The University of Hawaii Board of Regents is beginning its annual evaluation of UH President M.R.C. Greenwood, the fourth since she was hired in 2009 and the first since the Stevie Wonder concert fiasco.
The evaluation, which will likely continue until May, the end of the academic year, is conducted by a task group of three board members. The group meets behind closed doors and does not solicit comments from the public, faculty, staff or students.
Greenwood’s performance has been "exceptional" every year, according to the task group memos to the board obtained by the Star-Advertiser through the Freedom of Information Act.
The public may not be aware of Greenwood’s evaluations because the board does not post the president’s evaluation on its agenda, an apparent violation of the state sunshine law.A review of the board’s agendas for the last three years shows no mention of an annual evaluation of the president.
The board’s July 15, 2010, and May 19, 2011, agendas do list "executive evaluations" in its closed-door executive sessions. But Greenwood’s name is not listed in the attachments detailing the personnel actions before the board.
Current task force chairman Carl Carlson said the board set up Greenwood’s evaluation process based on guidelines from the Association of Governing Boards, which provides guidance and best-practice policies for boards and top executives of public and private universities and colleges.
"I think the process has worked well," Carlson said.
Greenwood’s last evaluation is summarized in a May 16 memo from Carlson to regents Chairman Eric Martinson. The group rated her performance as "exceptional" and noted that the board at its Jan. 20, 2011, meeting had unanimously approved extending Greenwood’s contract until 2015.
The board met May 17, the day after the memo, but there’s no mention in the agenda of the task group or of the president’s evaluation.
The task group is allowed to meet without posting an agenda. The sunshine law gives some flexibility when less than a majority of board members meet in private to accomplish a specific task.
But because the group is allowed to meet in secret, the presentation of its report must be listed on the board’s agenda twice — once when the report is presented and a second time, at another meeting, if the board acts on the report, such as voting to approve the president’s evaluation. The law also requires task groups to present their findings to the board at a properly noticed meeting.
Greenwood’s salary is a separate issue.
The board has not voted on giving Greenwood a raise because she has not sought a salary increase since she was hired. Moreover, she took a 10 percent pay cut along with other top UH management because of the university’s budget problems. Greenwood makes $427,512 a year, plus a $5,000-a-month housing allowance.
The task group also talks privately with each board member to get comments about how individual board members feel about the president’s performance, Carlson said.
The Association of Governing Boards guidelines also call for a "comprehensive review" of the president and the university every three to five years. The comprehensive review should include an assessment of the board and confidential interviews with faculty, staff, students, alumni and others, according to the guidelines posted on the AGB website. The AGB recommends boards hire a consultant to help with the review.
Carlson said the regents will likely conduct a comprehensive review next year.
The guidelines also call for confidentiality. However, AGB notes, "Boards should seek legal counsel on confidential and open-meeting/ open-record laws to clarify what should or will be confidential, especially in the case of public college or university boards."
