By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

As the Sept. 21 primary election nears, gubernatorial candidates have much to say about how, if elected, they would treat the University of Hawai'i. Here's what the five major candidates say about higher education.

In the Democratic primary:

• Andy Anderson: While applauding UH President Evan Dobelle's initiatives, Anderson raises the question of how many of the ideas will receive state money. He says new sources of income must be developed.

Anderson also says the Manoa campus should set higher SAT-based entrance standards, cut the number of undergraduates in half and boost the graduate population commensurably.

He believes these decisions would create "spillover" for the community colleges rather than diminish the totals and would also speed the reputation for "excellence" that UH seeks. He also supports faculty raises.

• Ed Case: As one of the legislators who introduced the bill that led to UH autonomy, Case is adamant that the governor keep hands off. "The governor's primary role with the UH system is to allow autonomy to take full root and to insulate the university community from the old culture, which was one of executive and legislative interference," he said.

Case said the governor would step in only at the request of the university or to help to work out compromises, if needed.

Case sees the state's support of higher education as a "core function" of government, with UH serving to make higher education available to all and as an economic stimulator for the state.

• Mazie Hirono: As lieutenant governor, Hirono has played an important role in promoting economic diversification by supporting science and technology at UH. A co-founder of University Connections, she sees the need to make UH a first-rank research university and to support the private sector in forming partnerships to make that happen.

She would want to play a strong role in working with the leaders to bring together the entire education system as an entity that works in tandem. "There should be a lot of communication," she said.

Hirono sees a West O'ahu campus as a long-term goal that could start with as little as one building, as Georgetown Law School did.

On the Republican side:

• John Carroll: Carroll wants greater emphasis on developing UH strengths, including agriculture, aquaculture, tropical medicine and astronomy. He supports Dobelle's moves to make the system "sustainable" by building a greater base for financial support and developing a world-class biotech research capability.

He'd also like to see a four-year college of aviation. Prospective pilots now go to the Mainland for air science degrees. Carroll would like to see a substantial hike in out-of-state tuition for such a program.

• Linda Lingle: Lingle would appoint three non-Hawai'i residents to the Board of Regents "to broaden the perspective"; increase money earmarked for science; support partnerships with business and the community and global business as well as build an endowment; encourage state agencies to use students as consultants and researchers; work directly with the Bush administration and Dobelle to increase money for grants; and push to make Hawai'i a leader in agricultural research.

"The days of thinking about the university as just a place to get an affordable degree are gone," Lingle said. "The university is a critical player in Hawai'i's economic future."