Posted on: Sunday, July 7, 2002
EDITORIAL
Latest criticism of UH not clear on its point
After a year in office during which he made more than his share of headlines and received a generally positive and uncritical reception, UH President Evan Dobelle is now settling in for the long (and inevitably somewhat grittier) haul.
Dobelle's accomplishments during his first year are substantial. He hit town like a whirlwind and immediately re-energized the campus and the community. But as Dobelle would be the first to tell you, when you come in with a mandate for change and a desire to wake up what had become a somewhat sleepy and demoralized institution, you are bound to ruffle feathers.
Some of that is now surfacing.
The latest salvo came from Senate Majority Co-Leader Cal Kawamoto, who complains that Dobelle has bypassed local candidates for plum UH jobs and has disregarded the wishes of the Leeward community regarding a new UH-West O'ahu campus.
Specifically, Kawamoto is unhappy that several high-profile positions (including that of UH athletic director) went to out-of-state candidates. And he says the latest UH plans for a West O'ahu campus don't fit with the previous vision of a massive 990-acre site near Makakilo. Current planning focuses on three smaller, more "urban" sites in Kapolei proper.
Kawamoto has every right, indeed an obligation, to speak up for his constituents' interests. And if he feels qualified local candidates are being passed by, he should squawk.
But it's not clear what his point is in this instance.
Yes, the idea of a sweeping new high-tech West O'ahu campus (a vision put forth by Gov. Ben Cayetano) is inspiring. But UH officials cannot go forward on dreams alone. Dobelle's decision to consider other alternatives is a pragmatic reaction to the state's current financial condition and a desire to get moving now on a new West O'ahu campus.
In the current plan, the new West O'ahu campus is more than a massive public works project for the Leeward area. It is part of a strategic plan to build an alternative four-year undergraduate opportunity on O'ahu so that the Manoa campus can focus its attention on building up its academic reputation and elevating the quality of the students it admits.
Under today's system, that's not possible because the Manoa campus must be all things for all students.
As for hiring from beyond the local pool of applicants, it's not clear what Kawamoto wants. Yes, there are many highly qualified people from the Islands who could (and do) take top leadership positions at the university. But Dobelle's charge is not to provide jobs for local folks; his charge is to move UH forward with the best people he can find.
If Kawamoto or other critics believe Dobelle has hired people who are not up to the job, they should say so — with specifics. Hawai'i has a right to expect the best.
But the focus should be on whether UH, in every appointment, gets the best man or woman possible for the post. The fact that they do or do not come from here should be a minor consideration at best.
