At the direction of President David O. McKay, Brigham Young University Hawaii started as the Church College of Hawaii on September 26, 1955. The following timeline traces the university's rich heritage.
| February 7, 1921 Elders David O. McKay and Hugh J. Cannon, on a world tour of Church missions, attended the flag-raising and devotional exercises at the Laie mission school. Elder McKay was deeply stirred as he watched 127 children of many races singing, praying and pledging allegiance to the flag of the United States. That day he envisioned a Church school of higher learning would eventually complement the recently dedicated Hawaii Temple and make Laie the spiritual and educational center of the Church in the Pacific.  |
| February 8, 1921 On Maui the next day, Elder McKay shared his thoughts on the Church school in Laie for the first time. |
| June 1949 A committee chaired and appointed by Ralph E. Woolley, President of the Oahu Stake, studied the feasibility of a Church academic institution in Hawaii. The committee recommended that a high school, which might later be expanded into a junior college, be established in Laie. |
| July 21, 1954 The First Presidency officially announced the establishment of a college in Hawaii, and appointed Dr. Reuben D. Law, former Dean of the College of Education at BYU, as president and chairman of the survey committee. |
| August 1954 The Survey Committee — consisting of Reuben D. Law, Clarence Cottam and Kenneth S. Bennion — estimated the initial enrollment at the new Church school would be between 250-400. After carefully weighint the advantages and disadvantages of Honolulu, Laie and Kaneohe as possible locations, the committee recommended Kaneohe as its first choice, and Laie as its second. Upon reviewing the report, the First Presidency selected Laie. |
| December 1954 Church architect Harold W. Burton and his son, Douglas, inspected the general area around Laie and helped select the best building sites. When President Reuben D. Law returned to Salt Lake City and recommended that the school be opened in September 1956, President McKay responded: We have waited too long already to establish that college. We must start this fall even if we have to start in temporary quarters. Without further delay, the groundbreaking and dedication ceremonies were set for February 12, 1955. |
| February 12, 1955 President David O. McKay presided over the groundbreaking services for the Church College of Hawaii in the middle of a sugar cane field in Laie.  |
| February 14, 1955 Glen Auna from the island of Hawaii submitted the first formal application for admission to CCH. |
| April 1955 Church representatives purchased four war surplus buildings from Wheeler Army Air Force Base in Wahiawa and moved them to Laie to use as temporary facilities for CCH. Three other war surplus buildings were also acquired, one of which served as a dormitory on the beach. Many surplus Army materials outfitted the new campus, which was located adjacent to the Laie Ward chapel on Lanihuli Street and Naniloa Loop. |
| September 1, 1955 Work began on the permanent campus of Church College of Hawaii under the direction of Hawaii Labor Mission President Joseph E. Wilson, with approximately 100 volunteer supervisors and labor missionaries from Hawaii, the mainland and various Pacific islands. |
| September 26, 1955 CCH officially commenced classes with a student body of 153.  |
| September 26, 1955 Members of the Continuing Committee, which was responsible for obtaining buildings and providing many needed services, became the college's Board of Trustees, including Edward L. Clissold (chairman), Ralph E. Woolley, George Q. Cannon, Lawrence Haneberg and D. Arthur Haycock. |
| December 9, 1955 Donald Manoa was elected first student body president of CCH. |
| December 16, 1955 The first issue of the student newspaper, Ke Alaka'i (The Leader), came off the press. Edith Kaho'ilua from Hilo served as the paper's first editor. |
| January 1956 Frank Condie coached the newly organized men's varsity basketball team, which played its first game against Waimanalo Riding Academy. |
| April 12, 1956 Woodruff J. Deem directed CCH's first school play, Father's Been to Mars, in a three-day run which was staged in the boat house on Hukilau Beach. |
| May 29, 1956 CCH's first yearbook, Na Hoa Pono (The Righteous Companions) debuted, with Eleanor Kaloi from Hilo serving as its editor. |
| June 1, 1956 Ten students — three Associate's of Art and seven Associate's of Science — graduated during CCH's first commencement exercises, which were held in the Laie Ward chapel. |
| September 1956 The first students from Western Samoa and Fiji arrived at CCH. |
| July 12, 1957 The Church organized the Pacific Board of Education with Wendell B. Mendenhall as chairman. CCH came under its direction. |
| November 1957 CCH President Reuben D. Law visited with President David O. McKay and Dr. Owen J. Cook, Executive Secretary of the Pacific Board of Education. They laid the plans to expand CCH to a four-year institution. |
| September 1957 The first students from Tonga arrived at CCH, including Tupou Pulu, Tuitalau Tonga and Viliami Hemaloto, who were soon followed by Kalo Mataele and Nancy Fine. |
| May 7, 1958 President David O. McKay visited Laie and addressed 2,712 people in the Laie Ward chapel. He had been touring Church building missions throughout the South Pacific and stopped in Laie on his way back to Utah.  |
| September 1958 The first students from New Zealand and Tahiti arrived at CCH. Also during this academic year, the first dean of students, Ralph D. Olson, and the first academic dean, Kay J. Anderson, were appointed. |
