The University of Hawaii West Oahu is celebrating 50 years since its first classes, a good-news milestone for the Kapolei campus and the students it serves.

• The school opened in 1976 as West Oahu College with 75 students in temporary portable buildings.
• It now serves close to 3,000 students as a full four-year campus in Kapolei.
• Early staff recall starting with almost nothing, renting space after years of talk about a new campus that never came together.
• Anniversary events begin with an opening ceremony and a historical archive display at the James and Abigail Campbell Library.

Outlook: Celebrations run through the month, with more anniversary events planned on campus.