Curriculum Vitae
ELIZABETH MISAO KEITH, Ph.D.
Professional Experience
Educational Administration
April 2017- June 2019. Vice-Chancellor, Hawaii Tokai International College. Consulted with faculty and staff, made recommendations to the Chancellor on a wide range of issues, and managed daily operations as delegated by the Chancellor. Directly led the faculty and staff members in the liberal arts program, college prep program, international programs, student services, and library and learning center. Served on the Executive Committee, the Planning Committee, Scholarship Board, Admissions Board, Evaluation and Assessment Committee, and Curriculum Committee. Due to the Chancellor’s absences in Japan, served as Officer in Charge approximately half of the time. Due to turnover in academic leadership, served in the dual roles of Dean of Instruction and Vice Chancellor for 12 months during the period from April 2017 to December 2018. Organized campus events such as faculty forums, concerts, movie nights with film directors, and the HTIC 25th Anniversary Celebration. Served on an accreditation team for the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC) that evaluated Columbia College in California. Led the campus-wide process of compiling and editing the Institutional Self Evaluation Report for HTIC accreditation, and created and led workshops on various aspects of accreditation to prepare the campus for the March 2018 ACCJC visit. HTIC’s accreditation was renewed by ACCJC for the maximum of seven years.
August 2016- March 2017. Dean of Instruction, Hawaii Tokai International College. Responsible for hiring faculty, scheduling classes, reviewing course syllabi, maintaining academic rigor, and responding to faculty and student concerns. Served on the Planning Committee, Scholarship Board, Admissions Board, and Curriculum Committee. Served on the Cross-Registration Task Force (with University of Hawaii-West Oahu). Chaired the campus Governance Committee and made recommendations regarding faculty and academic issues. Began preparations for the ACCJC accreditation process. Started a concert series and brought in external experts for Faculty Forums. Managed the on-campus response to the tragic deaths of three HTIC students in November 2016. Chaired the Commemoration of the 75th Anniversary of Pearl Harbor and held a campus symposium which was attended by 200 individuals, including leaders from the larger community.
September 2012- July 2015. Senior Lecturer, Centre for Transcultural Studies, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. In addition to teaching, I served several semesters as Co-Subject Leader for Japanese, organizing faculty and course schedules, lecture content, and classroom labs. I also managed a number of projects and events for the Centre, including the Kizuna Project in Japan, a Global Citizenship class and visit to Korea, a Global Citizenship class and visit to Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan, a visit to the Centre by the Governor of Ishikawa Prefecture, and a visit to the Centre by Japanese Ambassador Takeuchi.
Teaching
August 2019- present. Lecturer. Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Will be teaching courses on Japanese literature and culture.
January 2017- present. Liberal Arts Faculty Member. Hawaii Tokai International College. Taught History of Japan, Culture Specific Hospitality, and Anthropology: Japanese Culture. Mentor students in IS 200 (independent study) graduation capstone project.
August 2015 – December 2016. Lecturer. Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Taught Modern and Classical Japanese Literature.
September 2012 - July 2015. Centre for Transcultural Studies, Temasek Polytechnic, Singapore. Taught Japanese Language and Culture (elementary and second year levels), Transnational Studies, Cross-Cultural Communications, Global Citizenship, and the Cultural Awareness Program.
2002-2012. Lecturer. Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Taught Modern Japanese Literature, including summer intensive courses and required undergraduate survey courses.
Curriculum Development
2017. Led the development of the team-taught Cultural Specific Hospitality course at Hawaii Tokai International College. The course is an introduction to customer service in the tourism industry, comparing cultural practices in Japan, Korea, China, and Hawaii.
2014. Member of the team that created and taught the curriculum for the Cultural Awareness Program (CAP) at Temasek Polytechnic. The CAP began as a course for approximately 600 incoming freshmen in the Business, Engineering, Design, Culinary, and IT schools. The course is now a required subject at Temasek Polytechnic.
1990. Assisted in the development of Chaminade University’s Master of Science in Japanese Business Studies program, which featured a partnership agreement with NTT in Japan.
Research
February 2014 – June 2015. Centre for Transcultural Studies, Temasek Polytechnic. Collaborated with Dr. Darnell Cole from the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education on the collection of statistical data on the efficacy of programs designed to raise cultural awareness in Singapore.
