Posted on: Friday, July 30, 2004
Dobelle position, role of regents questioned
| • | UH regents, Dobelle agree on settlement |
By Curtis Lum
Advertiser Staff Writer
The reaction to the University of Hawai'i's settlement with Evan Dobelle was mixed yesterday, with the head of the UH faculty union questioning the position created for Dobelle, but former Gov. Ben Cayetano saying it reflected a hasty decision made by the Board of Regents when they fired Dobelle.
Among the terms of the settlement, Dobelle would receive $125,000 for this year and next to be a researcher in the UH Department of Urban and Regional Planning. That would make Dobelle the highest-paid member of that department, including the chairman, who receives about $95,000, said J.N. Musto, executive director of the University of Hawai'i Professional Assembly.
Musto said researchers do not usually teach and he did not know what Dobelle would be doing in that position.
"Normally you'd be doing research on the Andromeda or working off of Mauna Kea or working out on the ocean," Musto said. "This whole idea of two years of being a faculty member, that surprises me. That aspect of it is probably the most troubling in a way."
If there is any blame for the terms of the settlement, it should be with the regents who hired Dobelle in 2001, Musto said. At the time, Musto said, the terms were "so far above, at that point in time, the expectation of public university presidents."
"I will say that the Board of Regents in 2001 did no favors by making this level of economic commitment, did no favor to the institution," Musto said.
But Cayetano, who was governor when Dobelle was hired, blamed the current regents for putting the university in an awkward situation. He said the regents were "amateurish" in their handling of Dobelle.
"It's pretty apparent from the settlement that the regents acted hastily and made a mistake," Cayetano said. "I haven't heard one person who said it was handled right."
Cayetano said the firing sent a negative message to people and agencies on the Mainland who were considering donating to the UH endowment fund.
"It's too bad that the regents didn't think this through," he said. "But now that it's been settled, the only thing to do is to look forward."
Gov. Linda Lingle could not be reached for comment.
Reach Curtis Lum at 525-8025 or culum@honoluluadvertiser.com.