| December 17, 1958 President David O. McKay dedicated the permanent campus of the Church College of Hawaii during a special meeting in the Auditorium. The facilities had been designed to accommodate between 1,000-1,250 students. About 3,000 people attended the meeting, during which the 1921 flag-raising ceremony at Laie School was reenacted by the current school children. Dr. Richard T. Wootton, acting administrator, conducted the services. |
| March 1959 CCH officials organized the Polynesian Institute to promote interest in and the study of Polynesian culture. Jerry K. Loveland was appointed chairman. |
| May 1959 An accreditation team visit by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) resulted in the Church College of Hawaii obtaining full accreditation as a two-year college. |
| August 1959 The Pacific Board of Education appointed Dr. Richard T. Wootton as president of CCH. He served until 1964. |
| March 1960 The CCH student cast of The Polynesian Panorama group, a forerunner of the Polynesian Cultural Center, sold out their first performance at the Kaiser Dome (now the Hilton Hawaiian Village) in Waikiki.  |
| February 23, 1961 The Western Association of Schools and Colleges granted full four-year accreditation to the Church College of Hawaii. In their report, the accreditation team recommended expanding various departments as well as adding three new liberal arts majors. The report concluded: Church College provides an excellent environment for a small liberal arts college. |
| February 23, 1961 The First President announced design approval for the Polynesian Cultural Center. |
| May 30, 1961 Approximately 100 labor missionaries finished constructing four new dormitories on the CCH campus.  |
| January 30, 1962 President Hugh B. Brown of the First Presidency dedicated CCH's four recently completed dormitories. The $2 million expansion brought boarding capacity to 928 students. |
| January 1962 The English Department distributed the inaugural issue of CCH's literary magazine, Kula Manu. Dr. Gordon Thomas served as advisor and Noël McGrevy from New Zealand as the first editor. |
| November 6, 1962 The first homecoming queen, Nancy Lee Mabie, was crowned. |
| February 19, 1963 CCH President Richard T. Wootton presented the first David O. McKay lecture. |
| October 12, 1963 Elder Hugh B. Brown of The First Presidency dedicated the Polynesian Cultural Center. About 1,000 people stayed for the premier of A Night Through Polynesia. |
| January 9, 1964 The Western Association of Schools and Colleges granted a three-year re-accreditation to the Church College of Hawaii. |
| August 2, 1964 Dr. Owen J. Cook arrived on campus as the third president of CCH. |
| October 1964 Planning for the Aloha Center began. The Associated Students of Church College of Hawaii deposited $10,000 as a nucleus to finance construction of the facility. |
| July 1966 Under the direction of professor Wylie Swapp, CCH conducted its first summer school program. |
| December 1967 CCH student Tony Crabb from Honolulu won All-American honors in men's volleyball. He and teammate Earl Veloria from the island of Hawaii were invited to participate in tryouts for the U.S. Olympics team. |
| January 1968 The Los Angeles Rugby Union declared Church College of Hawaii, coached by John Lowell, the number-one team in the nation after the Seasiders defeated powerhouse teams from Occidental, UCLA and Loyala during a mainland tour. |
| February 1968 Dr. Wayne L. Allison, CCH associate academic dean, succeeds Howard B. Stone as president of the Oahu Stake. |
| April 23, 1968 The college library was officially named the Ralph E. Woolley Library. At the ceremony his widow, Sister Romania Woolley, spoke of her husband's career as an architect and engineer, his Church service as Hawaii Temple president and the first Oahu Stake president, and as a member of the CCH Board of Trustees. Woolley helped design and direct the construction of the Hawaii Temple as well as several other buildings in Waikiki, including the Royal Hawaiian Hotel. |
| February 17, 1969 The Asian-Pacific Language Training Mission officially opened on campus to teach outbound missionaries Asian and Polynesian languages. Japanese language instructor Kenneth J. Orton was called as mission president of the LTM, which was first located in Hale Malo and later moved to Hale Pukuniahi. |
| May 15, 1969 Church College of Hawaii awarded its first Honorary Doctorate degree to Edward L. Clissold for his valuable contributions to the Church in Hawaii and Japan. |
| January 1970 CCH student Pedro Velasco became the 16th player named to the Helms Volleyball Hall of Fame. In addition to playing on the Seasider men's volleyball team, Velasco played on two U.S. Olympics teams and was named an All-American 10 times. |
| September 1970 For the first time, enrollment at CCH surpasses 1,300. Also, CCH athletic teas affiliated with the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). |
| September 4, 1970 The CCH men's volleyball team, coached by John Lowell, won its first NAIA championship. |
| September 11, 1970 President Joseph Fielding Smith, son of President Joseph F. Iosepa Smith, visited the CCH campus to help commemorate the 15th anniversary of the college. |
| September 15, 1970 President Joseph Fielding Smith spoke at the CCH devotional, and in closing he and Sister Jessie Evans Smith sang a duet for the students. |
| October 16, 1970 During this week the Prime Minister of Western Samoa, Tupua Tamasese Lealofi IV, visited CCH and praised the efforts of the Church to help Samoans and other Polynesians gain an education. |
| April 1971 The CCH men's volleyball team, coached by John Lowell, won the NAIA national championship in Dallas, Texas. Eight CCH players made the all-tournament team, including: Pedro Velasco, MVP; Dennis Largey, oustanding spiker; and Jay Akoi, best defensive player. |
| April 21, 1971 Stephen L. Brower was named to succeed Owen J. Cook as president of Church College of Hawaii at the start of fall semester. |
