition. Elefante is a proud Chaminade alumnae, and Kobayashi represents the Council district that Chaminade is located.
The Council noted in its Certificate of Congratulations that Chaminade University is the only Catholic university in Hawaii and one of three Marianist universities in the U.S. Founded in 1955 under the guidance of five Marianists eager to establish a Catholic institution of higher education in Hawaii.
Chaminade began as a two-year college originally called St. Louis Junior College with an inaugural class of thirty young men. Two years later, St. Louis College expanded to a four-year, co-educational institution and changed its name to Chaminade College in honor of Father William Joseph Chaminade, the founder of the Society of Mary (Marianists). In 1967, Chaminade College expanded its services with the establishment of an evening program to better serve adults with business, family, and military responsibilities who desired to pursue a college degree. In 1977, Chaminade College further expanded its educational opportunities by adding graduate programs to become Chaminade University of Honolulu.
Regarded for its diverse student body and small class sizes, Chaminade encourages its students to develop professionally through service-learning projects, research and internship experiences, and leadership and community networking opportunities.