By Jennifer Hiller
Advertiser Staff Writer
The University of Hawai‘i Board of Regents met yesterday in a closed meeting to discuss recruiting a new president for the 10-campus system.
Regents are expected to name the new president some time in the next five to six weeks, but students and faculty members at the university system remain in the dark about the search process.
Regents have yet to release the names of any finalists or even details about whether any candidates have been brought to Hawai‘i for on-campus interviews.
The regents have promised UH faculty members they will release the names of the top candidates toward the end of the search. But David Iha, secretary to the board, said the search committee and the regents will continue to keep that information under wraps for now. "We don’t want to lose anyone due to a premature announcement," Iha said.
The secretive search process, common on many university campuses, has fueled speculation and rumors among faculty members that the new president could be someone from outside academia. But with just weeks to go on the board’s timetable, many faculty members are wondering why they don’t yet know more about the candidates.
In previous presidential searches, names have leaked out on campus before an announcement. "With 17 people on the committee, it’s kind of surprising that nothing has come out," said Jim Manke, UH spokesman.
UH President Kenneth Mortimer announced his retirement last spring and set July 2001 as his departure date, giving the Board of Regents 14 months to find a successor. The format they are using — tapping a search committee and hiring a consulting firm to gather names — is the same one used to bring Mortimer to UH in 1993. Board chairwoman Lily Yao appointed a 17-member committee to oversee the search process and recommend names to the regents.
Iha said the board is sticking to a timeline it set last fall, so a new president should be named by the end of March or early April.
Math professor William Lampe said the university community hopes regents will keep their word and release the names of finalists. "They made a public pledge that five names would be released at some point. The faculty are counting on that," Lampe said.
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