HONOLULU — University of Hawaiʻi Athletics received a significant boost Wednesday as five prominent Hawaiʻi donors and organizations announced a combined $5 million commitment over the next five years to support student-athlete Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) opportunities.
Bank of Hawaiʻi, First Hawaiian Bank, Matson, Jack Tsui and Walter Dods will each contribute $200,000 annually through 2031, creating a $1 million-per-year foundation as UH navigates the rapidly evolving landscape of college athletics.
The announcement was made during a press conference at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, where university leaders, donors, coaches and student-athletes gathered to celebrate what UH Athletics Director Matt Elliott described as a transformational moment for the department.
“We are here today because leaders in our community decided to create hope,” Elliott said. “What you’ve done is provide inspiration. You’ve inspired us all.”
While celebrating the commitment, Elliott emphasized that the gift represents more than financial support. He pointed to a year in which UH Athletics captured five conference championships, won a national title in men’s volleyball, claimed a Hawaiʻi Bowl victory, returned to the NCAA Tournament in men’s basketball and graduated 170 student-athletes.
“This is about our fans, our community and our student-athletes all coming together,” Elliott said. “Because we can pursue joy, we can pursue excellence together, and we can have an amazing time doing it.”
The investment arrives at a critical time for college athletics as NIL opportunities and the transfer portal continue to reshape recruiting and roster retention. Former First Hawaiian Bank CEO Walter Dods addressed that reality directly, acknowledging that opinions on NIL vary but arguing that the landscape has permanently changed.
“People can certainly have different opinions about whether college athletes should be compensated,” Dods said. “But the reality is already here.”
Speaking candidly, Dods challenged those who remain skeptical of NIL and urged the community to become more involved.
“We have great leadership. We have great coaches. We have a wonderful community. But we still need M-O-N-E-Y,” Dods said. “People say, ‘Why should we do this? Why should they get paid?’ Hey, this is the real world now.”
Dods encouraged others to follow the example of the five lead donors.
“I’m going to speak out and beg the community to look at forming your own little teams of five people with five-year pledges,” Dods said. “I don’t care if it’s $5 or $50,000. Let’s get together and let’s make it happen.”
For UH football coach Timmy Chang, the impact of NIL is most evident in recruiting and retaining players.
“Recruiting and retaining has a dollar value to it,” Chang said. “There is a free agency that happens every single year in every single sport.”
Chang noted that standout performers frequently attract interest from larger programs.
“The better they look, the dollar amount goes up,” Chang said. “There is a dollar amount to trying to help recruit them and also retain them.”
He pointed to players such as Micah Alejado and Pofele Ashlock as examples of local talent that UH hopes to continue attracting and retaining.
“Having players like Micah Alejado stay home and Pofele Ashlock come and play for us and to keep and retain those guys, it is a real thing,” Chang said.
The announcement also offered a glimpse into the scale of UH’s NIL ambitions. During a question-and-answer session, Chang said the department has identified approximately $5 million annually as the level of NIL support needed to remain competitive in the Mountain West Conference and nationally.
“We shot a goal as an athletic department to raise $5 million,” Chang said. “And that gets us there.”
The newly announced commitment accounts for $1 million annually toward that target, leaving significant room for additional fundraising and community participation.
Several speakers stressed that Wednesday’s announcement should be viewed as a catalyst rather than a complete solution.
“This is just a start,” Matson Senior Vice President Leonard Isotoff said. “We hope more will join.”
First Hawaiian Bank Chairman and CEO Bob Harrison echoed the urgency of the moment.
“UH programs need the money now,” Harrison said. “Student-athletes are making decisions now.”
Jim Polk, CEO of Bank of Hawaiʻi, said communities that want their universities to compete at the highest level must adapt to the changing environment.
“The landscape of Division I athletics has changed dramatically and communities that want their universities to compete at the highest level are going to have to find new ways to support our athletes,” Polk said.
Harrison added, “We have to respond to it. We have to support our local teams.”
Throughout the event, speakers repeatedly returned to the idea that UH occupies a unique place in Hawaiʻi sports culture. Dods framed the university’s athletic programs as the state’s highest-profile teams, while Chang highlighted UH’s role as the lone Division I institution representing Hawaiʻi.
“We don’t have professional teams,” Dods said. “This is our professional team.”
“There is only one school that represents the state and all eight islands,” Chang said.
Elliott also pointed to the importance of retaining local athletes who choose to remain in Hawaiʻi despite opportunities elsewhere.
“When Micah and Lester and Luther and Dean and Pofele and Jamih and others chose that they wanted to be here at UH, they made the decision that they want to keep playing here,” Elliott said. “They didn’t want to go somewhere else.”
As the event concluded, Elliott expressed hope that the commitment would inspire additional donors to step forward.
“That’s what a leadership gift does,” Elliott said. “It sets the tone and the stage for others who want to be a part of it and participate.”
Wednesday’s announcement does not solve UH Athletics’ NIL challenge overnight, but it provides something the department has sought since the NIL era began: a substantial, multi-year commitment from some of Hawaiʻi’s most influential business leaders. Just as importantly, the donors repeatedly framed the investment as a beginning rather than an endpoint.
The message from university leadership, coaches and donors was consistent throughout the morning: NIL is now a permanent part of college athletics, and if Hawaiʻi hopes to retain local talent and compete at the highest levels, broader community support will be essential moving forward.