| July 6, 1971 CCH President Owen J. Cook presided over the groundbreaking for the new multi-purpose Aloha Center, starting at the southwest corner. |
| January 1972 CCH's first dean of students, Ralph D. Olson, retired. He was presented with a gold watch for his 13 years of service and honored during a devotional on February 15, 1972. |
| February 4, 1972 The administration announced CCH had four educational objectives: 1) An experience in righteous living. 2) Education for reality. 3) Experience in intercultural acculturation. 4) Stewardship accountability. |
| February 11, 1972 President N. Eldon Tanner of The First Presidency and Elders Howard W. Hunter and Marvin J. Ashton along with CES Commissioner Neal A. Maxwell and Kenneth Beesley, inaugurated Dr. Stephen L. Brower as president of the Church College of Hawaii. |
| September 1972 CCH's 24 academic departments were reorganized into five major divisions. |
| January 26, 1973 Elder Marion G. Romney of The First Presidency dedicated the Aloha Center. During his address, he stated that Church College of Hawaii was a living laboratory in which individuals who share the teachings of the Master Teacher have an opportunity for developing appreciation, tolerance, and esteem for one another. |
| February 1, 1973 The CCH women's volleyball team won the consolation finals (fifth place) in the three-day, 24-team national tournament of the Association of Intercollegiate Athletics for Women (AIAW) held at BYU in Provo. |
| October 2, 1973 Festive special events marked the opening of the Aloha Center bowling alleys, which were built with funds contributed by Laie residents Dr. Ray and Nellie Reeves. |
| October 20, 1973 A combined CCH/PCC effort won three top honors in the Aloha Week parade in Honolulu. The float, designed by English instructor Brent Pickering, won first place in the school and religious float division. The band won second place, and the Tahitian and fire dancers won second place in their respective divisions. |
| April 12, 1974 CES administrator Dr. Kenneth Beesley announced at a faculty meeting that Church College of Hawaii would become Brigham Young University-Hawaii Campus later in the school year. He also announced that Dr. Dan W. Andersen would succeed Stephen L. Brower as dean of the branch campus. |
| April 13, 1974 President Spencer W. Kimball addressed 146 graduating seniors at commencement exercises held at the Polynesian Cultural Center. He also publicly announced the name change of the university. Mary Abigail Kawena Wiggin Puku'i, a Hawaiian lecturer, author, scholar and member of the Church, was honored during the program. The BYU-Hawaii student body also presented Sister Camilla E. Kimball with a Na Hoa Pono Award. |
| June 1974 Showcase Hawaii, the university's performing group, made its first tour in the Far East. |
| June 12, 1974 BYU President Dallin H. Oaks made his first official visit from Provo to the Hawaii campus. |
| January 13, 1975 BYU-Hawaii academically honored 26 students at a special convocation, the first such event since the university's name change. University officials also presented Wendell B. Mendenhall an Honorary Doctorate degree for his work with the Church building missionary program. |
| February 21, 1975 The Church Educational System Board of Trustees approved the Semester-in-Hawaii program. |
| April 1975 The selection of BYU-HC student body government leaders returned to a popular election system. |
| October 24, 1975 Alumnus Mata'umu Alisa, artist-in-residence, displayed a 60-foot mosaic depicting ancient Hawaiian sports that took place during the traditional makahiki celebration. The mural, commissioned by the State of Hawaii and completely fired in the BYU-Hawaii kiln, was later installed at Molokai High School. |
| February 13, 1976 President Spencer W. Kimball presided over the groundbreaking ceremony for a new library. |
| July 4, 1976 Elders Howard W. Hunter and Marvin J. Ashton of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles as well as president and vice president, respectively, of the Polynesian Cultural Center, dedicated the PCC's first major expansion. |
| July 21, 1976 The Western Association of Schools and Colleges reaffirmed BYU-HC's accreditation with a 10-year renewal. |
| September 1976 The tropical agriculture program, began in 1955, renewed and broadened its emphasis by placing 100 acres adjacent to the campus under cultivation. |
| October 19, 1976 University and Church officials presented His Royal Highness Taufa'ahau Tupou IV, King of Tonga, with an Honorary Doctorate degree during his two-day visit to Laie. |
| January 23, 1977 Elder Marvin J. Ashton of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles presided over splitting the Laie Hawaii Stake and naming Eric B. Shumway as the first president of the new BYU-Hawaii Stake for students, with Herbert K. Sproat and Weston J. White as counselors. |
| October 21, 1977 Elder Bruce R. McConkie of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the new library, parent-child center and physical plant buildings. Construction on the planetarium (McKay 125) began soon after. |
| January 1978 The Institute for Polynesian Studies, under the auspices of both BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center, distributed the first issue of Pacific Studies, a scholarly journal with Dr. Robert D. Craig as the editor. |
| June 1978 The BYU-HC rugby team, coached by Dr. Inoke Funaki, played in Fiji, New Zealand, Tonga and Samoa. |
| September 1978 The University's social work program received a three-year accreditation from the Council on Social Work Education. |
| November 1978 The BYUH Seasiders began all-collegiate men's basketball competition in NAIA District 2, with Dan Smith as head coach. |
| January 26, 1979 During this week Fiji Prime Minister Ratu Sir Tamasese Mara visited BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center. During his stay he previewed the film, Fiji: The Great Council of Chiefs, produced by the Institute for Polynesian Studies and BYU-HC Media Production Services. |
