Regents fill out positions in Dobelle's management team
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents took some major actions at its meeting yesterday, putting in place the final members of President Evan Dobelle's management team for the 10-campus system and creating a new endowed chair in Native Hawaiian Health with a three-year $4.7 million grant from the National Institutes of Health.
Additionally they approved the first four-year degree at a community college with the establishment of a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Applied Business and Information Technology at Maui Community College.
The newly endowed chair will be named for the late Myron "Pinky" Thompson, a former Kamehameha Schools trustee and one of the creators of Papa Ola Lokahi, the Native Hawaiian healthcare system.
The endowed chair will be part of the John A. Burns School of Medicine's Native Hawaiian Center of Excellence and will promote research in areas of health disparities.
"The goal of this program is to develop an effective organization for promoting the physical and mental health of all Native Hawaiians and other underserved populations in Hawai'i," said Manoa chancellor Peter Englert in testimony prepared for the board.
A board subcommittee also recommended cancellation of the UH logo contract with the Philadelphia firm of Robert Rytter, though no action was taken.
In taking final action on the systemwide management team — all of them from Hawai'i — the board:
• Approved the appointment of David McClain as Vice President for Academic Affairs at a salary of $260,000. McClain has been holding three titles, including interim vice president for research, dean of the College of Business and First Hawaiian Bank distinguished professor of leadership and management in the college.
• Approved Jan Yokota as the new director of capital improvements for the university at a salary of $120,000.
• Approved Shirley Daniel as interim chancellor of Hawai'i Community College for six months, with a possible six-month extension. Her salary remains at $156,816, which is what she receives as the UH-Manoa Distinguished Professor and holder of the Henry Walker Chair.
The meeting grew contentious at times.
Upon Daniel's appointment, regent Ted Hong asked Dobelle point blank if there was any intention of trying to close down Hawai'i Community College and transfer resources to a planned Kona campus.
"It's inconceivable anyone would think that," replied Dobelle. "The mission of HCC will always be protected. I have no comprehension where that comes from."
He said only if the community wanted that done would that happen.
Another dispute came over the appointment of Callejo as Dobelle's chief of staff at a salary of approximately $200,000, with the faculty union asking the board to refrain from making the appointment now because of budget constraints.
J.N. Musto, executive director of the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly, noted that faculty across the board received no salary increases this year although negotiations regarding raises will resume in January.
"Hiring of another top-level administrator into a newly created post at a salary level purported to be in the range of $200,000 is the wrong message to be sending to the general public, the Legislature, and the university community in this time of fiscal constraint," Musto told the board.
Deane Neubauer, the Interim Vice President for Academic Affairs who is now retiring, said that this was not suggested capriciously but after study of how other large university systems operate.
In reacting to regents' approval of the last members of his system-wide reorganization management team, Dobelle said that he and the regents have created a system that's unified, accountable and has talented people chosen from within.
"It tells a lot of people in Hawai'i that if you have the right leadership and pay competitive salaries, there are people here who can step up," he said. "Historically the success of those trying to control the university was to keep the salaries low so no one of talent would take them."
Dobelle also noted that the number of administrators has shrunk from two years ago, going from 237 managers in 2001 to 208 today, although five positions will not be filled.
The total cost of those positions amounted to $11.49 million in 2001 when he took the presidency, compared to $10.825 million today, he said. In the same period, he said, faculty salaries have gone up 13.57 percent.
This year there will be no raises for administrators, just as there are no negotiated raises for faculty, although merit raises will continue to be provided.
In other business, the board:
• Approved Jim Wills as interim dean of the Business School. He has been associate dean. His salary will increase from $131,544 to $155,056 and an international search will begin to find a new permanent dean.
• Approved Sandra Sakaguchi as a special appointment to oversee planning and design of a new Kona campus. Her salary will be $106,220.
• Voted down a motion to buy land from Kulamalu Science LLC on Maui to build the infrastructure to attract a potential $100 million solar telescope development to the state. This issue is expected to come up again at the July meeting.
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
