HPU was founded in 1965 as Hawaii Pacific College by Paul C.T. Loo, Eureka Forbes, Elizabeth W. Kellerman, and Reverend Edmond Walker. Wanting a private
liberal arts college in
Honolulu, the four applied for a charter of incorporation for a not-for-profit corporation to be called Hawaii Pacific College. The state of Hawaii granted a charter of incorporation to Hawaii Pacific on September 17, 1965. In September 1966,
Honolulu Christian College, established in 1949, merged into Hawaii Pacific College, and a new charter was granted by the state of Hawaii. In 1967, James L. Meader became Hawaii Pacific College's first president. Meader, in consultation with community leaders, developed a comprehensive educational program. When Meader retired in 1968, the board of trustees elected George A. Warmer as Hawaii Pacific's second president. During Warmer's tenure, the college implemented academic programs in the
liberal arts and cooperative education. In 1972, Hawaii Pacific College graduated seven students in its first commencement class and in the same year established a School of Business Administration.
Chatt G. Wright became the founding dean of Hawaii Pacific's new School of Business Administration. The following year, the college received full accreditation from the
Western Association of Schools and Colleges. The following years saw the creation of the English Foundations Program, offering instruction to non-native speakers of English, and the Division of Special Programs, administering off-campus instruction on various military installations on Oahu. Warmer retired in 1976 and
Chatt G. Wright became Hawaii Pacific's third president. During his time in office, Hawaii Pacific continued to expand and develop through the 1980s. Hawaii Pacific launched a Master of Business Administration program in 1986, a Master of Science in Information Systems program in 1989, and a Master of Arts in Human Resource Management in 1991. Hawaii Pacific became Hawaii Pacific University (HPU) in 1990. Two years later,
Hawaii Loa College, a small, independent,
liberal arts college on the windward side of Oahu, merged into Hawaii Pacific University. In 2004, the HPU International Vocal Ensemble made their
Carnegie Hall debut where they performed
Morten Lauridsen's
Lux Aeterna and O Magnum Mysterium. In 2011, president
Chatt G. Wright retired and
Geoffrey Bannister became HPU's fourth president. In January 2013, the Aloha Tower Development Corporation (ATDC) consented to the university's ownership and management of the
Aloha Tower Marketplace. The approvals passed by ATDC were essential to Hawaii Pacific's plan to move forward in redeveloping the marketplace into a mixed-use property featuring outstanding student housing, retail and dining businesses, and community gathering spaces. HPU completed a merger to bring Oceanic Institute formally into the university in January 2014. Later that year, HPU held a ceremonial groundbreaking and traditional Hawaiian blessing at Aloha Tower Marketplace, marking the official start of revitalizing this iconic waterfront destination. The $50 million Aloha Tower Marketplace revitalization project was completed in August 2015, opening to students and the community. Aloha Tower Marketplace serves as an anchor for the university's core downtown Honolulu campus, including a center for higher education and university housing integrated within a community gathering and retail space. In 2016, John Yukio Gotanda took office as Hawaii Pacific University's fifth president. == Campus ==