In response to findings by a state Senate investigatory committee, the University of Hawaii Board of Regents and President M.R.C. Greenwood said Tuesday that oversight, transparency and accountability at UH will be addressed.
The board, which had come under harsh criticism for its lack of oversight, said policies and procedures would be reviewed to clarify the lines of authority for the president’s office, the flagship UH-Manoa campus and throughout the UH system.
“More than ever it behooves us as leaders of an academic community to respect and maintain a balance between participation and accountability. The board shall inform the committee of the results of its reviews,” the board said in a news release.
Steps that will be taken include ensuring that the requirements of state sunshine laws are met, and responding to the legislative committee on its requests for detailed information.
The Senate Special Committee on Accountability, led by Sen. Donna Mercado Kim (D, Kalihi Valley-Halawa), investigated the failed Stevie Wonder concert and its aftermath. When the committee’s report was released Nov. 19, the university said Greenwood was traveling and hadn’t had a chance to review the report, and the regents had no comment.
The committee report raised questions about the university’s spending to hire outside attorneys and public relations firms.
Former athletic director Jim Donovan was blamed for failing to provide oversight and ensuring due diligence that would have prevented the university from losing $200,000 in what turned out to be an alleged scam.
In June, university officials announced that Wonder had agreed to an Aug. 18 performance to benefit the UH athletic department. Ticket sales were well under way by July 10 when Donovan announced that there would be no concert because Wonder and his representatives had not authorized the event. About 6,000 ticket-holders had to be refunded.
The FBI arrested two men last month in connection with the alleged scam.
