HONOLULU (KHON2) — The U.S. Coast Guard and the University of Hawaii at Manoa are in a partnership together.

They signed an agreement in July as part of the Coast Guard’s Minority-Serving Institutions Partnership Program for increased student opportunities.

“This agreement reflects a new chapter in the strong bond between the Coast Guard and University of Hawaii,” said Rear Adm. Kevin Lunday, commander Coast Guard 14th District.

“We are honored to be a part of the University of Hawaii ohana and look forward to greater engagement with students and faculty. Working together, we offer students and faculty an opportunity to learn about the Coast Guard and our important work in the Blue Pacific, and the Coast Guard seeks to strengthen our diverse and inclusive workforce through remarkable student scholarship programs.”

The partnership agreement is designed to optimize outreach and engagement efforts and have program participants work in conjunction with the Coast Guard’s overall civilian and military officer recruitment efforts.

“We are very excited about this partnership and the opportunities it will provide our students,” said UH Manoa Provost Michael Bruno. “That includes additional options for financial assistance, academic choices and amazing career opportunities. The agreement also offers research opportunities for the university and the Coast Guard to explore.”

Central to this partnership is the Coast Guard’s College Student Pre-Commissioning Initiative (CSPI) scholarship program that is available to students enrolled at minority serving institutions such as UH. There are currently four CSPI students enrolled at UH Manoa and two at UH Hilo.

The Coast Guard’s Executive Champion for this initiative, Rear Adm. Lunday, is committed to ensuring this joint effort is successful. His previous endeavor with Virginia State University, while serving as Assistant Commandant for Command, Control, Communications, Computers and Information Technology and Commander of Coast Guard Cyber Command provided insight into the value of this process and engagements with strategically located minority-serving institutions.

Capt. Ulysses Mullins, the Coast Guard 14th District Chief of Prevention, is spearheading this partnership and will continue to expand outreach and support for joint UH and Coast Guard activities.

Also on this team is Chief Petty Officer Todd Roys, born and raised in Hawaii, serving at the Coast Guard Recruiting Office Honolulu.

The Coast Guard 14th District will serve as the lead Coast Guard command, working closely with all Coast Guard and UH stakeholders to forge an enduring collaboration.

UH Manoa is one of 132 Asian American and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions nationwide participating in the CSPI program.

There are currently 11 students enrolled in the CSPI program between Hawaii and Guam, with more than half in the UH 10 campus system.

Get more information about opportunities with the U.S. Coast Guard for UH Mānoa students. https://manoa.hawaii.edu/undergrad/GoCoastGuard/

More information about CSPI click here.

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