University of Hawaii President David Lassner received a mostly positive annual performance evaluation from the UH Board of Regents on Thursday, giving him the green light to continue leading the 10-campus system through challenges posed by the COVID-19 pandemic, changes on Mauna Kea, development of a new university strategic plan and more.

“I think we are generally pleased with the results of where we’ve been and where we’re going,” board Chair Randy Moore said, summarizing the regents’ evaluation of Lassner, who has served since June 2014 as the university’s 15th president.

“The challenge for the president is that the regents generally think the president of the university is moving too slowly, and the internal faculty and staff sometimes think the president is trying to move too fast,” Moore said. “So that’s the balancing act.”

Lassner serves on a continuous term at the pleasure of the board, without a predetermined expiration date. His $395,000 salary is considered low compared with many other comparable university presidents.

The regents held a closed-door executive session to evaluate Lassner, then Moore gave a public summary of their findings.

Moore said problems that have cropped up in recent years include fallout between the university and the Legislature, the tumultuous selection of the UH football coach, disagreements over faculty classification guidelines, slowing enrollment and a failure to secure money to expand the Clarence T.C. Ching Athletics Complex field to meet NCAA attendance requirements.

Among Lassner’s accomplishments, Moore said, have been steering the university system through the pandemic. “We noted that the University of Hawaii handled the pandemic better than almost anyone in the state, and with little drama,” Moore said. “The faculty, staff and students are to be commended for rising to the unprecedented challenges that the pandemic posed.”

Financial reserves are being rebuilt, Moore said, and money-saving efficiencies, research and philanthropy all are increasing. “And after the dust settled, there was general agreement that the hiring of the football coach was successful. Good decision,” Moore said, referring to the securing of coach Timmy Chang.

Moore said the board will direct Lassner to focus over the next year on multiple areas. They include developing the university’s strategic plan, clarifying faculty classifications, improved management of land and facilities, succession planning for administration, improving relations with the Legislature, and addressing declining enrollment, especially in the community colleges.

Meanwhile, the 11-­ member volunteer board — which is appointed by the governor and which formulates policy and exercises control of the university through the university president — on Thursday also held its annual election of board officers.

Moore was unchallenged and unanimously approved in his election as president for a second term. Alapaki Nahale-a was reelected as first vice chair, and Ernest Wilson was elected as second vice chair. The meeting was the first for new regents Gabriel Lee and Laurie Tochiki, who replaced outgoing regents Ben Kudo and Simeon Acoba.