The Sept. 11 attack on America has shocked and saddened all of us at Hawai‘i Pacific University. We have shared in the grieving and the anger. Like others, we recognize that our world has changed, and no one can be certain what the future holds. In the short term, there will be economic costs as businesses cut back and people lose jobs—including here in Hawai‘i. But in the midst of the grieving and anger and concern about the future, we also share with others a determination to move forward with hope, and that is what we intend to do at HPU.

This attack took place on American soil. The horrific event at the World Trade Center in New York City took thousands of lives, and most of those lost were Americans.

However, in his address to a joint session of Congress, President Bush asked that we not forget the citizens of 80 other nations who died with our own. The World Trade Center was, in fact, a world center for business and commerce. It was a place where people from every part of the world worked together to promote a global community.

At HPU students, faculty, and staff from more than 100 nations live and study together. For many years, HPU has integrated five themes into its general education core courses. One theme is Global Systems, which enhances students’ understanding of what holds the global community together through studying the interaction of politics, economics, management, science, and culture across national borders. Another theme is World Cultures which fosters students’ understanding of the values of people throughout the world, both as a means of interpreting diverse approaches to life and for understanding their own customs and choices.

Our students gather here in Hawai‘i to study and to earn degrees in a wide range of disciplines. Our graduates have gone forth to make their contributions to the building of a stronger global community. They will continue to do so in the years ahead, for HPU is committed to continuing its educational mission in concert with Hawai‘i’s role as an international model for the way people can live, work, and learn in an environment rich in racial and cultural diversity.

Terrorism must not stop that endeavor.