February 2013 – May 2014. Temasek Polytechnic. Joint researcher in a campus-wide social integration project. Organized focus group interviews and collected data on local and international student and staff attitudes towards integration. Presented results of the research to Senior Management at Temasek Polytechnic which led to the launching of the campus-wide Cultural Awareness Program.
Training
January 2017. Trained 34 hotel employees at a Waikiki Sands Villa workshop on “Understanding Japanese Culture.”
2014- May 2015. Trained faculty members in the Schools of Applied Sciences, Engineering, Business, and Information Technology at Temasek Polytechnic so that they could teach the newly-developed Cultural Awareness Program.
2014- March 2015. Conducted Transnational Studies training programs for faculty, staff, and students at the Hachinohe National College of Technology and Tsuruoka National College of Technology, Japan.
Selected Presentations
January 2018. IAFOR (International Academic Forum), International Conference on Education, Hawaii Convention Center. Presentation: “Sustainable Education: Institutional and Academic Plans for Student Success.”
August 2017. Pacific Business News University, Hawaii Tokai International College. Presentation: “Understanding Cultural Diversity.”
April 2017. ACCJC Annual Conference, Partners in Excellence: Co-Creating an Outstanding Student Experience. Presentation: “Integrating the Learning Experience: Pathways to Sustainable Peace.”
October 2016. Fifth Asia-Pacific Forum on Translation and Intercultural Studies, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Presentation: “From Implicit to Explicit: The Challenges of Translation and Interpretation from Japanese to English.”
June 2016. Faculty of Education, University of Johannesburg, Republic of South Africa. Presentation: “From the Neoliberal to Holistic View of Education in Singapore.”
June 2016. Servant Leadership Conference, Ethics and Integrity Institute, Nairobi, Kenya. Presentation: “Cross-Cultural Listening.”
January 2016. Hawaii International Conference on Education, Honolulu. Presentation: “Examining the Impact of Diversity Courses on College Students in Singapore: Self-perceptions on Critical Thinking, Cultural Competency, and Coping with Cultural Challenges.”
September 2015. Guest Speaker at the Bank of Hawaii Personal Banking 2015 Summit Meeting of Managers. Presentation: “Singapore and Liberal Arts Education.”
August 2015. Guest Lecturer at the EDUC 706 Pro Seminar in Higher Education, Doctoral Students at the University of Southern California Rossier School of Education. Presentation: “Why Liberal Arts Education?”
September 2014. The 8th International Symposium on Advances in Technology Education (ISATE), Nanyang Polytechnic, Singapore. Presentation: “Workshop on Cross Cultural Communication.”
September 2013. The 7th International Symposium on Advances in Technology Education (ISATE), Nara, Japan. Presentation: “Temasek Polytechnic’s Centre for Transcultural Studies Programs and Transnational Studies.”
Advising
September 2012 - May 2015. Advisor to the Japanese Cultural Group, a Temasek Polytechnic student organization with more than 400 members. Involved in numerous cultural and student exchange programs from Singapore and from Japan.
November 2013. Brought Urasenke Tea Ceremony demonstrations to the Temasek campus for Global Community Day at the Centre for Transcultural Studies.
October 2013. Staffed the DIY (Diversity-Inclusion-You) program for Polytechnic students from across Singapore, including international students.
January–March 2013. Liaison with the Embassy of Japan in Singapore to select and send thirty Temasek Polytechnic students on a Japan International Cultural Exchange program, Kizuna.
Broadcasting
1986- 2012. NHK Correspondent in Hawaii. Researched, developed, and assisted in the television broadcast of news stories from Hawaii. Projects included the coverage of Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) preparations and events which were broadcast on October 3, 2011; the tsunami marine debris story which was broadcast on September 27, 2011; a segment on Hawaii’s renewable energy resources on August 5, 2011; tea ceremony on the Arizona Memorial on July 19, 2011; and the tenth anniversary of the sinking of the Ehime Maru, February 9, 2011, all of which were broadcast nationally in Japan.
Other major news events in Hawaii included the Ehime Maru tragedy in 2001, the fiftieth anniversary of the end of World War II in 1995, and the fiftieth anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor in 1991. Conducted research and interviews, and interpreted and translated for NHK’s science documentary programs on geology, astronomy, and volcanology. Occasionally broadcast live radio reports to Japan on events in Hawaii for the popular NHK “World Report” radio program, which had an estimated 34 million listeners in Japan.