| March 3, 1979 The Utah Symphony played to a capacity audience in the gymnasium. |
| April 1979 The Seasider women's volleyball team, coached by Jay Akoi, pulled upsets against three national powers, including the eventual AIAW Division champ, UH-Hilo. |
| August 30, 1979 Elder Marion D. Hanks presided over the groundbreaking for the new 5,000-seat Cannon Activities Center (actual construction began earlier this month). |
| September 6, 1979 BYU President Dallin H. Oaks announced Dan W. Andersen's title would change from executive vice president to president of BYU-Hawaii Campus. |
| September 22, 1979 The combined BYU-Hawaii/PCC float — with the theme Peoples of Hawaii, Children Born of One God — captured the Grand Sweepstakes Award in the annual Aloha Week parade in Honolulu. |
| January 25, 1980 BYU President Dallin H. Oaks presided over the groundbreaking for the new Snow Administration Building. At a following faculty meeting he announced Dan W. Andersen would be receiving a new assignment within the Church Educational System and would leave BYU-HC sometime during the coming school year. |
| March 1980 Eric B. Shumway succeeded C. Jay Fox as vice president of BYU-Hawaii. |
| March 5, 1980 All the former Church College of Hawaii and BYU-Hawaii presidents visited campus together. |
| March 19, 1980 BYU-Hawaii marked its 25th anniversary and the sesquicentennial of the Church by staging the first Na Makua Mahalo Ia ("The Venerable Ones"), with Dr. Ishmael Stagner as chairman, to honor the following Hawaiian "living treasures": musician Bill Lincoln; composer and musician Alvin Kaleolani Isaacs; chanter and dancer Edith Kanaka'ole; musician and genealogist Alice Namakelua; and ethnologoist Dr. Mary Kawena Puku'i. |
| April 1980 BYU-Hawaii started a prawn farm, with Aaron Lim as director of tropical aquaculture. |
| August 1, 1980 Dr. J. Elliot Cameron succeeded Dr. Dan W. Andersen as president of BYU-Hawaii. Also on this day the Mormon Pacific Historical Society, comprised mainly of people associated with BYU-Hawaii, held its first conference. |
| August 22, 1980 Dr. Elliot Cameron set the goal for the University: "Our teaching should be the best. Our administrative efforts should be the best. Our facilities should be the best kept, the most modern." |
| October 12, 1980 BYU-HC hosted the first LDS Women's Conference in Hawaii, with Elder Glenn Lung and Sister Ida Smith as keynote speakers. |
| November 15, 1980 A 200-voice choir performed Restoration under the direction of Dr. James A. Smith in observance of the University's silver anniversary. |
| November 29, 1980 The BYU-HC men's basketball team swept the first annual Seasider Classic Tournament. |
| February 20, 1981 Dr. J. Elliot Cameron was inaugurated as president of the University. Also, the Board of Trustees approved the following building names: The George Q. Cannon Activities Center and the Lorenzo Snow Administration Building. |
| February 21, 1981 President Spencer W. Kimball visited the BYU-Hawaii basketball team in Hilo. |
| March 12, 1981 The University performing group, Showcase Hawaii, toured the island of Hawaii. |
| March 19, 1981 The Tongan and Lumana'i (Samoan) Clubs contested the results of Songfest, and ended up sharing the first-place title. |
| April 19, 1981 Dr. Reuben D. Law, the first president of the University, passed away. |
| June 20, 1981 CES Commissioner Dr. Henry G. Eyring presided over the commencement of 200 graduates. |
| July 18, 1981 Elder Marvin J. Ashton of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the Cannon Activities Center and the Snow Administration Buildings. |
| September 1981 Growing out of a 1979 high-level visit to the Polynesian Cultural Center, the University admitted six students from the People's Republic of China. Also this month, construction got underway to add 32 units, a multi-purpose building and faculty townhouses to the Temple View Apartments (TVA) complex; and the Institute for Polynesian Studies and the PCC launched a film project to document the archeological discovery of an ancient canoe in Huahine, French Polynesia. |
| November 1981 The BYU-Hawaii band was invited to apply for consideration for U.S. President Ronald Reagan's inaugural parade in Washington, D.C. |
| November 22, 1981 Elder Thomas S. Monson of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles divided the BYU-Hawaii Stake into the BYU-Hawaii 1st Stake for single students and BYU-Hawaii 2nd Stake for married students, with H. Kamaka Sproat (center, seated) as president of the new stake and Robert Goodwin (left) and Sione Niu (right) as his counselors.  |
| January 1982 The BYU-Hawaii "semester in Hawaii" program was cancelled. Also this semester, Hale 2 dormitory was remodeled and 40 rooms were added. |
| February 19, 1982 BYU-Hawaii staged the second Na Makua Mahalo Ia ("The Venerable Ones") program, chaired by Dr. Ishamel Stagner, honoring the following "living treasures": Lena Guerrero, musican and kumu hula; Sally Wood Naluai, kumu hula for the PCC's first 14 years; kumu hula Kaui Zuttermeister, Harriet Ne, Eleanor Hoke Hiram; musician Emma Kapiolani Sharpe; Sarah Kailikea, an expert in menehune hula; musican Andy Cummings; singer Alfred Apaka Sr.; Hawaiian language expert Theodore Kelsey; musican Sol Bright Sr.; and musican Sarah Pule. |
| March 3, 1982 Japan's Prince Hitachi and his wife visited the Polynesian Cultural Center. |
| March 12, 1982 Hawaii Gov. George Ariyoshi addressed the University community. |
| March 21, 1982 A major Sunday-morning flood caused considerable damage throughout the Laie community. |
| November 23, 1982 Hurricane Iwa temporarily closed down BYU-Hawaii, the Hawaii Temple and the Polynesian Cultural Center. |
| April 11, 1983 A satellite branch of the U.S. Postal Service opened in the Aloha Center. |
