Public involvement advised in picking new UH president

Coming off a turbulent year, the University of Hawaii Board of Regents is preparing to select the next UH president, and observers say the board must take a new tack if it wants to avoid more angst.

"They need to get their house in order," said state Rep. Isaac Choy, chairman of the House Higher Education Committee. Choy said the board should take some time to look within — figure out whether it needs to change the administrative structure of the board, and seek a strong executive director, a position currently vacant.

UH President M.R.C. Greenwood has received much of the heat for the university’s handling of the botched Stevie Wonder benefit concert, but the 15-member board has also been widely criticized for a lack of transparency and for failing to hold the administration accountable.

In the wake of Greenwood’s decision to retire in September — 22 months before her contract ends — the embattled board is now laying the groundwork for finding her successor.

Legislators, former UH presidents and public governance experts say regents must work to regain public confidence if the board wants support for its presidential pick. They say the board should try to be as open as possible about its selection process, including salary and benefits. Regents should also have an open dialogue with the public and be clear about what they want in UH’s top administrator.

Richard Pratt, director of the public administration program at UH-Manoa and an expert in public institution governance, said to regain public trust, the board needs to change how it does business.

In searching for the next president, Pratt said, regents should take some "transparency risks," such as making the proposed salary range of the president’s position and any benefits publicly available before the search begins — and explaining to taxpayers why the position commands that level of pay.

Greenwood’s salary — $475,000, about $60,000 more than her predecessor —raised eyebrows even before she stepped into her position in August 2009. Greenwood has voluntarily taken a 10 percent pay cut because of continuing budget problems, so her actual salary is $427,512, but she has also been criticized for taking a $5,000 monthly housing allowance rather than live in College Hill, the university’s Manoa mansion that housed previous UH presidents.

"This is a public institution," Pratt said. "They (the regents) really need to explain to the people who are out here paying taxes why a person we are asked to trust might need some special benefit."

Those kinds of actions may not come easy to the board.

Chairman Eric Martinson has often declined comment on university matters, preferring to keep a low profile.

He declined to speak to the media in advance of the board’s next meeting Thursday to discuss the process of choosing the next president, and in the past he has deferred comment to the university.

But the board has also been undergoing changes in recent months in response to legislative and public critiques, and has sought to improve its accountability.

In addition to deciding on the process for choosing UH’s 15th president, the board will also have to determine the attributes the next UH president will need.

Former UH President Kenneth Mortimer said the university has had three relative "short-timers" since his departure in 2001. Mortimer served eight years, while his successor, Evan Dobelle, served three before being fired in 2004. Regents then rescinded that decision and allowed him to resign with a severance package.

David McClain, a UH insider, then served as UH’s president from 2004 to 2009.

When she leaves in September, Greenwood will have served four years as the university’s first female president.

Mortimer said in searching for a successor, the board might look for someone who would be interested in serving "a little longer and bring some longer-term view."

But he says that might be tough. The average public-sector head remains in the job for about five years these days, and university presidents across the nation are serving shorter stints because of the increased pressures they face.

Mortimer, now based in Washington state as a consultant on higher education, also said the president’s job at UH is unique. Unlike in larger states, "the university president is one of the more visible figures in Hawaii," he said.

So one of the major duties of the UH president, he said, are "public relations and legislative relations."

He added, "I would think the establishment of the university’s relationships with the public and the Legislature would be high on any agenda set forth for the new president."

Whoever steps into the position should be "somebody who learns how things are done in Hawaii," he said.

Several legislators have called on the board to hire someone from the islands or someone with ties to Hawaii, but Fujio Matsuda, another former president, says that’s nonsense.

"What we should be looking for, that depends on the university’s vision as the public perceives it," Matsuda said.

Calls to find someone from Hawaii "suggests this is a local university," he said. "I disagree with that. The University of Hawaii has national and international stature."

Matsuda, who headed UH from 1974 to 1984, said leading the university is a difficult job that has gotten harder amid budget cuts and the recent erosion of trust.

But he said there are leaders who would jump at the chance.

He said regents should make clear that people who want an easy job and a high salary need not apply.

"The people who say, ‘This is a challenge worth taking on’ — that’s the kind of people I want," he said.

Pratt said the board needs to ask what kind of president UH needs "at this time."

After the turmoil surrounding Dobelle’s departure, the board chose McClain, who proved a stabilizing force and who already had strong relationships with university officials, legislators and the wider community, he said.

"It seems to me we need a bridge-maker, someone to bridge back into the Legislature, into the community," Pratt said.