EDITORIAL
Test of non-bid UH contracts is in job done

It would be pointlessly parochial to insist that new University of Hawai'i president Evan Dobelle's top aides and consultants all have Island ties or come from within the UH system.

So the fact that Dobelle has surrounded himself with a number of familiar faces and familiar consultants from his previous hitches at Trinity College and City College of San Francisco is — in itself — no particular cause for concern.

In fact, if the high -priced talent he has drawn to Hawai'i help mold the University into a true national-class public university, then the money will be more than well spent.

The only danger is if the Dobelle administration becomes such a close model of its previous incarnations that it is unable to respond flexibly to local conditions and local needs. There's no evidence of that thus far, but it is an issue the UH Regents should be watching closely.

Advertiser staff writer Johnny Brannon reported yesterday that Dobelle has steered nearly $500,000 worth of consultant deals to people and firms he knew from his previous postings. In addition, he has placed a handful of trusted former colleagues into new top level administrative posts within his office.

By far, the bulk of the money goes to a three-year contract with the construction management firm Gilbane Building Co. Gilbane will coordinate the management of an ambitious building, redevelopment and renovation program Dobelle has launched.

If Gilbane does its work, it will be a huge boost for the University, where over the years its capital improvement program has been a virtual train wreck. There is little architectural coherence to the buildings on campus and follow-through on some projects has been poor. Shiny new buildings go up without the equipment or internal infrastructure in place to let them function has intended.

Often, these problems seemed directly related to the lack of coordinated oversight of the systemwide construction program. Gilbane is a nationwide company that has worked on such projects as the Smithsonian's National Air and Space Museum and the Winter Olympics facilities at Lake Placid, according to its Web site. That kind of experience can help.

A great University is more than bricks and mortar, obviously. But first-class infrastructure is a crucial element. If Dobelle's familiar consultants and associates can raise the right amount of money and then spend it wisely, they will be worth all that he pays them.

And who knows? At some point Dobelle will move on and — we should hope — will take some of our own homegrown best and brightest with him.