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David Lassner has been appointed Interim President of the University of Hawaii, UH officials announced today.
The University of Hawaii Board of Regents this morning announced it will vote next week on naming David Lassner as interim president.
Since joining the university in 1977, Lassner, 58, has held a series of technical, management and executive positions. He is currently the university’s vice president for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer.
Regents will vote on the appointment at a special board meeting set for July 30, and if approved Lassner’s appointment will be effective Sept. 1. The appointment will continue until a permanent president is selected.
If approved, Lassner will earn an annual salary of $325,008, the same salary paid to Interim President David McClain when he was appointed in 2004 UH officials said.
He would replace President M.R.C. Greenwood who announced in May that she will retire Aug. 31 to spend more time with family and address health issues.
The regents last week voted unanimously to approve a $24,470 monthly salary for Greenwood to join the faculty at the John A. Burns School of Medicine after one year of unpaid leave. That would amount to a nearly $294,000 annual salary, making her the highest-paid professor at the medical school, but she may end up working in six-month increments, in which case she would be paid monthly.
The regents have also formed a selection committee to search for a permanent replacement for Greenwood.
In a UH news release issued this morning, regent John Holzman said, “The Board of Regents has complete confidence that Vice President Lassner will continue to move forward the agenda affirmed by the board, and to pave the way for the next permanent president of the university.” He added, “It was a unanimous choice on the part of the board to post his appointment for public discussion and vote.”
Since 2007, Lassner has served as the university’s first vice president for Information Technology and Chief Information Officer. Previously, he served as the first UH chief information officer and first director of information technology.
A native of Connecticut, Lassner earned a bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in economics and computer science, respectively, from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He holds a doctorate in communication and information sciences from the University of Hawaii at Manoa, and in 2010 was recognized as a Distinguished Alumnus of the University of Hawaii.