| August 1983 The BYU-Hawaii rugby team took the Hawaii state title with a 12-0 season record. Also this month, the Focus Film Club, with Glenn Kau as advisor, won first prize from the Hawaii Film Board for their production, The Chill; and the women's volleyball team was ranked number-two in the nation. |
| April 6, 1983 Dr. Dale Berg announced a class in archeology would begin a dig to find the foundation of the first sugar mill in Laie. |
| January 7, 1984 Premier Zhao Ziyang of the People's Republic of China made an unprecedented visit to BYU-Hawaii and the Polynesian Cultural Center. Elder Marvin J. Ashton represented the Church as chairman of the PCC. |
| March 3, 1984 BYU-Hawaii staged the third Na Makua Mahalo Ia ("The Venerable Ones"), with Dr. Ishmael Stagner as chairman, honoring the following "living treasures": Vicki Ii Rodrigues, Silver Piliwale, Tau and Rose Moe, the Farden and Beamer families, Jimmy Kaholokula, R. Alex Anderson, Charles Kenn, Wylie Swapp and Rose Joshua. |
| March 23, 1984 Ernest Carey of the MNST Division announced a workshop for faculty in the use of micro-computers. The library had two Apple micro-computers they could check out, with "Magic Window" as the word processor application of choice at the time. |
| May 1984 The BYU-HC/PCC soccer team won the Hawaii state title. |
| May 6, 1984 Honolulu Advertiser and Star-Bulletin writer Floyd K. Takeuchi reported that the "Joseph F. Smith Library has the most sophisticated library system in Hawaii… and is probably years ahead of any other [library] in the state." |
| September 1984 BYU-Hawaii and Norman "Coach K" Kaluhiokalani hosted the first NAIA Hawaii Intercollegiate Cross Country meet for both men and women on campus. |
| October 1984 The University acquired its first satellite dish antenna. |
| January 18, 1985 Arnold Sasaki, 10, became the youngest student to ever enroll at BYU-Hawaii. |
| April 1985 Drs. Lynn Henrichsen and Curtis Fawson became the first BYU-Hawaii professors to participate in an exchange with counterparts in Chinese institutions of higher learning. |
| August 30, 1985 The newly remodeled Aloha Center snack bar was renamed The Seasider, with Lee Lapenes as its manager. |
| December 14, 1985 The University presented its Distinguished Service Award to Laie kamaaina Eugenia K. Nainoa Logan. |
| February 7, 1986 The First Presidency announced that Eric B. Shumway had been called as a mission president (his assignment to Tonga was announced later). |
| February 1986 Fijians from Kabara island built a 42-foot traditional camakau sailing canoe, funded by a grant from the Institute for Polynesian Studies. |
| February 15, 1986 The genealogy library moved from the Joseph F. Smith Library to the Hawaii Temple Visitors Center. |
| February 20, 1986 The BYU-Hawaii Board of Trustees met on campus for the first time. Members included Elders Thomas S. Monson, L. Tom Perry, Neal A. Maxwell, Henry G. Eyring and Harold Western. BYU President Jeffrey Holland and Elder John Carmack also attended. |
| March 1, 1986 BYU-Hawaii and PCC staged the fourth Na Makua Mahalo Ia ("The Venerable Ones") program honoring the following "living treasures": Martha Hohu, Genoa Keawe, Bina Mossman, Sarah Nakoa, Charles K.L. Davis, Kent Ghirard and Albert Like. |
| March 16, 1986 Lloyd M. Monson succeeded Eric B. Shumway as president of the BYU-Hawaii 1st Stake. |
| April 1986 BYU-Hawaii President J. Elliot Cameron left to become Commission of the Church Education System. |
| May 8, 1986 Church officials announced that Dr. Alton L. Wade would become the new president of BYU-Hawaii, with Dr. R. Lanier Britsch as the Academic Vice President. |
| July 1, 1986 Dr. Alton L. Wade became the seventh president of BYU-Hawaii. |
| August 31, 1986 The University's aquaculture program closed down. |
| September 1986 Fall semester enrollment reached 2008 students. |
| November 1986 The BYU-Hawaii women's volleyball team took the NAIA national championship. |
| September 1987 School officials began a study for renovating, modernizing and refurbishing the dormitories. |
| November 4, 1987 President Alton L. Wade held true to his offer to buy one ice cream cone for any student who managed to greet him with hello 10 times before he could say hello to that student. |
| November 14, 1987 The BYU-Hawaii women's volleyball team successfully defended their NAIA naitonal championship. |
| December 1987 The Education Division presented its "Outstanding Service Award" to alumnus and State Superintendent of Education, Charles T. Toguchi. |
| January 17, 1988 Alumnus Gregory Newell, U.S. Ambassador to Sweden, returned to his alma mater. |
| March 24, 1988 Division faculty member began the An Evening with the Fine Arts tradition of music and art exhibits. |
| May 1988 The University cafeteria began a $4 million renovation project. |
| June 1988 Dr. Patrick Dalton and Wylie Swapp, the last of the original CCH faculty, retired at the close of the academic year. |
| June 15, 1988 The Mormon Tabernacle Choir performed its first-ever concert in Laie (and Honolulu the next day) enroute to 17 more concerts in Australia and New Zealand. |
| November 10, 1988 The cafeteria reopened following $4 million worth of renovations. |
| February 1, 1989 Construction workers remodeling the former technology building discovered a 33-year-old "time capsule" bottle in one of the interior walls. The bottle, which was sealed with a cork but broke when it fell to the ground, contained a letter written by labor missionaries. |
| June 1, 1989 Wood shop instructor Perry Keyes presented the grandfather clock (now in the Administration Building reception area) as the program's last project. |
| July 1989 BYU-Hawaii music professor Preston Larson played the Tabernacle organ in Salt Lake City, Utah. |
