The University of Hawaii at Manoa College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources has changed its name, swapping the word “Resources” to “Resilience.” 

This allows CTAHR to keep its well-known acronym, while better reflecting the college’s mission and vision, according to Dean Parwinder Grewal.  

“This update embodies our college’s commitment to fostering resilience across individuals, communities, economies and ecosystems, emphasizing its focus on sustainable agriculture, climate change adaptation, and family and community well-being,” said Grewal in a news release. “We at CTAHR define human resilience as building individual, community and environmental endurance in the face of challenges such as climate change.” 

The process to change the name began shortly after Grewal started as dean of the college in March 2024. Grewal met with faculty, students and alumni, who supported the name change, according to a news release. A survey found that 67% of respondents endorsed the change. 

Over the next several months, the school will change its signage and webpages to reflect the name change.  

“Human Resources” was first added to the “College of Tropical Agriculture” in 1978 when the college merged with the UH Hawaii Institute of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources, which, in 1999, was dissolved. Since then, the meaning of “human resources” has shifted from being associated with resources for people, like healthy food and clean water, to business and personnel management.