The first thing visitors to Rockne Freitas’ office notice is the spectacular koa desk, which has come with him on a few of his recent administrative postings.
It was custom-made, he said, with a rare combination of the characteristic curly and birds-eye figuring from a single Laupahoehoe tree.
The money for the desk was a farewell gift from the University of Hawaii Athletics Department when he left as associate director some 30 years ago.
At 67, Freitas is capping a career with similarly varied layers. In May he was appointed chancellor of UH West Oahu. The graduate of Kamehameha Schools, Oregon State University and UH had 12 years in the National Football League before graduate school. There also was service as an Office of Hawaiian Affairs trustee; he frequently underscores his Native Hawaiian roots as key to his values.
But despite being chancellor at Hawaii Community College and a UH vice president, Freitas said he still find himself having to push his academic credentials ahead of the athletics credits, which still seem to dominate. During last year’s debacle over the Stevie Wonder athletics-fundraiser scam, coaches backed Freitas as the athletic director candidate.
Now his attention has turned primarily to the challenges of continued development of the new West Oahu campus in East Kapolei. But Freitas is also known as someone with influential contacts who can be tapped as a go-between. He figured in other UH debates, said Andres Albano, a former UH regent who chaired a panel on public-private partnerships.
Albano said Freitas was instrumental in closing the deal with the community on the Thirty Meter Telescope on Mauna Kea and worked with County Council members on the new Hawaii Community College campus at Palamanui.
The married father of two and grandfather of four has no plans to retire yet and said he sees his current job as a way to give back to Hawaiian communities.
"The most concentration of Hawaiians live in this area," he said, "so the job appeals to me because" — here he taps himself — "Native Hawaiian."
And then, as if he’s speaking to some future students, he added: "If I can do it, you can, too."
QUESTION: How do you respond to the criticism from lawmakers about the cost overruns in UH West Oahu campus development?
ANSWER: My response is to ask the question from RCUH (Research Corp. of the University of Hawaii). RCUH initiated the contract, completed the contract, oversaw the building of the West Oahu campus. … The information is with RCUH. Here on the campus, nobody knows.
Q: On your own personal history, how does your past athletics experience interface with your more current jobs in administration? Or does it?
A: It does, every day.
Q: How so?
A: From athletics, I learned team play — suppress my ego for the team, to persevere for the team, and to be prepared every day.
Q: You’re a big guy. That adds to a sense of command, doesn’t it?
A: Well, it’s a plus or a minus, depending on the issue.
Q: Where has it been a minus?
A: Talking with the Faculty Senate, they picture me as an athlete. And then I have to be top of my game in academics.
Q: Do you think they unfairly dismiss your academics?
A: Right.
Q: How do you counter that?
A: By being prepared. … I’m Native Hawaiian, so growing up I have to be prepared to talk to other ethnicities.
Q: Before we leave the athletics issue: Has anyone approached you on making athletics part of the UH West Oahu program?
A: I should answer your question from a contextual perspective. Every university is an implement of change or reflection … by playing to different audiences. Reflection means reflect the community’s themes, desires and needs. Implement change in the students when it’s appropriate and necessary. That’s what we do … wherever it is.
So, if we have support for Division 2 athletics at West Oahu, I’m going to charge ahead. The athletic department is like the front porch of universities.
Q: You call it the front porch because it’s welcoming, or the entry point for people?
A: All of the above. So if we have support from the community and from the Legislature and from the regents, I will charge on that.
But it completes the student experience. So we’ve got to build the academic programs first.
Q: So no active plan on athletics yet?
A: I’m doing my due diligence on athletics. Intramurals … and club sports.
Q: On the general mission: It’s been a battle getting West Oahu to this point. Do you think that battle to win support for it is over?
A: As you put it, the battle has been won. The university has established a presence in West Oahu, but not the war.
I don’t run into naysayers, but some people question why we’re located in West Oahu. And I think the rumor (at other campuses) is, "We’re going to share resources with West Oahu." So the war has not been won.