| September 21, 1989 BYU-Hawaii held its first academic convocation. Academic Vice President L. Lanier Britsch explained the gathering affirmed the "importance of general education and liberal education with our studies in class or in devotionals. This meeting will be the faculty's opportunity to share their vision regarding the wonderful undertaking we call 'getting an education.'" |
| September 1989 The newly renovated General Classroom Building (formerly the Technology Building) opened for classes and offices. |
| September 22, 1989 The BYU-Hawaii cross-country team won its second NAIA District 29 title. |
| November 1989 The University Information Systems committee was formed. |
| December 1989 The University's sewage treatment plant was found to be not in compliance with state regulations. |
| January 1990 The McKay foyer re-opened after extensive remodeling. |
| March 14, 1990 Dr. Eric B. Shumway succeeded Dr. R. Lanier Britsch as BYU-Hawaii Acacemic Vice President. |
| March 10, 1991 Lynn Henrichsen succeeded Lloyd Munson as president of the BYU-Hawaii 1st Stake. |
| June 21, 1991 BYU-Hawaii Academic Vice President Eric B. Shumway succeeded James P. Christensen as president of the Polynesian Cultural Center on an interim basis. |
| September 1991 Peterson's Guide rated BYU-Hawaii among the top-ten universities in the nation for a low-cost fully-accredited education. |
| November 1991 Dale Jolley of Salt Lake City restored the murals in the McKay foyer that were originally painted in 1958. |
| March 30, 1992 BYU-Hawaii President Alton Wade announced University academics would be restructured into the College of Liberal Arts, the School of Business and the School of Education, with Dr. Eric B. Shumway appointed as dean of liberal arts. |
| May 23, 1992 Charles Goo succeeded Lynn Henrichsen as president of the BYU-Hawaii 1st Stake. |
| September 11, 1992 Hurricane Iniki struck, causing considerable damage and closing the Polyensian Cultural Center for the day. Hundreds of BYU-Hawaii students helped with the clean-up efforts. |
| October 5, 1992 Napua Baker became the first female university vice president in the Church Educational System when she was named BYU-Hawaii Vice President of University Advancement. |
| January 1993 Accounting students began to use the new General Classroom Building computer lab designed for business applications, with Bob Hayden as director. |
| July 1993 The Federal Court issued a consent decree allowing the Church entities in Laie to resolve Clean Water Act violations by making major improvements to the wastewater treatment facility. |
| September 29, 1993 The Joseph F. Smith Library added computer links to the Utah-Idaho library network, a first step in bringing virtual resources to the BYU-Hawaii faculty and student body |
| October 1993 Remodeling work began to convert the Parent-Child Center into the new home of the School of Education. |
| November 1993 The BYU-Hawaii Alumni Association linked its records those of all the other LDS universities for joint administration purposes. |
| May 1, 1993 BYU-Hawaii's performing group, Showcase Hawaii, embarked on a 29-day tour of Guam, the Philippines, Hong Kong, China, and Korea. |
| January 12, 1994 The new McKay Faculty Office Building opened. |
| April 14, 1994 BYU President Rex E. Lee announced Dr. Eric B. Shumway as the eighth president of BYU-Hawaii. |
| September 1994 Following his 200th win (against 54 losses), women's volleyball head coach Dr. S. Wilfred Navalta became the first BYU-Hawaii faculty membmer Navalta selected for entry into the NAIA Hall of Fame. |
| February 18, 1996 President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed almost 14,000 Saints in two Regional mini-conference sessions in the Cannon Activities Center. |
| April 28, 1996 Carolyn M. Shumway, wife of BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway, was named American Mothers, Inc. national "mother of the year." |
| May 24, 1996 BYU-Hawaii conducted its first Hawaiian LDS conference. |
| August 1, 1996 BYU-Hawaii staged its first Education Week, featuring Elders Neal A. Maxwell and Robert E. Wells, and Sister Chieko Okazaki. |
| October 7, 1997 BYU-Hawaii hosted several thousand Church members from Hawaii and throughout the Pacific for a week-long Pioneers in the Pacific conference in observance of the Church's 1847 sesquicentennial arrival in the Salt Lake Valley. |
| February 12, 1998 BYU-Hawaii officially launched its Jonathan Napela Center for Hawaiian Culture and Language Studies, with William K. "Uncle Bill" Wallace III as director. |
| August 6, 1999 The BYUH Hawaiian Studies program planted the first taro in its Malama Aina site, Kahuaola, which is located mauka of GCB. |
| September 1999 BYU-Hawaii alumnus Jackeo Relang ('95) was appointed permanent representative of the Republic of the Marshall Islands to the United Nations. |
| November 19, 1999 The BYU-Hawaii library instituted a new online circulation system dubbed "Unicorn" in preparation for being compliant with the Y2000 situation many people thought might affect computers worldwide. |
| December 1999 Dr. Keith Roberts succeeded Dr. Olani Durrant as academic vice president of BYU-Hawaii. |
| January 1, 2000 Dr. William G. Neal, former Dean of the School of Business, was named Assistant to BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway, replacing Dr. Keith Roberts. Dr. Sheldon Smith replaced Dr. Neal as Dean of the School of Business. |
| January 2000 The ASBYUH organization put its "book swap" program online for the first time. Also this month, retired BYU-Hawaii administrator Larry R. Oler and his wife, Midge L. Oler, were named president and matron of the new Kona Hawaii Temple. |
| January 22, 2000 Priesthood leaders from all Hawaii stakes met in the Cannon Activities Center for a Regional leadership Conference presided over by President Gordon B. Hinckley. Later that afternoon and the next day is devoted to conference sessions for Church members. |
