SR 32: Urging the university of Hawaii president and board of regents to establish a bachelor of science in nursing program at the university of Hawaii maui campus.

SENATE RESOLUTION

Urging the university of Hawaii president and board of regents to establish a bachelor of science in nursing program at the university of Hawaii maui campus.

     WHEREAS, the demand for healthcare services in the County of Maui is increasing due to a growing and aging population; and

WHEREAS, there is a pressing need for highly qualified nursing professionals to meet the healthcare needs of the community; and

WHEREAS, the University of Hawaii Maui College currently offers a Practical Nurse Certificate of Achievement and an Associate in Science in Nursing degree, which prepare students for entry-level nursing positions; and

WHEREAS, students who complete the Associate in Science in Nursing Program have the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree through the University of Hawaii at Manoa, commonly known as the "Hawaii Statewide Nursing Consortium"; and

WHEREAS, since 2012, less than twenty percent of the Associate in Science in Nursing graduates have enrolled and completed the Hawaii Statewide Nursing Consortium, due to a majority of those individuals being in the Maui nursing workforce; and

WHEREAS, an estimated twenty percent of the Maui Associate in Science in Nursing Program graduates have enrolled in an out‑of-state online Bachelor of Science in Nursing program; and

WHEREAS, establishing a dedicated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Hawaii Maui College will provide Maui residents with an uninterrupted pathway for more advanced nursing knowledge along with greater advancement opportunities; and

WHEREAS, while Oahu nursing schools have been unable to expand enrollment due to a lack of available clinical placements, Maui healthcare facilities have ample available clinical placements for Maui nursing students to gain real-world experience that is necessary to earn their degrees; now, therefore,

     BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Thirty-third Legislature of the State of Hawaii, Regular Session of 2025, that the University of Hawaii President and Board of Regents are urged to establish a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Hawaii Maui College; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Legislature affirms the importance of a Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Hawaii Maui College and recognizes that additional nurse graduates would help to address the State's nurse shortage; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the University of Hawaii Board of Regents is requested to allocate appropriate resources and support to develop and implement the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, including faculty recruitment, curriculum development, and necessary facilities; and

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that certified copies of this Resolution be transmitted to the Chairperson of the University of Hawaii Board of Regents, the President of the University of Hawaii System, and the Chancellor of the University of Hawaii Maui College.

Report Title:

University of Hawaii Maui College; Nursing; Bachelor of Science in Nursing; BSN

STAND. COM. REP. NO. 1376

Honolulu, Hawaii

RE:    S.R. No. 32

Honorable Ronald D. Kouchi

President of the Senate

Thirty-Third State Legislature

Regular Session of 2025

State of Hawaii

Sir:

     Your Committee on Higher Education, to which was referred S.R. No. 32 entitled:

"SENATE RESOLUTION URGING THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII PRESIDENT AND BOARD OF REGENTS TO ESTABLISH A BACHELOR OF SCIENCE IN NURSING PROGRAM AT THE UNIVERSITY OF HAWAII MAUI CAMPUS,"

begs leave to report as follows:

     The purpose and intent of this measure is to urge the President and Board of Regents of the University of Hawaii to establish a Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program at the University of Hawaii Maui Campus.

     Your Committee received testimony in support of this measure from the University of Hawaiʻi System and Healthcare Association of Hawaii.

     Your Committee finds that there is a pressing need for highly qualified nursing professionals to meet the health care needs of the County of Maui.  Your Committee further finds that while the University of Hawaii Maui College currently offers a Practical Nurse Certificate of Achievement and an Associate in Science in Nursing degree, which prepare students for entry-level nursing positions, it does not offer a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree like University of Hawaii at Manoa.  This compels many nursing students enrolled in the University of Hawaii Maui College to either relocate to earn their bachelor's degree or pause their education to remain in the Maui nursing workforce.  Your Committee also finds that establishing a dedicated Bachelor of Science in Nursing program at the University of Hawaii Maui College will provide Maui residents with an uninterrupted pathway for more advanced nursing knowledge along with greater advancement opportunities.  This measure addresses the nurse shortage in rural communities in the State.

     As affirmed by the record of votes of the members of your Committee on Higher Education that is attached to this report, your Committee concurs with the intent and purpose of S.R. No. 32 and recommends its adoption.

Respectfully submitted on behalf of the members of the Committee on Higher Education,