1982-1990. TV interviewer. Conducted and interpreted interviews in Japanese, including an interview on Pearl Harbor for “The American Experience,” a WTBS program broadcast nationally on PBS stations. Interview of sumo wrestler Jesse Takamiyama was broadcast nationally in Japan on Fuji TV.
1981-1986. Program Director for JN Productions. Brought Japanese-language TV programs from Japan as well as producing programs locally in Hawaii.
1976-1983. Radio program host. Hosted a regular nightly Japanese-language radio program on KOHO Radio in Honolulu.
1976-1981. Assistant to the General Manager of KIKU-TV, a Japanese language TV station in Honolulu.
Translating
1976-2002. Subtitle translator. Translated subtitles for television programs broadcast on KIKU-TV, JN Productions, and Nippon Golden Network in Hawaii.
1976-1986. Translator for Kokiku magazine in Hawaii.
Professional Interpreting
1980-2012. Freelance interpreter.
VIP assignments. Interpreted for Prince Hitachi and former Prime Minister Fukuda during their visits to Hawaii. Also interpreted for former President Ferdinand Marcos of the Philippines; George Ariyoshi, Governor of Hawaii; Takatsugu Iwatsuki, Senior Vice President and Director of Nippon Telegraph and Telephone; Benjamin Cayetano, Governor of Hawaii; Tsuguo Iyama, Chairman, Japan National Tourist Organization; Ryûji Funayama, President of Japan Travel Bureau, Inc.; Osamu Suzuki, President of Suzuki Motor Corporation; and Linda Lingle, Governor of Hawaii. Exclusive interpreter for Jûzô Itami, the internationally renowned Japanese movie director, during his presentations, press conferences, and media interviews for two weeks during the Hawaii International Film Festival in 1990.
International conferences. Interpreting assignments included U.S.-Japan Conferences on Cultural and Educational Interchange (CULCON); Pacific Telecommunications Conferences; International Conferences of Public Broadcasting Corporations; U.S. State Department Conference for Foreign Journalists; NHK High-Definition Television Workshop; Dupont Chemical International New Product Conference; and Japan-America Conference of Mayors.
Legal interpreting. Interpreted during depositions, trial preparation, and/or trial testimony for Honda (motorcycles), Kawasaki (motorcycles), Toyota (passenger cars), Bridgestone (tires), and Suzuki (motorcycles, ATVs, sports utility vehicles, passenger cars). Other cases included personal injury, real estate, and business transactions involving Japanese-speaking clients. Interpreted in state and federal courts in Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Kansas, Louisiana, Missouri, South Dakota, Texas, West Virginia, Alberta (Canada), and the Virgin Islands. Served as a court interpreter during the eight-week “yakuza” federal trial in Honolulu in 1986.
Educational History
2013 June. Certificate. Teaching in Higher Education Certificate from the Temasek Polytechnic Learning Academy, Singapore.
2013 March. Certificates. Teaching Global Citizenship Certificate and Teaching Sustainable Community Development Certificate from the Temasek Polytechnic Learning Academy, Singapore.
2011. Ph.D. Japanese Literature, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dissertation topic: From Dôshinshugi to Realism: A Study of the Characteristics of the Poems, Stories and Compositions in Akai Tori from 1918 to 1923.
2002. Master of Arts. Japanese Literature, Department of East Asian Languages and Literatures, University of Hawaii at Manoa. Dissertation topic: Kaneko Misuzu and the Development of Children’s Literature in Taisho Japan.
1977. Bachelor of Arts. Double major in Japanese and French, University of Hawaii at Manoa.
1976. Diploma of French Proficiency. Alliance Francaise, Paris, France.
1973. High school diploma. International School of the Sacred Heart, Tokyo, Japan.
Associations/Activities
2018-present. Member, American Association of University Administrators.
2011-present. Member, Association for Asian Studies.
1990- present. Member, Yûshinkai, a group of women leaders of Hawaii who meet four times a year to discuss and practice cha-no-yu (Japanese tea ceremony). Served on the Planning Committee for the tea ceremony held at the Hawaii State Supreme Court on July 12, 2019. Selected by former First Lady Jean Ariyoshi to be the new Yûshinkai Chair in 2019.
1995-2005. Vice President and member of the Board of Trustees of the Japanese Women’s Society.
1983-1991. Member of the Board of Trustees of the Japan-America Society of Honolulu.
1983-1984. Panelist and presenter for international conferences for the foreign press held in Tokyo. My paper on Japanese businesses and their role in Hawaii’s community was reported in the Tokyo Shimbun.