| February 2000 In conjunction with Hawaii Reserves, Inc. announcing a $5.5 million re-beautification project for the entire length of Hale La'a Blvd. in Laie, BYU-Hawaii announced private donations have funded a new front entrance for the University. Both projects are expected to be completed near the end of 2004. |
| March 2000 BYU-Hawaii installed a new satellite dish antenna behind the library to increase Internet access speed, establish data redundancy and create a permanent connection for digital broadcasts from the Church in Salt Lake City. |
| April 2000 BYU-Hawaii launched a $2 million project to upgrade the University's entire computer network, including 350 new computers, more fiber-optic cabling and 50 new Cisco "switches" enabling faster Internet connection. |
| May 12, 2000 BYU-Hawaii hosted the first National Pacific Islanders in America conference, a four-day event. |
| June 5, 2000 A major renovation project began on the McKay Auditorium. |
| June 17, 2000 Elder Joseph B. Wirthlin of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles addressed the University's 357 graduates, the largest single class up to that point. |
| September 2000 The BYU-Hawaii administration realigned the responsibility for athletics under the vice president of academics and the testing services under the assistant to the president. |
| October 9, 2000 BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway was named president of the Pacific West Conference during the regional sports organization's annual conference in Seattle. |
| October 14, 2000 BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway, and BYU-Hawaii 1st and 2nd Stake Presidents James A. Smith and Norman Evans, respectively, broke ground for the new student multi-stake center on campus that would include two chapels, 14 bishop's offices, 28 teaching stations, and would also become the home of the Religious Studies department. |
| November 2000 BYU-Hawaii revised its Honor Code dress standards to conform with a First Presidency statement in October General Conference discouraging tattoos and limiting piercing for earrings to one pair, effective fall semester 2001. |
| January 4, 2001 The State Department of Transportation officially activated the first and only traffic stop light in Laie at the intersection of Kamehameha Highway and Anemoku Street. Demand for the light increased significantly following the death of a BYU-Hawaii student pedestrian at that intersection. |
| January 18, 2001 The Institue for Polynesian Studies premiered Haka He Langi Kuo Tau: We Dance in the Ecstasy of Singing, the second video in a trilogy on Tongan culture, with BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway as executive producer. |
| February 1, 2001 BYU-Hawaii Athletic Director Dr. Randy Day announced that men's water polo would replace men's soccer in the University's line-up of varsith intercollegiate sports programs, starting in the fall semester. The decision included plans to renovate the BYU-Hawaii pool. |
| February 8, 2001 Seven huge logs from Fiji arrived in Laie in preparation for carving the BYUH Hawaiian Studies program's traditional twin-hulled voyaging canoe. |
| May 5, 2001 The BYU-Hawaii women's tennis team made NCAA history by winning their 100th consective match. |
| June 14, 2001 Almost 400 seniors received their BYU-Hawaii degrees in the University's largest graduating class ever. |
| September 2001 The mathematics and information systems departments merged into the new School of Computing, with professor Robert Hayden as the new dean. The Information Technologies Group (ITG) and Library and Academic Support (LAS) Deparments merged into the new Library and Information Services department, with Brett Ellis as the new director. Also, Dr. Brent D. Wilson, a finance professor at BYU, was named new dean of the BYU-Hawaii School of Business |
| October 18, 2001 About 800 people attended an open house for BYU-Hawaii's nearly completed Hawaiian sailing canoe, which has been named the Iosepa, partially in honor of LDS Church President Joseph F. Smith, who served several missions in Hawaii, and also for the Hawaiian Latter-day Saints who migrated to the Iosepa Colony in Skull Valley, Utah, in 1889. |
| November 3, 2001 Several thousand people thronged Hukilau Beach in Laie to observe the ceremonies and hear Elder M. Russell Ballard of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicate BYU-Hawaii's 57-foot traditional twin-hulled Hawaiian voyaging canoe. |
| January 2002 The BYU-Hawaii College of Arts and Sciences was reorganized into 13 similar-sized departments, with each having more accountability for its respective administration. |
| January 15, 2002 The newly created Educational Support Council introduced a new series of grade warning, probation and suspension policies. |
| February 1, 2002 BYU-Hawaii hosted the prestigious Philip C. Jessup Intgernational Law Moot Court Competition on campus for two days. |
| May 13, 2002 The BYU-Hawaii men and women's tennis teams made NCAA II history in Kansas City, Missouri, when for the first time ever teams from the same university won national championships in the same year. This was also the men's first-ever national title. |
| May 19, 2002 Five wards each from the BYU-Hawaii 1st and 2nd stakes started meeting in the new Student Stake Center on campus. |
| June 23, 2002 Elder Jeffrey R. Holland of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles dedicated the new BYU-Hawaii Student Stake Center. |
| September 16, 2002 The newly enlarged BYU-Hawaii swimming pool was refilled and reopened. |
| October 27, 2002 Laie contractor Keith Pierce succeeded Dr. James A. Smith as president of the BYU-Hawaii 1st Stake. |
| October 31, 2002 Ira A. and Mary Lou Fulton, major donors to BYU-Hawaii, dedicated the newly enlarged swimming pool which can now accommodate official water polo matches. |
