Greenwood quitting is opportunity

The announced retirement of University of Hawaii President M.R.C Greenwood has sparked the inevitable round of speculation. Greenwood herself cited personal and health reasons for quitting in September, before the end of her contract in July 2015, but everyone is sure to be pondering which of the recent flash points might have hastened the decision.

Was it lingering malaise over the "Wonder blunder" mishandling of the Stevie Wonder bogus-concert swindle? There were certainly a lot of hands contributing to that debacle.

Was it the accusation that contracts for construction projects in the UH system are being steered toward well-connected contractors?

Or could it have been the latest bruise taken by the UH administration: the failure of $22 million in negotiated faculty raises to be funded in the just-approved state biennium budget? Perhaps more than anything, that punctuates the disconnect between Greenwood and the powerbrokers at the state Capitol.

To be sure, Greenwood brought considerable knowledge and skills to her job of the past four years; among other accomplishments, much of the credit goes to her for the enhancement of the university’s standing as a research institution.

But if there’s a lesson to be learned from the difficult last 12 months of her administration, it may be this: Relationships still count.

Even with the university’s status as a semiautonomous entity of state government, the interests of the UH community are best served if its top administrators relate well and communicate clearly with others within the state leadership. Obviously, the back-and-forth between Greenwood and top lawmakers over the past year could not have been described in such terms. Essentially, it’s been pretty tough lately to feel much pride in UH.

Looking ahead to the selection of Greenwood’s successor, the Board of Regents needs to start the search immediately, casting a wide net for candidates without overlooking potential leaders from within UH ranks today.

It should be someone with the administrative skills to manage the various elements that make up the UH portfolio of services. He or she must show the ability to advocate for UH, both for the degree programs that remain the bread-and-butter concern of those seeking higher education and for the research enterprise that fuels future industries and economic development.

And the successor has to be willing and able to maintain a healthy relationship with policymakers who are elected to represent the will of the people.

It’s also time for a gut check by the regents, who are also there to work on behalf of the university community. Intended or not, the sense conveyed by the administration and the regents over the past year is that they belonged to a private club of some sort, one to which the public was not admitted.

The politicians in the mix did not always acquit themselves well, either. During the uproar over the former athletic director’s status, for example, they injected themselves into what should be personnel matters. The goal should be to establish a healthy relationship with the next president, but one with minimal intrusions.

In a farewell letter sent to university staff and faculty, Greenwood acknowledged the Legislature for the support it did authorize, including raises for most employees, even if the faculty-level pay increase was left on the table. Figuring out how to rectify that shortfall without imposing too heavy a burden on tuition-paying students will be among the most challenging tasks confronting a new UH president.

Greenwood also expressed thanks to those who helped the university overcome the strains of budgetary gaps while enrollment expanded. And she noted the milestones that were passed, including the opening of the UH Cancer Center, the UH West Oahu campus and numerous other projects of the past few years. There was also the approval for the Thirty Meter Telescope planned for Mauna Kea to claim as a feather in the UH cap.

If UH intends to build on those accomplishments, it needs a leader capable of navigating some pretty precarious waters, and doing so with transparency. Is anyone like that out there? We have to hope so.