Should Hawaii be a part of the Pac 12? (Part 6 of 11)

University of Hawai'i at Manoa

The Academics
Location: Hawai'i
Type of School: Public
Total Student Population: 20,169
Undergrads: 13,810
Demographics: 65% Asian; 1% Black; 3% Hispanic; 25% White; 5% International
Sex Ratio: 46.1% male; 53.9% female
%age of Natives: 76% are from Hawaii
Ranking: 3rd Tier among Full Research Universities
AVG SAT of admitted kids: 1080
Endowment: $176,000,000

CURRENT CONFERENCES: Western Athletic (all sports)
Football stadium capacity: 50,000
Men's Basketball capacity: 10,300
Women's Basketball capacity: 10,300
Most notable money sport: Football

The University of Hawai'i at Manoa is the flagship university in Hawaii, the state on top of a bunch of volcanoes. It has 19 schools and colleges, including programs in the usuals, like Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Business, Engineering and Education, but also in fields like Hawaiian Knowledge (pretty cool), and a school, not just classes Asian/Pacific studies, plus a school in Tropical Agriculture. Well, in a state like Hawaii, I guess that couldn't hurt.

Why Hawaii should be in the Pac 12
Hawaii already has a base that is pretty neglected to say the least. The whole state of Hawaii holds over one million people, in that little archipelago (like my vocab from geo class?). Getting Hawaii also means getting the first school outside of the lower 48, and makes the Pac 12 truly Pacific, if you will. Athletically, the Warriors and Wahine (Wah-hee-nee) are competitive already in the WAC, and have Pac 10 ready facilities, though football is a bit on the small side, but then again, remember, this is Hawaii. The University's academic rep has steadily risen since Hawaii became a state, and Pac 10 membership will improve the reputation of the University even quicker.

Hawaii is also the American land of utopia, when the volcanoes don't blow ash and lava on your house, and when a tsunami doesn't hit the beach at least, and unless you're a Hawaiian perhaps, because that's all you see. That would still be a dream campus environment for student athletes if they got to play in the Pac 12.

Why Hawaii should not be in the Pac 12
I can use the exact same reasons to bring Hawaii in the Pac 12 as reasons to keep them out. Athletically, would out of state students want to go to a no man's land to play sports? Even if it's a vacation spot? Second, travel concerns are already an issue for the WAC when they fly to utopia, and the Pac 10 won't want this any more than the WAC. Third, academically, they'd be at the bottom of the totem pole with Arizona State. Even after a few years of steady improvement, they still may not be a 2nd tier university, and it's VERY hard to improve rankings, even over five or ten years.

The Final Verdict
Hawaii has an intriguing case to be a Pac 12 member. They aren't at the bottom of the list, but certainly, they aren't at the top of it either. So I don't want them as my first pick, but if a couple schools higher on my pecking order told me, "Thanks but no thanks", then I would pick the Warriors and the Wahine.

Notable Hawaii Alumni
Kenneth Moritsugu (Class of 1967)
Former Acting US Surgeon General from 2002-2007.

Bob Nash (Class of 1972)
All American basketball player, led the Warriors to their first NCAA tournament berth, played nine years in the NBA/ABA including the Detroit Pistons and the Kansas City Kings. Now he's the head coach for their men's basketball team.

Ken Niumatalolo (Class of 1983)
Quarterback of the football team in his day; now the head coach of the football team at the United States Naval Academy. He is also the 1st Asian/Pacific Islander to be a head coach at the Division I level.


Angela Perez Baraquio Grey (born Angela Perez Grey) (Class of 1999)
First Asian American, and also the first school teacher, to win the Miss America Pageant in 2001. She is still a teacher today and is a frequent public speaker as well.

Heather Bown (Class of 2000)
Volleyball player and WAC POY 1998 and 1999. Member of the 2008 Olympic volleyball team which won silver.


Natasha Kai (Class of 2005)
All American soccer forward; member of the 2008 Olympic team which brought home the gold.

great place to go on a vacation to or live in but not best for Pac 10 sports