| November 15, 2002 BYU-Hawaii launched its first Asia-Pacific Basketball Invitational Tournament, which included Kinki University from Japan, Shanghi Jai Tong University from China, and the Fiji national team. |
| December 7, 2002 The BYU-Hawaii women's volleyball team won their second NCAA II national championship by defeating Truman State of Missouri in Canyons, Texas. |
| January 2003 Construction work began on two new eight-unit additions to the Temple View Apartments complex. |
| February 3, 2003 A fire in the BYUH Physical Plant chemical waste storage room set off an explosion in the facility. There were no injuries, but damage to the structure was estimated as high as $200,000. |
| March 22, 2003 The CCH/BYU-Hawaii Alumni Association held an unprecedented meeting with Utah alumni in the Assembly Hall on Temple Square. |
| April 5, 2003 CCH alumni, Elders Beaver Ho Ching ('67) of American Samoa and Pita Vamanrav of Tonga ('71) were called as Area Authorities Seventy for their respective areas. |
| May 2003 The BYU-Hawaii TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) and EIL (English as an International Language) merged into the English Language Teaching and Learning Department. |
| May 12, 2003 The BYU-Hawaii men's and women's tennis teams, under head coach Dr. David Porter, won their second consecutive NCAA Division II national tennis team titles at Altamonte Springs, Florida. BYU-Hawaii is the only Division II school to ever win back-to-back men's and women's national tennis championships. |
| May 16, 2003 Elder Henry B. Eyring of The Quorum of the Twelve Apostles informed the BYU-Hawaii administration that the university now reports directly to the CES Board of Trustees. Since 1974, BYU-Hawaii had reported to the president of BYU in Provo. |
| June 14, 2003 BYU-Hawaii presented President Gordon B. Hinckley with an Honorary Doctorate degree. |
| October 18, 2003 Hundreds of BYU-Hawaii 1st Stake members conducted a "super-service project" to help the Polynesian Cultural Center prepare for its 40th anniversary celebration the following week. |
| October 20, 2003 The Polynesian Cultural Center started a week-long observance of its 40th anniversary, which included a special alumni evening show, groundbreaking for the $5.5 million Hale La'a Blvd. re-beautification project, and a community parade. |
| November 22, 2003 Chelsea Smith became the first BYU-Hawaii student to claim an NCAA II individual when she won the Women's Cross Country National Championship in Raleigh, North Carolina with a 6K race time of 20:33 — 25 seconds ahead of her nearest pursuer. |
| March 12, 2004 The BYU-Hawaii men's basketball team won its first-ever NCAA regional tournament game by defeating the U. of Alaska-Anchorage, 67-61 in San Bernardino, California (but lost the next game to Humboldt U.). |
| April 3, 2004 The First Presidency called BYU-Hawaii President Eric B. Shumway as the Area Authority Seventy for Hawaii and California. |
| May 12, 2004 BYU-Hawaii reorganized responsibility for all academic computing across campus and the Division of Continuing Education into the Center for Instructional Technology and Outreach (CITO), with Professor Robert Hayden as the new dean. The Board of Trustees also named Jim Nilson to succeed Brett Ellis as the University's new Chief Information Officer, while Ellis was named to succeed Hayden as dean of the School of Computing. |
| May 15, 2004 The BYU-Hawaii women's tennis team won its third consecutive NCAA II national championship. |
| May 18, 2004 The BYU-Hawaii Concert Choir, under the direction of Dr. James A. Smith, undertook a two-week concert tour in Japan and Korea that included an unprecedented performance by the first-ever Christian group in the Meiji Shrine in Tokyo. |
| May 20, 2004 Iosepa, BYUH's 57-foot traditional Hawaiian twin-hulled voyaging canoe, embarked from Hukilau Beach on its maiden voyage: a two-month training trip to Kawaihae on the island of Hawaii, under the direction of Captains William K. "Uncle Bill" Wallace III of the Iosepa and Chadd Paishon of the Makali'i. |
| June 19, 2004 The Plantation Store in the Aloha Center closed, in preparation for converting that space into the new CCH/BYU-Hawaii Alumni Association office. |
| August 31, 2004 Crown Prince Tupouto'a IV of the Kingdom of Tonga visited BYU-Hawaii to see the University's distance-learning capabilities and technology. |
| October 24, 2004 Elder Robert Oaks of The First Quorum of the Seventy presided over the formation of the new BYU-Hawaii 3rd Stake, with PCC President Von Orgill named as the new stake president, and alumni Meli Lesuma as first counselor and Logo Apelu as second counselor. |
| November 1, 2004 Former BYU-Hawaii guard Yuta Tabuse became the first Seasider and the first Japanese national to make it into the National Basketball Association when he made the Phoenix Suns roster. |
| December 2004 Construction work began on three new eight-unit Temple View Apartment buildings that will be located close to the S and T buildings, behind the Student Stake Center. |
| December 11, 2004 President Gordon B. Hinckley addressed the 248 BYU-Hawaii graduates in commencement exercises in the Cannon Activities Center, and that afternoon in the CAC dedicated the new improvements to Hale La'a Blvd. in Laie, the Hawaii Temple Visitors Center and the front entrance to BYU-Hawaii. |
| February 4, 2005 The Honpa Hongwanji [Buddhist] Mission of Hawaii named CCH alumnus Sione Tui'one Pulotu a "living treasure" for his many contributions in Polynesian wood carving, including the creation of the BYU-Hawaii 57-foot twin-hulled voyaging canoe Iosepa. |
| February 11, 2005 Elder Donald L. Hallstrom of The First Quorum of the Seventy, delivered the devotional address commemorating President David O. McKay's groundbreaking 50 years earlier on February 12, 1955. |