Alan R. Shoho.
HPU has announced the appointment of Alan R. Shoho, Ed.D., as its next provost and senior vice president, effective May 1. A seasoned higher education leader with more than three decades of experience, Shoho will help guide HPU's academic vision and advance its mission to serve a student body of nearly 8,000 drawn from across the U.S., U.S. Territories, and more than 40 countries.
"Alan’s experience, steady leadership, and a genuine commitment to student success are perfect attributes for HPU. We are thrilled to welcome him to our ʻohana," said HPU President John Gotanda. “His background as a provost, dean, faculty leader, and scholar will be invaluable as we continue building momentum across our academic programs and serving our students with a world-class education.”
Shoho most recently served as provost and chief academic officer at New Mexico State University, where he provided strategic oversight for academic programs across five academic colleges and three service colleges. In that role, he supported more than 700 faculty members and 1,500 staff members and managed a $350 million academic affairs budget serving roughly 14,700 students. During his tenure, NMSU achieved Carnegie R1 research status, improved first-year retention, increased enrollment, and expanded research productivity, including $141 million in external research expenditures in fiscal year 2024.
Prior to NMSU, Shoho served as dean of the School of Education at the University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee, where he eliminated a $2.4 million deficit, reversed enrollment decline, strengthened faculty diversity, expanded retention initiatives, and raised more than $18 million in philanthropic support.
Earlier in his career, he spent 21 years at the University of Texas at San Antonio, where he rose through the faculty ranks and later served as associate vice provost for academic and faculty support.
For Shoho, who left the islands 40 years ago, the appointment is as much a homecoming as it is a professional milestone.
"I am honored to join Hawaiʻi Pacific University and to serve its students, faculty, staff, and broader community," Shoho said. "HPU is a transformative institution that provides a student-centered, personalized, and experiential education in a truly unique learning environment. With President Gotanda's leadership, HPU is moving in a strong direction, and I look forward to working together to ensure students are successful and that every member of this community feels valued. Returning to Hawaiʻi is deeply meaningful to me, and I am committed to helping HPU strengthen its impact across the islands."
Shoho spent his earliest years on Hawaiʻi Island before his family relocated to Southern California, returning each summer to spend time with his family. He earned a B.S. in Electrical Engineering from California State University, Fullerton; an M.Ed. from the University of Hawaiʻi at Manoa; and an Ed.D. from Arizona State University. He was selected as an American Council on Education Fellow and completed his fellowship at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has also served as a senior consultant with Summit Search Solutions, supporting executive leadership searches and academic reviews nationwide.
Shoho is a nationally recognized scholar in educational leadership and has authored or edited six books, contributed more than 20 book chapters, and published over 30 peer-reviewed journal articles.
