As the University of Hawaii regents held their third closed-door meeting on the future employment of UH President M.R.C. Greenwood, Hawaii’s senior senator is expressing support for the embattled leader.

In a Nov. 6 letter to the secretary of the Board of Regents, U.S. Sen. Daniel Inouye said he was "saddened" and "deeply worried" about the negative news surrounding UH.

Inouye said his efforts to obtain funding for the university have been "particularly successful" under Greenwood’s leadership. He cited initiatives in astronomy, ocean sciences, biosciences, innovation and disaster mitigation.

Inouye also dealt with the athletic department’s loss of $200,000 in an apparent Stevie Wonder concert scam.

"No doubt there were serious failures in the internal checks and balances of the university system which must be corrected to ensure such an embarrassing episode is not repeated," Inouye said. "Unfortunately, harsh comments were made in frustration and anger that cannot be easily taken back. All parties bear some responsibility for ratcheting up the rhetoric. I most respectfully suggest that the parties put their arrows back into their respective quivers."

The Board of Regents met for about 31⁄2 hours in executive session Wednesday afternoon to discuss Greenwood’s employment contract and the legal settlement that led to former athletic director Jim Donovan being reassigned to a new $211,200 marketing job in the chancellor’s office.

Donovan’s attorney had threatened to sue UH after he was placed on paid leave following the failed Wonder concert.

Greenwood did not attend the executive session meetings, but she was at the board table for the public portion of the meeting.

Attorney William McCorriston met with the regents during their closed-door discussions. Regents hired his firm under a $25,000 contract to advise them on Greenwood’s employment agreement.

McCorriston negotiated the settlement that led to former UH President Evan Dobelle’s departure from the university eight years ago. UH paid Dobelle more than $1 million and allowed him to resign after initially firing him for cause.

Greenwood’s contract calls for her to get one-year’s salary and other benefits, including tenure and a position in the UH medical school faculty, if the board ends her contract without cause. Greenwood’s contract sets her salary at about $475,000 annually, although she took a voluntary 10 percent pay cut, along with other UH executives because of tight budgets at the university.

Sources said the 15-member board appears to be split on whether Greenwood should stay or go, with five strongly favoring keeping her, another five who want to see her go and the rest undecided.

Inouye urged the regents to consider the consequences of ending Greenwood’s contract.

"Time is needed to mend the fences and to begin to restore a measure of trust, and a working path forward," Inouye said. "I would urge you to balance the costs, both financial and reputational, that would come with an abrupt change in leadership."

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