Observers were beginning to weigh in Tuesday on what they would like to see in the University of Hawaii’s next president, with several saying the Board of Regents should focus on a candidate who will be a stabilizing force in the wake of a rocky year.
A number of people also said they would like someone with Hawaii ties to lead the institution.
"It’s about time the university considers hiring someone who is here right now or who was born and raised in Hawaii," said state Rep. Mark Takai (D, Newtown-Pearl City), a member of the House Higher Education Committee and a sharp critic of Greenwood’s administration.
"It might be in our best interests … (to pick) someone who understands the recent history, some of the challenges we faced, and can calm the waters," Takai said.
Regents will discuss the process for selecting M.R.C. Greenwood’s successor at their meeting May 16, though details of what the search will entail could take weeks to work out.
Board Chairman Eric Martinson declined comment Tuesday, through a UH spokeswoman.
Greenwood, 70, announced her retirement Monday, saying she wants to spend more time with family and deal with health issues.
She will step down in September and take a year of unpaid leave before returning to UH as a tenured professor. Greenwood’s contract was set to expire July 31, 2015.
Her announcement came amid mounting critiques from lawmakers and the public about university operations and accountability —fallout from a botched Stevie Wonder concert that was to have been a benefit for UH athletics but ended up costing the school more than $200,000 in an alleged scam.
Kitty Lagareta, a former board chairwoman who supports Greenwood, said being UH president "takes a very special person with a strong understanding of how a 10-campus university system works as well as a deep understanding of all the constituencies."
Lagareta was vice chairwoman of the board when the regents fired former University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle in 2004, then rescinded its decision and allowed him to resign with a severance package. Lagareta was later named chairwoman and worked closely with Dobelle’s successor (and Greenwood’s predecessor), David McClain.
Lagareta said she understands Greenwood’s decision to leave, and criticized lawmakers’ actions in the wake of the concert fiasco, saying they overstepped their roles. Legislators convened a special committee to investigate the concert and its aftermath, publicly confronting Greenwood and other UH officials. In addition, concerns were raised about whether Gov. Neil Abercrombie and others tried to exert pressure on Greenwood to reinstate former athletic director Jim Donovan, who was removed.
The episode, which captured headlines for months, may deter some from seeking to fill Greenwood’s shoes and step into a potentially toxic situation.
"We have a mess," Lagareta said, "and it’s only going to get messier because it’s the first big chink in (the university’s) autonomy."
Lagareta added that in searching for the next president, the board should look from within UH but also "throw the net way outside."
But retired businessman Howard Lee, who has been active in Koa Anuenue, which raises money for UH athletics, said the board should strongly consider hiring someone from the islands who knows the basics of Hawaii-style diplomacy. "It needs to be someone who understands the community and the culture, understands how people think," he said.
Regents selected Greenwood in June 2009 after an intensive search process, which included a 12-member advisory committee. The body, made up of community members and regents, was formed to vet candidates and recommend a shortlist to the board.
The university also paid executive search firm Storbeck/Pimentel $100,000 to advertise the position and seek potential candidates. Ninety people were nominated and 78 applied. That list was whittled to 14 candidates, three of whom were from Hawaii, according to a final report the committee prepared.
Greenwood came to UH from the University of California system.
Donna Tanoue, chairwoman of the search committee at the time, said as regents begin looking for Greenwood’s successor, they should be transparent about the process and work to involve the community. She also said the board should maintain the confidentiality of candidates to attract the strongest people.
She added that she believed the committee’s process did come up with a strong candidate in Greenwood, who "up until the point of the Stevie Wonder incident … had done a great job."
Al Landon, who was board chairman when Greenwood was hired, said it is up to the regents to decide how they will proceed in selecting the next president.
"When Dr. McClain ended his term, we decided it was best to do a broad search," Landon said. He said if he were advising the board, he "would encourage them to focus on what they want in a candidate, try to specify what form of leader. Background is important, the constituency that they come from, how well they understand Hawaii, funding and relationships with governing organizations."
Of Greenwood, Landon said she has been able to launch or complete a number of large initiatives and projects during her tenure. "I would focus on those accomplishments and the good she’s done for the university," he said.
It’s unclear whether the board will select an acting president to step in after Greenwood departs and it hunts for candidates.
When asked Tuesday whether he would consider serving in an interim or permanent capacity, UH-Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple said he "stood ready" to assist the board in the presidential search but that he came to Hawaii to serve UH-Manoa.
"I’m looking forward to working with whoever ends up in the position," he said.
