Students within the University of Hawai‘i (UH) System often encounter unnecessary frustration when trying to contact departments across different campuses. Each campus has its own phone numbers, email addresses, and office procedures, and students—especially those attending multiple campuses or enrolled in distance learning—are frequently unsure which department to reach out to. This often results in students contacting the wrong office, only to be redirected multiple times, wasting valuable time and creating additional stress. This is a common yet largely unaddressed problem that affects a wide range of students across the system.
To address this issue, we propose the UH System Contact Information Hub, a centralized website that makes it easy for students to search for and access contact information for departments across all UH campuses. The website will allow users to filter by both campus and department, ensuring that they find the correct contact the first time. To improve the user experience even further, students will be able to create accounts and designate their home campus. Once logged in, the website will automatically prioritize and display contact information relevant to their chosen campus, while still allowing access to other campuses through collapsed dropdown sections. This structure allows users to focus on the most relevant information without losing access to the full range of system-wide resources.
This project is being proposed by Mason.
The website will feature several key pages, each designed to support specific aspects of student interaction. The homepage will feature a clean layout with a prominent search bar and dropdown filters for campus and department selection. High-traffic departments such as Financial Aid, Admissions, and Advising will be featured as quick-access options. When a student selects a department, they will be taken to that department’s dedicated page, which displays phone numbers, emails, office hours, and physical locations.
Each department page will include tabs for reviews, FAQs, and a submission form for updates. Users will also have access to a personal account/profile page where they can manage their primary campus, view their previous contributions, and edit settings. A separate “Submit Information” page will allow students to enter missing or corrected department data, including fields for contact info, location, and any relevant notes. Submissions made through this page will not appear immediately; instead, they will be added to a database for admin review and verification to ensure the quality and credibility of the content.
In real-world scenarios, the hub will offer practical solutions to common student challenges. A first-year student at UH Mānoa who needs to contact the Financial Aid office will immediately see their campus’s department contact at the top of the list, avoiding confusion with departments from other campuses. A transfer student enrolled at both Windward CC and UH Mānoa can quickly switch between campuses to find accurate contact info for transcript and registration support.
A returning student who discovers that a department’s phone number has changed can submit a correction through the site, helping future users avoid the same issue. Another student, unsure of whom to contact about registration problems, can consult the FAQ section and potentially find the answer they need without making any calls. These everyday use cases demonstrate how the platform makes a real impact on the student experience.
While the core functionality of the UH System Contact Information Hub is to centralize and organize department contact information, it also aims to go beyond this by fostering community involvement. Student-contributed reviews and FAQ entries allow users to benefit from each other’s experiences, building a crowdsourced knowledge base that reflects real-life situations and solutions. Students might leave tips like the best time to call a specific office or how quickly certain departments respond to emails, which can be extremely helpful for their peers.
To maintain information accuracy over time, the platform will rely on admin verification for all submitted data. Future development could include an admin dashboard for reviewing submissions, a mobile-responsive version of the website or standalone app, and integration with UH’s Single Sign-On system for added convenience. Additionally, a non-AI or AI-powered chatbot could be introduced to help guide students by answering basic questions or pointing them to the appropriate department based on keywords.
The UH System Contact Information Hub addresses a widespread, real-world issue with a practical, scalable solution. By organizing contact details in one place and allowing users to personalize their experience, contribute new information, and share insights, the site will significantly reduce confusion and frustration for UH students. It creates a more connected and accessible environment across all campuses and empowers students to help maintain and improve the platform for future users.