Applications opened this week for leasing at the University of Hawaii Residences for Innovative Student Entrepreneurs, or RISE.
The $70 million, six-story, 374-bed live-learn-work facility — constructed under a public-private partnership between the university; the UH Foundation, which owns the property; and Hunt Cos. — will integrate an innovation and entrepreneurship center with student housing. It is slated to open in fall 2023.
According to an announcement this week from the university, the 219 fully furnished single and double rooms are available to lease now for fall 2023 on RISE’s website, and are open to students at any of the 10 UH campuses.
Located on University Avenue across from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, on the site of the former Atherton YMCA, the RISE project will encompass approximately 114,000 net square feet on one acre of land, and will include nearly 70,000 square feet for student housing and residential common areas, 30,000 square feet for an innovation and entrepreneurial center, 12,000 square feet of project service area and 2,000 square feet of retail space.
According to the announcement, the UH Pacific Asian Center for Entrepreneurship, or PACE, will expand into the facility and develop hands-on programs and operate the co-working space, meeting rooms, classroom and prototyping labs.
University officials expect "significant demand" for the facility's 374 beds, the announcement noted.
Additionally, applications have opened for scholarships for 50 UH students interested in innovation and entrepreneurship through the PACE Leaders program, which is open to students from all areas of study at all 10 UH campuses.
Student may apply for the program and each will receive a scholarship ranging from $1,000 to $6,000.
“We are excited to launch the PACE Leaders program,” PACE Executive Director Sandra Fujiyama said in a statement. “These students will have the opportunity to gain transferable skills while enriching the education of their peers and receiving scholarship support. We’re proud to be using Scholar’s App to process the leadership applications. Scholar’s App was started by PACE alum Traven Watase and it’s a full circle moment to be able to partner with Scholar’s App as we begin taking application for this new leadership program.”
According to the announcement, scholarships totaling $600,000 from The Clarence T.C. Ching Foundation, the Mamoru and Aiko Takitani Foundation, Shidler College of Business alumni Kent and Jean Tsukamoto, and others were gifted to the center to support the PACE Leaders program.
Additionally, scholarships from Central Pacific Bank Foundation and Kamehameha Schools are also available, with KS offering 25 scholarships to Native Hawaiian students who live at RISE through the Pii Ae Scholarships, the announcement noted. Interested students should to reach out to PACE for more information on the KS scholarships.
PACE and UH Foundation have raised more than $4 million, to date, in support of RISE, which is fully funded with private, non-taxpayer money, the university said.
