The University of Hawaii is one of four finalists for the Barack Obama Presidential Library, it was announced Monday.The Barack Obama Foundation said it has issued a request for proposal to the UH, University of Chicago, University of Illinois at Chicago, and Columbia University in New York, all of which submitted their qualifications to host the future presidential library earlier this year.The RFP asks the four universities to submit a formal proposal that includes details on the proposed management and organization of the project, site development plans, community partnerships, potential for academic collaboration, marketing and attraction strategy, and information about any financial and other commitments from the host or other partners. according to the foundation.The RFP deadline is Dec. 11. The foundation said by early 2015, the group's board of directors expects to share recommendations with President Obama and first lady Michelle Obama, who will then make the final decision.Under the UH plan, the library would be built on a vacant 8-acre parcel in Kakaako, near the Children's Discovery Center. The UH proposal also offers a few suggestions for a presidential center, including the creation of a Convening Institute think tank, where Obama would bring together world leaders to discuss global issues and explore ways to address them, and an Education Academy, where research would focus on leadership and issues involving learning from the preschool level to the 12th grade.Hawaii officials plan a complete bid that aims to place the entire library in Honolulu. However, they have told the Honolulu Star-Advertiser that they met with Chicago counterparts this year to discuss possible collaborations if Obama chooses to split up the complex.Obama was born and spent much of his childhood on Oahu, graduating from Punahou School in 1979. But his political career started in Chicago and he later became a U.S. senator for Illinois.Last week, the Chicago Tribune reported that two \longshot\ South Side locations were eliminated as possible sites as the foundation narrowed the field of contenders.