UH ocean science dean resigns

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

Barry Raleigh, one of the most powerful and respected deans on the University of Hawai'i campus, has resigned as head of the UH-Manoa School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology effective Aug. 1, according to an announcement late yesterday from the Manoa chancellor's office.

An announcement by UH did not say why Barry Raleigh resigned.

Sea Grant director Gordon E. Grau called the loss of Raleigh's leadership at UH equivalent to the loss of athletic leaders June Jones or Dave Shoji.

"If June Jones were to resign tomorrow, it would have that kind of impact on the football team," said Grau, who was drafting a letter to both Manoa chancellor Peter Englert and UH President Evan Dobelle "beseeching" them to ask Raleigh to reconsider.

"SOEST has achieved leadership as one of the premier ocean science institutions in the world," said Grau. "Enterprise in universities, whether football teams or academic units, the success depends to a great extent on leadership. It depends on getting the right personnel and maintaining vision and direction. He's set a very high standard."

Leong said that under Raleigh's leadership, "SOEST grew in stature and in grants accrued and in excellent faculty ... and I hope the university values what has been created here."

Both were concerned that without Raleigh at SOEST's helm, UH and the state would lose some of the outstanding researchers and faculty that have been drawn here.

Grau said SOEST brings in about $60 million a year to the university in research grants. The school was recently ranked third in the nation in competitively awarded grants from the National Science Foundation's Ocean Sciences Division.

Although he was not mentioned by name, Raleigh was recently taken to task in a state auditor's report on several UH special funds for charging two gatherings at his home to the endowment fund. In response at the time of the audit's release, UH chief financial officer James "Wick" Sloane said the university considered those gatherings to be "in compliance" to discuss and promote research initiatives.

Sloane also said SOEST had brought in more than $500 million in funding to the state.

There was no explanation in the official release from Chancellor Peter Englert's office about why Raleigh was resigning, and Raleigh was on vacation in Europe and could not be reached.

But Englert praised Raleigh, calling him a respected scholar and researcher.

"Dean Raleigh increased the research profile of SOEST, and along with other units at Manoa brought us to new prominence as a premiere research institution," said Englert's statement. "Barry is a nationally and internationally respected scholar and researcher, and I am certain that he will contribute to the stature of the university by returning to the laboratory and to the classroom where nurturing our students is a tremendously invigorating part of our work."

In the 14 years Raleigh has headed SOEST, he established under one umbrella the research and teaching missions of several units. These include the Pauley-Pagen Marine Lab at the Hawai'i Institute of Marine Biology at Coconut island and the International Pacific Research Center of Japan.

SOEST also includes the Hawai'i Institute of Geophysics and Planetology, the Hawai'i Natural Energy Institute, the Hawai'i Undersea Research Laboratory and the UH Sea Grant program. Englert said he will decide this summer on interim leadership for SOEST.