Regents approve interim chancellor

Despite calls from University of Hawaii at Manoa students and faculty for the reinstatement of Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple, the Board of Regents unanimously voted Thursday to approve an interim replacement.

Robert Bley-Vroman, dean of Manoa’s College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature, was named to a one-year term, effective Sept. 1, with a $275,016 salary.

Before taking up the decision in executive session, the board heard testimony from 20 students and faculty members, with the overwhelming majority saying they’ve lost trust in UH President David Lassner and the board for the way Apple’s firing was handled — in a nontransparent manner without input from students or faculty. Several testifiers implored the board to reinstate Apple, whom many described as supportive of students, approachable and humble.

Lassner terminated Apple on July 30, following what he said was an unsatisfactory performance review. Lassner has said the former chancellor’s performance over the past two years raised serious red flags about his abilities to address Manoa’s financial problems, inspire his leadership team to carry out strategic goals, and champion the university’s flagship campus.

Apple was two years into a five-year contract and has since accepted a settlement agreement that will reassign him as a chemistry professor, effective Sept. 1.

Apple has said he was effectively forced out under the pretense of fumbling Manoa’s finances. Apple contends his failed attempts to remove the controversial director of the UH Cancer Center and pushback from the medical school dean for budget cuts contributed to his termination — allegations Lassner has denied.

The regents discussed Bley-Vroman’s appointment in a closed-door session that spanned three hours at Windward Community College. Following the vote, regents Chairman Randy Moore reiterated the board’s support of Lassner’s decision.

Reading a statement, Moore said Lassner and the board "greatly appreciate the deep concerns and ideas shared by students and faculty in face-to-face meetings as well as by written and oral testimony over these past weeks," adding, "The fact that there are different perspectives on personnel matters and how they are handled does not mean that the concerns are not being heard."

Moore said UH intends to honor its settlement agreement with Apple, and that "Dr. Bley-Vroman brings to the role decades of experience at UH-Manoa through which he has gained a deep understanding of the campus as a faculty member, faculty leader and dean."

Bley-Vroman, he continued, "will work closely with the UH-Manoa vice chancellors, deans and the campus community to address the very significant financial challenges faced by the campus."

Earlier at Thursday’s meeting, some who testified called for Lassner to resign, some demanded an investigation of the firing, and others warned that the regents are losing credibility for not reversing the decision.

"You’ve got a whole bunch of people here asking you to do something," said UH astronomer and professor Jeff Kuhn. "I hope you hear us. We the faculty have lost confidence and are embarrassed by the administration’s actions. … Many of us reached a tipping point with the Apple affair."

Lilikala Kameeleihiwa, a senior professor at the Center for Hawaiian Studies, said Apple’s termination has made UH a laughing stock among research universities across the country.

"How can we get another chancellor when we haven’t even let this one be here for two years? When he’s fired under such a cloud, how can we do that?" Kameeleihiwa said. "You’ve heard from the students, you’ve heard from the faculty, you’re hearing from Hawaiians.

"We want this man back. If you don’t reinstate him, people are going to start calling for all your resignations," she said, drawing loud applause and cheers from the crowd.

The Associated Students of the University of Hawaii and the Manoa Graduate Student Organization, along with the Manoa Faculty Senate and Manoa Faculty Congress, have been protesting Apple’s firing for the past three weeks, both in private and in public, a longtime Manoa professor said.

GSO President Michelle Tigchelaar questioned why students were shut out of the process.

"You as the (Board of Regents) carry the responsibility to ensure that the president makes the right decisions," she said. "You tell us that you love to hear from students, yet you ignored our request to put the firing of Chancellor Apple on your agenda. You told us that while sometimes the reasons for an administrative decision may not become entirely apparent, we students just have to have faith that the president and BOR will do the right thing. I ask you, how?"

Manoa Faculty Senate Vice Chairman Bob Cooney, who testified in support of Apple being reinstated, said he was disappointed with the board’s decision to move ahead with an interim replacement.

"I’ve never seen a board meeting with such intense and consistent views among such a diverse group," Cooney said after the meeting. "Basically they’re saying, ‘Screw you,’ to the faculty and students who testified. They will reap the rewards of their decision, I’m afraid. Everything that has happened puts the university in a very bad light."

He said members of the Manoa Faculty Congress earlier this week called for a vote of no confidence in Lassner and the board for the way Apple’s termination was handled.

Several regents said afterward that while they voted to approve the interim appointment, they want the university to re-evaluate whether the Manoa campus requires a permanent chancellor.

"For years, we operated the Manoa campus without a chancellor. … I think this situation gives us an opportunity to re-evaluate whether the chancellor position, and all the other positions that go along with it, have made for efficient use of our facilities and assets," regent Benjamin Kudo said.