UH-Manoa Faculty Senate censures new president
Professor Ron Bontekoe
The University of Hawaii-Manoa Faculty Senate voted 43-16 Wednesday in favor of censuring UH President David Lassner over the group’s displeasure with how Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple was fired.
The move is believed to be a first for a UH administrator, and comes less than three months into Lassner’s tenure as president and about two months after he terminated Apple following what he said was an unsatisfactory performance review.
The Faculty Senate considered amending the censure resolution language to a stronger vote of no confidence, which some equated to a call for Lassner to step down. But that effort failed in a tie vote that Senate Chairman Ron Bontekoe broke in favor of the original censure language.
The censure vote has no practical effect on Lassner but is meant to convey the faculty’s displeasure with the new president.
Several Faculty Senate members said they felt they had to send a message to Lassner that his handling of Apple’s firing was unacceptable because it did not involve consulting with students and faculty.
"I have to vote in favor of this, not because I dislike President Lassner — I like President Lassner, I’ve had positive experiences with him," said Bonnyjean Manini, former Faculty Senate chairwoman. "However, what has happened, the decisions and the way that the decisions were made to remove Tom Apple, stepped on the students and stepped on the faculty, and did not respect the principles of shared governance. And for that I feel we have a responsibility to say publicly that we are not OK with that."
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During discussion of a possible no-confidence vote, a few members suggested that Lassner first be invited to address the body before pursuing that action.
Manfred Steger, a professor in the Department of Political Science, noted that neither of Lassner’s controversial predecessors, M.R.C. Greenwood and Evan Dobelle, received votes of no confidence.
According to a UH spokeswoman, Lassner is out of the country on university business, but said in a statement, "I am disappointed that the faculty senate chose to take this action, but I look forward to working with them to address the challenges and opportunities facing the University of Hawaii at Manoa."
The censure resolution will be sent to the Board of Regents.
SEC RESOLUTION TO CENSURE PRESIDENT LASSNERWhereas, President Lassner, while still interim president, overrode former Chancellor Apple’s decision to remove a director of a UH Manoa unit for good cause–a clear violation of line authority; and Whereas, President Lassner, upon attaining the permanent position, immediately removed Chancellor Apple without sufficient consultation with UH Manoa faculty, students, and other important constituencies, as is called for by "shared governance" principles that are explicitly laid out in the AAUP report, "Faculty Participation in the Selection, Evaluation, and Retention of Administrators" (1981); and Whereas, this insufficient consultation, moreover, clearly violates the UH Board of Regents’ own delegation to UHM faculty of a role in the evaluation of campus administrators, which is to be found in its "Policies and Bylaws" Chapter 1-10; and Whereas, the precipitous firing of Chancellor Apple threatens the accreditation of the University, its autonomy, fiscal stability, and its ability to recruit highly qualified external administrators in the future; Therefore, be it resolved, that the Manoa Faculty Senate censures President Lassner for the inadequate review prior to Chancellor Apple’s dismissal. Source: University of Hawaii-Manoa Senate Faculty |