I’ve got to say, my predecessor (former Chancellor Gene Awakuni) has dogged perseverance. And he established this campus. A campus comes to life by people.
Q: I noticed a new part of the campus under construction. What’s going on there?
A: We sold six acres of land to Tokai University. They’re going to relocate from Ala Wai. They’re going to build dorms, admin buildings and classrooms. … They broke ground two weeks ago, and I think their time schedule is 2015.
Q: Will UH West Oahu gain increased enrollment and tuition?
A: If they take classes from us, international students, that’s good for us, and good for the student body to be diversified.
Q: What construction projects are on tap for UH West Oahu itself?
A: We have an appropriation from the Legislature to build an allied health building. … We have to get the ball rolling at the (UH) Office of Capital Improvements. Allied health is a theme of the campus — dental hygiene, medical technicians, occupational therapy, physical therapy, audiology, social work.
Q: Are these programs not in existence at UH-Manoa?
A: It’s scattered all over the place. … Dental hygiene is at the (UHM) School of Nursing. Medical technicians are at JABSOM (John A. Burns School of Medicine), so they want to move that program out of JABSOM to us.
Q: Are these programs moving out here because the high schools are primed for these careers?
A: Community colleges and high schools are primed.
But this is the No. 1 underserved area (in education) in the state, and that’s why we’re here. No. 2 is West Hawaii, and Palamanui campus is breaking ground.
Q: How do you view the change in UH administration that’s coming? Are you concerned about the commitment to this campus?
A: I have no concern, because this is a new campus. We put plenty money into establishing the campus, and more money is required but … when we have campuses, educational programs, and the community supports this campus, I have no concerns.
Q: What’s the latest about accreditation, which did seem to be a concern?
A: We’re fully accredited. … There was a letter of concern nine months ago from the WASC (Western Association of Schools and Colleges) visiting team. They were concerned about leadership stability and student centeredness and the strategic plan. … They’re going to get over the letter of concern when WASC visits us in the fall of 2014.
Q: So, how are you going to answer them then?
A: We’re working on a strategic plan and ADP (academic development plan) for 50 years. The short-term plan is gotta balance the budget, increase resources (and) respond to student needs and community needs. And fourth is increase morale.
Q: Morale is an issue right now?
A: I don’t know, but I don’t know what I don’t know. …
Q: Well, you evidently have heard something.
A: I heard rumors that morale is down.
Q: You have any sense of why that is?
A: Yeah, but I’m not going to answer.
Q: How are you going to investigate this?
A: My management style is participatory, empowering, transparent. … Faculty and staff don’t know the budget. I’m going to transmit the budget, for everyone. … I’m going to assemble a team that looks over the SLO (accreditation requirements) and charge them with the requirement of what we ask for the system, the legislative ask. And that’s all transparent.
Q: So they’ll be involved in building the budget?
A: Absolutely.
Q: On the issue of enrollment: Is it growing fast enough?
A: At this time, we’re 27 percent ahead of this time last year. If we get 20 percent, we’re going to hit our target, and the target is 2,300. We have 27 percent right now, but we’re going to purge. If they pay the bills, they’re in. … But if they don’t have the ability to pay …
So we’re going to plan to go to every high school. We have "2-plus-2" articulation agreements with the CCs (community college) — meaning accept their graduates at West Oahu. … So at West Oahu, the CC graduates with an associate degree, we accept all core (courses) in the core requirements.
You know, the "four to get out, at 15 credits (per semester)"? I like that.
Q: So you think this will help students to graduate in four years, without spending great wads of money?
A: Right. They want to go to graduate school? Go to Manoa. Come to us for a great baccalaureate degree. … I did that on Hawaii island, and we doubled enrollment. We went to every high school and talked to the students and counselors. …
We have to build dorms in the future to get international students, mainland students, neighbor island students, too.
Q: Do you see yourself in competition with UH-Hilo for that? That’s the other baccalaureate campus.
A: We’re not on the same island. We’re not going to compete with Manoa, or UHH, or any other campus. We compete with ourselves.
