[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 4 (Monday, February 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S276]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                        RICHARD HIROMICHI KOSAKI

 Mr. INOUYE. Mr. President, on December 30, 1997, Hawaii's 
senior journalist, A. A. Bud Smyser of the Honolulu Star Bulletin, 
featured in his biweekly column, ``Hawaii's World,'' the contributions 
of a dear friend and classmate, Richard Hiromichi Kosaki. Dr. Kosaki 
recently retired as the President of Hawaii Tokai International 
College, phasing out a distinguished educational career that has 
spanned over 47 years. However, I am certain that the Richard Kosaki I 
know will consider this to be just an end of another chapter of his 
life. I am certain he is now looking forward to his next chapter, 
equally challenging, and equally glorious.
  I ask that the text of the column be printed in the Record.
  The column follows:

                             Hawaii's World

                            (By A.A. Smyser)

       Richard H. Kosaki is retiring as president of Hawaii Tokai 
     International College, returning to an adivisory role, and 
     phasing out a distinguished educational career that has 
     spanned 47 years.
       We talked about it at a Kaimana Hotel lunch table where we 
     could see down the curve of Waikiki Beach to all the giant 
     hotels now clustered on the water and along Kalakaua Avenue.
       It was symbolically appropriate. Kosaki was born near the 
     beach, grew up there, swam and fished there and watched its 
     tremendous changes over his 73 years. Only the Moana and 
     Halekulani hotels were there when he was born. The Royal 
     Hawaiian didn't open until 1927. All the high rises rose 
     since statehood in 1959.
       Kosaki, for his part, has been a big mover for educational 
     change in Hawaii. He is the architect of the University of 
     Hawaii's community college system that now embraces well over 
     half of all UH enrollment. He was with the UH faculty group 
     that generated the concept of the East-West Center.
       After he retired as chancellor at UH-Manoa he carried his 
     belief in Hawaii as an international education center to 
     helping Japan's enormous Tokai University Educational System 
     establish an outpost here in a superbly built high rise at 
     2241 Kapiolani Blvd.
       In his beginning years as an educator, he taught political 
     science, worked with the Legislative Reference Bureau, and 
     helped educate many students who went on to be leaders in 
     government. He even helped to wise up newspaper writers like 
     me.
       We talked about two things: international education in 
     Hawaii, and other educational changes to expect in the years 
     ahead.
       The Tokai University Pacific Center here, the umbrella 
     under which the college exists, is not the gangbuster success 
     early visualized. It still needs heavy subsidy from Japan. 
     International students have never filled all of its 200 dorm 
     spaces but they have totaled over 100, and international 
     visitors have filled a lot of the rest.
       While most of the international enrollment is from Japan, 
     annual outstanding student award winners have come also from 
     Taiwan, Cambodia, Vietnam and Brazil. The only U.S. winner 
     came from Molokai.
       Courses deal mostly with English and an introduction to 
     America. They provide a ``friendly gateway'' to America for 
     international students planning study elsewhere. Besides its 
     help to these full-year students the center offers short-term 
     introductions to Hawaii and Hawaiians to students regularly 
     enrolled on Tokai's numerous Japanese campuses.
       And what about education generally?
       More use of Internet and TV for off-campus education.
       Less emphasis on classroom lectures, though they won't 
     disappear.
       More lifelong learning. UH community college students 
     illustrate the trend with an average age over 30.
       More interaction between education and active life 
     experiences.
       He has a favorite maxim: ``Tell me and I forget. Teach me 
     and I remember. Involve me and I learn.'' He succeeded under 
     the old system of listening to lecturers, memorizing and 
     feeding things back in exams. But he thinks involvement is 
     better and should be lifelong.
       Real education starts at conception, he says. Early life 
     experiences are the most formative. Kindergarten teachers 
     thus are more important in shaping a life than graduate 
     school professors. The latter are much better paid but the 
     balance is worth re-examining.




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