Recognizing what UH is and must be
| • | Recognizing what UH is and must be |
| • | Dual school system reflects ethnic, class differences |
| • | New president: Excellence is only goal |
By Karl Kim
Having taught at the University of Hawai'i since 1984, I have seen our university go through good times and bad. I have seen winning teams come and go.
Advertiser library photo • Jan. 24, 2001
Like the rest of you, I have suffered through losing seasons but have also rejoiced in our university's major accomplishments — the discovery of new planetary bodies, the cloning of mice, the application of scientific knowledge to solve all kinds of societal problems, and the bridging of cultures through language and ideas, the engaged interaction of scholars, artists, musicians, linguists, philosophers and athletes throughout the campus.
Chemistry class at the University of Hawai'i at Manoa: "Colleges hold a special trust."
While there is room for improvement, we are a great university.
Yet it strikes me that most people outside academia don't really understand how a university functions, what motivates faculty, and the real challenges facing UH.
Why, then, all the animus toward UH in general, and faculty in particular?
I have several theories.
Theory No. 1. It's all about politics.
It is no secret the faculty union (UHPA) supported Linda Lingle for governor. Perhaps, then, it is payback time. Indeed, UH faculty would appear to be an easy target.
Few people really understand what really goes on at UH. We are particularly vulnerable for those playing the "race card" or pushing the notion that faculty are a bunch of effete, overpaid snobs. But the reality is more complicated. Most faculty are too busy pursuing research grants, publishing and teaching to be deeply involved in politics.
Moreover, many of us on the Manoa campus supported Cayetano for governor and are also active in nonpartisan community and civic affairs — so the "punish the faculty" argument seems rather illogical.
Theory No. 2. UH needs to be run more like a corporation.
Actually, UH already is run like a corporation, with a real hierarchy and chain of command, from the top down. I have heard people say that we need to eliminate the tenure system at UH, but that is actually the time-honored system of personnel evaluation employed here and at countless institutions across the country.
I have not heard a compelling argument for what would replace the system of tenure and promotion. A university without tenure and promotion would also have difficulty attracting scholars and freshly-minted Ph.D.s. While there are, no doubt, efficiencies to be gained by improving and streamlining operations at UH, and we need to improve our recruitment and enrollment strategies, the notion that you can turn a major university into a purely profit-seeking corporation is absurd.
There are going to be "unprofitable" sectors within a university. Because students don't want to take math or chemistry, does that mean we should eliminate these departments? Of course not.
Theory No. 3. Higher education is a luxury good.
I have heard arguments that we should be investing more in prisons and transportation systems, in buses, parks and golf courses. Other than a few pet projects, I haven't heard calls to invest in higher education in Hawai'i.
This is strange because if you talk to most people in the state, their greatest aspirations for their children involve sending them to college or graduate school. While we seem willing to send our kids off to Mainland universities or to pay much more in tuition to send them to private schools here in Hawai'i, UH is seen as a fall-back or a place that we can ignore.
Because we've neglected UH, it has suffered. Salaries have failed to keep pace with Mainland institutions. Recently, some widely publicized press accounts detailed how the salaries for bus drivers are better than for some faculty members who hold Ph.D.s. Some of our best and brightest scholars have been lured away to other institutions.
In reality, it is probably a combination of factors — politics, misapplication of cookbook management ideas, and misconceptions about the role of higher education in contemporary society, along with a good dose of neglect and short-term reactive thinking that explains the predicament that we are in today.
We need a comprehensive strategy for recruiting and retaining the best scholars in the world. We need to open up the campuses so that even more students and residents can take advantage of the tremendous resources right here in Hawai'i.
A public institution has a special obligation to provide opportunities for lifelong learning as well as serve as a venue for public debate on issues of the day.
It is also a place where notions of humanity, art, aesthetics and meaning come together.
The real challenge is to recognize a great university for what it is and to help all of us benefit from investments in higher education.
Karl Kim, Ph.D., is a university administrator. Until recently, he was professor and chair of the Department of Urban and Regional Planning, University of Hawai'i at Manoa.
