Evan Dobelle

"The public has a right to see it," Dobelle said. "I think that openness is important, and let the people of Hawai'i make the decision (about my performance)."

The Board of Regents discussed his self-assessment for nearly 90 minutes in executive session at its monthly meeting at Bachman Hall. The regents also heard from a task group assigned to gather information for the evaluation. Robert C. Atwell, president emeritus of the American Council on Education and former president of Pitzer College, has been retained to aid in the evaluation.

The results of the task group's report were not made public.

Any decision-making will take place at the next meeting, scheduled for June 15 and 16, said regents chairwoman Patricia Lee. "We're following policy," she said of the evaluation process.

In February, the state Office of Information Practices issued an opinion that Dobelle's rights had been denied in the last evaluation, because proper notice was not given for the meetings to evaluate him, the agenda was changed in executive session, and the president was not allowed to make the process public.

Dobelle exercised his rights yesterday by releasing to the public the three-ring binder of facts and articles. But discussion with regents about the contents of his self-assessment were done in private, per his request, out of what he called respect for the board.

In his self-assessment, Dobelle highlighted strides the university has made under his leadership in the past three years, including the launch of a new medical school in Kaka'ako and a significant boost in research and training money coming into UH.

Other highlights:

• A six-year salary agreement with the faculty union gives professors and instructors a 31 percent pay raise through 2009.
• A new computer system allows all students to register, make payments and obtain grades and other academic and financial aid information. All 10 campuses are patched into the system.
• Enrollment grew 9 percent from fall 2001 to fall 2003, with preliminary figures indicating that number could surpass 21,000.

The regents' fiscal year 2002-2003 evaluation criticized Dobelle's performance in a number of areas, including fiscal management and fund-raising efforts.

It criticized him for establishing a film school without notifying the board, and failing to follow through on promises to raise faculty salaries, among other concerns.

At the time, Dobelle called the evaluation "highly unprofessional," saying it failed to mention significant progress and improvements made during his term.

While he wouldn't comment on the way this evaluation is being handled, he said he is hopeful for a fair and complete assessment.

"It has to be seen," he said. "We should all be on the same page. ... I'm always an optimist."