Board faulted for meddling on UH salaries
By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer
In a new report, the University of Hawai'i's accrediting body criticizes the UH Board of Regents for overstepping its role as a policy-maker for the UH system and involving itself in decisions that it said should be made by the university president.
"The board should refrain from making operational decisions more appropriately delegated to the system chief administrator, the university president," the Western Association of Schools and Colleges said as part of a mid-year report concerning the new organization of the community colleges.
In a team visit report dated Nov. 17-18, 2003, the WASC criticized an October change in board policy that rescinded the UH president's authority to hire and set salaries for managerial staff such as deans and associate deans.
This new policy could, in the long term, "significantly impede" efforts to hire new administrative staff in a timely manner, said the report.
Board secretary David Iha noted that UH President Evan Dobelle was the one who had suggested that the delegation of managerial positions rest with the board until a plan could be developed to handle salary levels. The Regents and Dobelle have been at odds over salary levels, which the board considers high.
Salary levels also have drawn criticism from Rep. K. Mark Takai, chairman of the House Higher Education Committee.
Iha said the board froze salaries in December pending completion of the collective bargaining process, which is under way.
"This practice appears to be out of alignment with ACCJC (WASC's Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges) Standards of Accreditation," said the report.
The accrediting team also asked the board to review its responsibilities to serve as a policy-making board and evaluate the university president.
And it asked the board to "develop appropriate policies to guide administrative hiring processes and then allow the university president to implement and administer policies."
The report further pointed out that WASC standards state that the role for governing boards in multi-college systems is "setting policies," while the role of the chief administrator is for "effective operation of the institution."
Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.
