Kapiʻolani Community College celebrated 80 years of educating Hawaiʻi's workforce with a Ruby Jubilee on October 10, drawing students, faculty, staff, alumni and community partners to the campus Great Lawn at the base of Diamond Head. The event marked eight decades since the institution began as a small territorial food-service school and grew into the University of Hawaiʻi System's largest comprehensive community college.
The celebration's theme, E Mau Ana Ka Hoʻoilina ʻO Kapiʻolani, or “perpetuated is the legacy of Queen Kapiʻolani,” tied the milestone directly to the college's royal namesake, according to the University of Hawaiʻi System. Kapiʻolani CC alumnus Kamaka Pili, a Native Hawaiian storyteller and Emmy Award-winning broadcaster, emceed the gathering. The college honors Queen Julia Kapiʻolani, wife of King Kalākaua, and still carries her royal motto, “Kūlia i ka nuʻu” — strive for the highest — a phrase whose meaning is detailed by Kapiʻo News.
From a Pensacola Street Kitchen to Diamond Head's Largest Campus
The institution's roots trace back to 1946, when it opened as Kapiʻolani Technical School at Pensacola Street and Kapiʻolani Boulevard, specializing in food service. The school joined the University of Hawaiʻi System in 1965, was renamed Kapiʻolani Community College the following year, and relocated to its current Diamond Head campus in the mid-1980s, per the college's own historical account, cited by the University of Hawaiʻi System.
That campus sits on land once part of Fort Ruger Military Reservation, established in 1906 on the slopes of Diamond Head, or Lēʻahi, as the Territory of Hawaii's first military reservation — a history documented by Images of Old Hawaii. Joyce Tsunoda, who served as Kapiʻolani CC provost and is now UH Community Colleges chancellor emerita, helped guide the college's move to the Diamond Head site. At the jubilee, Tsunoda said the campus has maintained its beautiful natural setting, according to the University of Hawaiʻi System report on the event.
Hawaiʻi's Largest Community College and a Key Transfer Pipeline
Kapiʻolani CC enrolled 5,914 undergraduate students as of Fall 2023, making it Hawaiʻi's largest comprehensive community college, and it transfers the highest number of students annually to four-year UH campuses among all community colleges in the state system. Chancellor Misaki Takabayashi, who took office in March 2023 after succeeding longtime chancellor Louise Pagotto, said at the jubilee that Kapiʻolani CC has opened doors to opportunity and helped shape Hawaiʻi's future for 80 years.
The college has also picked up national distinctions in cybersecurity, undergraduate research and new media arts, and officials highlighted its strong transfer pathways to four-year UH campuses as part of the celebration. Looking ahead, the college plans to establish the John Morton Student Welcome Center, a one-stop student services hub, and is redesigning its counseling services. The planned center honors former provost and chancellor John Morton, who led the college for two decades and directed its relocation and development on Diamond Head before becoming UH Vice President for Community Colleges; Morton passed away in August 2025 at age 78, according to the University of Hawaiʻi System.
Culinary Legacy and Healthcare Partnerships Take Center Stage
The jubilee featured a hōʻike showcase spotlighting projects from across the college, along with a dinner prepared by culinary students under the guidance of chef instructors, a silent auction, and a performance by Nā Hōkū Hanohano awardee Raiatea Helm. The culinary program has long been a flagship of the college; its Culinary Institute of the Pacific, built on the former site of the Cannon Club officers' lounge at Diamond Head, named James Beard Award-winning chef Roy Yamaguchi executive director in January 2024 to oversee a Phase 2 facility expansion in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America, as reported by Kapiʻo News.
Kapiʻolani CC graduates work in healthcare professions across Oʻahu and the neighbor islands, and the college works alongside healthcare partners to prepare nurses and health professionals. Amy Thomas, Hawaiʻi Pacific Health system chief nurse executive, said Kapiʻolani CC nursing graduates are widely regarded as well-prepared nurses with sound clinical skills and a strong nursing foundation. That healthcare pipeline extends beyond nursing: in August, Hoodline reported that Kapiʻolani CC's first Waiʻanae-based EMT cohort graduated through a partnership with the Waiʻanae Coast Comprehensive Health Center and Leeward CC, a 12-week program designed to remove travel barriers for West Oʻahu students.
Fresh Investment Follows the Anniversary
The anniversary arrives alongside new systemwide spending aimed at the college's health programs. In September, the University of Hawaiʻi System unveiled a $123 million reserve-funded strategic investment plan that included $1.37 million allocated specifically to expand Kapiʻolani CC's diagnostic medical sonography program, Hoodline previously reported. The college also leans on the state-sponsored Hawaiʻi Nutrition Employment and Training program, which gives low-income SNAP-eligible students support valued at over $4,700 annually for food, transportation and books, according to Kapiʻo News — part of an effort to keep students enrolled and improve graduation rates.
UH System officials framed the jubilee as both a tribute to the past and an investment in what's ahead. Wendy Hensel expressed gratitude to the chancellors, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and friends who built Kapiʻolani CC over eight decades and congratulated the college on reaching 80 years. One student initiative discussed at the event, Māunulau, was described as representing an investment in future generations. Together, organizers said, the celebration reaffirmed the college's commitment to student success, workforce development, community partnership and educational excellence as Kapiʻolani CC enters its ninth decade of service to the islands.
