Honolulu-based structural and forensic engineering firm KAI Hawaii, Inc. recently donated $250,000 to the University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Engineering, UH officials announced Wednesday.
The funds will endow a new vertically integrated project, or VIP, related to sustainability and resilience at the school. VIP programs seek to foster long-term, in-depth, project-based learning to engage students and better prepare them for future careers, according to UH officials.
UH is part of a VIP consortium of 30 institutions worldwide.
“The University of Hawaii is key to providing us with young people who are committed to change our community for the better,” said Ken Hayashida, president and founder of KAI Hawaii, and a 1983 graduate of the College of Engineering, in a statement. “Thatʻs going to require all of us to invest in our university so we have young people who can lead and innovate and provide us a safe, sustainable and resilient community to live in.”
Hayashida founded KAI Hawaii as a one-person operation in 1995 and has since grown the company to 50 employees.
“We are tremendously grateful for KAI Hawaii's gift to support the college and our students in our efforts to develop quality engineers and leaders for our state. Ken and KAI Hawaii have been longtime partners and this financial gift is a true demonstration of their confidence and support of the direction we as a college are headed with new programs and a focus on student success,” said Brennon Morioka, dean of the College of Engineering, in a statement.
