Stephen Tsai: Time is ticking for UH to select its new AD

The Mountain West Conference was on the clock.

On Sept. 14, 2022, Craig Thompson announced he was retiring at the end of the year as the only commissioner in the league’s 24-year history. Fifty-eight days later, Gloria Nevarez was named Thompson’s successor.

Since officially starting on Jan. 1, Nevarez has met with leaders of each school, including football-only member Hawaii, while addressing realignment, name-image-likeness issues, and working to keep the Mountain West atop the G5 conferences. There is urgency for Mountain West — and Nevarez — as the landscape continues to shift in college sports.

The University of Hawaii also is on the clock, although it appears to be set to “Hawaiian time.” The school lacks a permanent — and suitable — football stadium. It trails badly in the race for NIL opportunities. (In comparison, several Polynesian Bowl participants were set with life-changing NIL deals.) UH has an uncertain standing as conferences continue to morph. And, as of yet, there is no succession plan for David Matlin, whose tenure as athletic director expires on June 2.

Here is what we think needs to happen in the search for the next athletic director:

>> Minimum criteria should include a four-year degree, experience in leadership, fundraising background, and willingness to work with lawmakers. It’s an impossible dream to assume mainlanders who buy large amounts of Hawaii land also will be large donors to UH. While there are plenty of generous folks, the biggest donor always will be the Legislature. The next AD must be able to work with lawmakers and, at the least, not eye-roll a suggestion such as relocating the entire Manoa campus to the West side. Play nice, get paid nicely.

>> Candidates should publicly declare their interest. Too often a potential candidates tries to test the waters through intermediaries. The proverbial water is fine. It’s not Red Hill’s. There will be no secret meetings or asking-for-a-friend inquiries. If you want the job, say you want it. Transparency is not negotiable.

>> When a search committee was formed in the past, the UH president would take the panel’s recommendation, then make the final choice, then forward it to the Board of Regents for final approval. This time, to empower the committee, it would be better for the president to serve as a jury foreman. The committee would make the choice, and the president would get to announce it.

>> The committee should not include anyone who will work under the new AD. Sorry, but to avoid favoritism and kiss-okole comments from coworkers, you should not be allowed to choose your own boss. The HR person also does not get a vote. That would be like having a pre-nup lawyer sitting in pre-marriage counseling sessions. And a spot should go to a business leader only if he or she is willing to donate to the athletic department. If you don’t have skin in the game, you don’t get a seat at the table. (It sounds better in John Malkovich’s “Teddy KGB” voice.)

>> The committee should include UH president David Lassner, a male and a female former UH student-athlete, former UH football coach Bob Wagner, retired reporter Ann Miller and Regent Gabriel Lee.

Wagner, who probably should be an AD candidate, has national and local connections, and also came up with innovative suggestions, such as premium seating. He is in UH’s Circle of Honor. Miller, who knew the late Donnis Thompson and Patsy Mink, was a pioneer in reporting on women’s sports in Hawaii. Of the nine regents, Lee is one of only four to have earned a UH degree. Among his many roles, Lee is former chairman of ‘Ahahui Koa Anuenue, the fundraising umbrella for UH athletics, and former president of the Waialae Country Club.

>> Every candidate who meets the minimum requirements deserves a meeting with the committee. That would avoid the awkward AD search in 2015, when Keith Amemiya and Rick Blangiardi did not receive interviews. Those two were finalists in the 2020 race for Honolulu mayor that Blangiardi won.

Will any of this happen? Probably not. But the clock is running.