Kapi`olani Community College has a long, colorful history. Its solid reputation in culinary arts, hospitality, health services, liberal arts and business education is sprinkled with delightful stories of campus moves, student and faculty successes, and classroom innovations.

Established in 1946 while Hawai`i was still a territory as Kapi`olani Technical School, the school was administered by the Territorial Department of Instruction. Its first program was food service. By statehood in 1959, three additional programs were added: practical nursing, business education and dental assisting. The technical school realigned its programs and became part of the open door community college system of the University of Hawai`i in 1965 and was renamed Kapi`olani Community College (KCC).

Originally located on the corner of Pensacola and Kapi`olani Boulevard, KCC's enrollment grew rapidly during the 1970s. In 1974, the University of Hawai`i Board of Regents provided for a phased transition and transfer of the Pensacola programs to a new 52-acre campus located on the slopes of Diamond Head. Occupying five temporary renovated buildings once owned by Fort Ruger, KCC received the distinction of being the first two-campus college in the system. By 1980, plans to relocate the remainder of the campus to Diamond Head were under way.

Today, KCC still strives to achieve new heights and attain important community goals. KCC has strong technical, occupational and professional programs in business education, food service and hospitality education, and nursing. Health sciences, emergency medical services and legal assistant programs are unique to KCC and have received national recognition. The liberal arts program remains the largest of all eight campuses, enrolling more than 4,500 students. KCC is responsive to the needs of the community, identifying current interests or trends and providing programs that enrich public education. Close ties with business, government, social institutions and other community resources are critical to planning and development of KCC's curriculum.

KCC's DSpace community is to hold and share a selection of this vital institution's scholarly and administrative work. We extend a welcome to all.

More information about this community and policies can be found at About the Kapi`olani Community College DSpace Community