Finalists to lead UH will tour campuses

Beginning Tuesday, the two finalists for president of the University of Hawaii System — current interim President David Lassner and retired Army Lt. Gen. Francis Wier­cin­ski — will spend a month visiting UH campuses throughout the state, meeting with students, faculty and community members and participating in forums and receptions open to the public.

UH’s Board of Regents hopes to then select the university’s next president in June.

On Saturday the university released a report detailing the regents’ Presidential Selection Committee’s nearly yearlong journey to name Lassner and Wier­cin­ski as finalists.

The committee was originally tasked with presenting the regents with five or six unranked finalists, but the report states that two of the five candidates chosen by the committee dropped out before being interviewed — one citing concerns regarding the public nature of the search, and the other wanting to pursue other opportunities. The board did not take issue with the fact that it was presented with only three finalists.

"Each finalist is talented and highly accomplished, and each is qualified in his own way to serve as President," the report states.

A third candidate indicated in his interview that he did not wish to continue with the public portion of the application proc­ess if any of the finalists had been chosen internally.

The report says, "He explained that his decision was based on two judgments on his part: First, he believed that internal candidates were selected about three-quarters of the time; and second, public knowledge of his candidacy would significantly undermine his work in his current position. The candidate subsequently withdrew when he learned that one of the finalists was indeed an internal candidate."

In response to advertisements published in local media, the Chronicle of Higher Education and UH’s own website, the committee reportedly received 60 applications and 20 nominations.

Regarding Lassner, current interim president and former vice president for information technology, the committee agreed that considering him as a nominated candidate "did not conflict with the original intent that the interim president would not be eligible to apply for the position," according to the report.

Thirteen deans and directors of schools and institutes at the UH-Manoa campus and an individual from the business community signed a letter nominating Lassner for the position.

The report says Lassner’s three references "were unanimous in saying that he is not driven by ego, is comfortable with himself, decisive when necessary, and fair and straightforward in his dealings with others." One of the three reference touted him as a visionary, while another said he "knows the ropes" of the university and works well with neighbor islanders.

Wiercinski’s references — he provided eight, of which seven were contacted — applauded his character, leadership and managerial and communication skills, while several also "praised his ability to listen, synthesize, reach a decision, and then implement," the report says.

John Holzman, board chairman, interviewed Wier­cin­ski, former commanding general of U.S. Army Pacific. He is a graduate of West Point and the Army War College.

Holzman characterized Wier­cin­ski as "a friendly, open, articulate and apparently sincere person who is deeply committed to public service." Wier­cin­ski told Holzman he became interested in the position after several friends of the university approached him about serving as president, and that his leadership style is to focus on team building and to "decentralize and delegate."

A military member, a community leader who knows him in connection with his service, and two people from the business industry and university community who have known him for a year or two nominated Wier­cin­ski for the position, according to the report.

Wiercinski and his wife have made Hono­lulu their permanent home, the report says. Since leaving the Army, he has established a consulting business.

According to the report, "The finalists understand that they will be expected to engage in multiple-day campus visits on every major island before the end of the spring academic semester to allow campus leadership, faculty, staff, students, and the public an opportunity to meet them, hear their views, and form a judgment as to their suitability to serve as President of the University at this time."

Arrangements are being made to provide free parking, and to live-stream the open forums on the Internet and to post them in their entirety for later viewing, according to a news release sent out Saturday.