Hawaii Loa College was a private, four-year,

liberal arts Liberal arts education (from Latin "free" and "art or principled practice") is the traditional academic course in Western higher education. ''Liberal arts'' takes the term '' art'' in the sense of a learned skill rather than specifically th ...

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

in Kaneohe, Hawaii, founded in 1963 as Christian College of the Pacific by a consortium of four

Protestant Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...

church Church may refer to: Religion * Church (building), a building for Christian religious activities * Church (congregation), a local congregation of a Christian denomination * Church service, a formalized period of Christian communal worship * C ...

denominations in Hawaii, with land deeded by Harold K.L. Castle on which to build a campus. The idea originated with Rev. Harry S. Komuro, then superintendent of the

Methodist Mission The Methodist Mission was the Methodist Episcopal Church's 19th-century conversion efforts in the Pacific Northwest. Local Indigenous cultures were introduced to western culture and Christianity. Superintendent Jason Lee was the principal leader fo ...

in Hawaii, and the founding trustees were Dr. Joseph Bevilacqua, general secretary of the

United Church of Christ The United Church of Christ (UCC) is a mainline Protestant Christian denomination based in the United States, with historical and confessional roots in the Congregational, Calvinist, Lutheran, and Anabaptist traditions, and with approximatel ...

; Rev. Frank E. Butterworth, pastor of First

United Methodist Church The United Methodist Church (UMC) is a worldwide mainline Protestant denomination based in the United States, and a major part of Methodism. In the 19th century, its main predecessor, the Methodist Episcopal Church, was a leader in evangelic ...

of Honolulu; Bishop Harry S. Kennedy of the Episcopal

Diocese In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associa ...

of Hawaii; and Dr. William E. Phifer, Jr., pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu.HLC 1971, p. 2 Other early trustees included

Herbert Choy Herbert Young Cho Choy (January 6, 1916 – March 10, 2004) was the first Asian American to serve as a United States federal judge and the first person of Korean ancestry to be admitted to the bar in the United States. He served as a United State ...

, Frank Damon, Jr., Dr. Wesley Hotchkiss, Ernest K. Kai, and Ted Tsukiyama.HLC 1971, photo captions In September 1964, the name was changed to Hawaii Loa College (HLC), a new logo was chosen, and a new motto was adopted: ''Aole i kaupoo i kaupoo ana no'' ("My height is not yet reached"). A master planning committee was also formed and an architect hired to plan the new campus on of scenic former Kaneohe Ranch land on the

Windward Windward () and leeward () are terms used to describe the direction of the wind. Windward is ''upwind'' from the point of reference, i.e. towards the direction from which the wind is coming; leeward is ''downwind'' from the point of reference ...

side of

Oahu Oahu () ( Hawaiian: ''Oʻahu'' ()), also known as "The Gathering Place", is the third-largest of the Hawaiian Islands. It is home to roughly one million people—over two-thirds of the population of the U.S. state of Hawaii. The island of O� ...

, looking up at the Koolau Range directly beneath the

Pali Lookout Pali () is a Middle Indo-Aryan liturgical language native to the Indian subcontinent. It is widely studied because it is the language of the Buddhist ''Pāli Canon'' or ''Tipiṭaka'' as well as the sacred language of ''Theravāda'' Buddhism ...

. The committee chair was Bruce McCandless and the architect was William L. Pereira & Associates. In May 1965, the trustees hired the college's first president, Chandler W. Rowe, former dean of academic affairs at

Lawrence University Lawrence University is a private liberal arts college and conservatory of music in Appleton, Wisconsin. Founded in 1847, its first classes were held on November 12, 1849. Lawrence was the second college in the U.S. to be founded as a coeducati ...

, who began assembling a faculty and administrative staff in order to be able to accept the first students in the fall 1967.HLC 1971, p. 3 Until the Windward campus opened in the fall of 1971, the school borrowed facilities on the campus of

Chaminade University of Honolulu Chaminade University of Honolulu is a private Marianist university in Honolulu, Hawaii. Founded in 1955 by the Society of Mary, Chaminade is located in Kaimuki, Honolulu at the base of St. Louis Heights. Chaminade offers bachelor's degrees in ...

(1967–68), then at 2345 Nuuanu Avenue (1969–70) nearer downtown Honolulu. By 1970, the senior class numbered 27 students. Later presidents include HLC philosophy professor Philip J. Bossert (1978–86) and

University of Denver The University of Denver (DU) is a private research university in Denver, Colorado. Founded in 1864, it is the oldest independent private university in the Rocky Mountain Region of the United States. It is classified among "R1: Doctoral Univ ...

chancellor emeritus Dwight M. Smith (1990–92). The beautiful rural campus site was both a blessing and a curse. Lack of infrastructure made it very difficult to expand campus facilities to serve more students and raise more revenue, making operations a constant financial struggle. By 1992, ''Money'' magazine ranked HLC number 13 in the west among America's best college buys. However, in that same year, faced with loss of accreditation and saddled with $3 million in debt, Hawaii Loa College merged with Hawaii Pacific University.

Notable alumni

*Cecily Byk, painter

References

* Hawaii Loa College (1971), ''Ka Moolelo'', vol. 1. Honolulu. {{authority control 1963 establishments in Hawaii 1992 disestablishments in Hawaii Buildings and structures in Honolulu Defunct private universities and colleges in Hawaii Education in Honolulu Educational institutions established in 1963 William Pereira buildings Educational institutions disestablished in 1992