Kapi`olani Community College (KCC) is one of the most diversely populated community colleges in the U.S. Out of the 7300 students enrolled at KCC, our student diversity consists of the following: Japanese (21%), Filipino (14%), Caucasian (13%), Hawaiian/Part-Hawaiian (11%), Chinese (8%), Mixed (12%), Pacific Islander which includes Guamanian, Chamorro, Micronesian, Samoan, Tongan (3%), All Others includes Asian Indian, Korean, Laotian, Thai, Vietnamese, Other Asian, Mixed Asian, Hispanic, African American, American Indian/Alaskan Native (18%).

Besides a very popular liberal arts program, national recognition is especially given for our culinary studies, health sciences, emergency medical services, and legal assistance programs. There has been recent involvement with increasing course offerings especially in the science field. KCC was recently awarded with a NSF/TCUP grant in August 2005 to help promote and strengthen our Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM) program. Offering Meteorology as a new course for Spring 2007 would be a bonus since one of the goals of our STEM program is to create two new degree opportunities, such as the proposed Associates in Science Degrees in Life Science and Physical Science so that students can take advantage of STEM content pathways leading to undergraduate research.

Participation in the American Meteorological Society (AMS)'s Diversity Project will allow KCC to have its initial course offering in Meteorology, strengthening environmental science offerings. As of this writing, the author is currently waiting for curriculum approval for Meteorology 101 for Spring 2007. In the meantime, plans are underway to develop a Spring 2007 curriculum. The initial offering with involve a hybrid classroom of lecture and lab work. The Online Weather Studies (OWS) curriculum will be used to enhance meteorological understanding through its illustrations of key meteorological concepts and for interactive lessons and assignments in the course. An additional part of this curriculum is to connect with current practicing meteorologists at the NWSFO Honolulu via field trip and to open up doorways to potential internship and career opportunities in atmospheric science at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.