UH relied upon as key player by business leaders
By Sean Hao
Advertiser Staff Writer
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The UH Board of Regents terminated Dobelle's employ Tuesday night, ending what had become an increasingly adversarial relationship. David McClain, vice president for academic affairs, was named acting president.
Mike Fitzgerald, president and chief executive of Enterprise Honolulu, called Dobelle's firing regrettable.
"It certainly is not a positive outcome and we just really need to get by it and get things settled down as quickly as possible because the university is a lead player," Fitzgerald said. "We can't build a technology economy without full participation and leadership from that group.
"The sooner we can get to that, the better we're all going to do and the better it's going to reflect on Hawai'i for the larger world."
Dobelle is credited with spearheading plans to build a $150 million medical school that could help revitalize the Kaka'ako area. However, Dobelle's deteriorating relationship with university regents was hindering progress on that plan, said David Watumull, president and chief executive for Hawaii Biotech and chairman for the Hawaii Technology Trade Association.
"I think we worked well with Evan," Watumull said. "He was supportive of the process, but we worked even closer with David (McClain).
"If David and the regents could establish a better working relationship than Evan and the regents had, then that could help the whole process."
Jim Tollefson, president of the Chamber of Commerce of Hawaii, said Dobelle's exit wouldn't hurt efforts to increase UH's role in Hawai'i's economy.
"I see UH as playing a very important role in the economic diversification of the state," he said. "I see it continuing to be more and more important."
Tollefson said McClain, a former chamber board member and current chamber education committee member, should do well in his interim role.
"Our relationship with David McClain is excellent and we see him as a real leader," he said.
Allan Ikawa, president and founder of Big Island Candies and a former UH regent, said he was confident that the board did what it thought was necessary. He agreed that McClain, the former dean of the university's College of Business Administration, could do well as university president.
"He's a nice guy. He's done a really good job in the college of business," Ikawa said. "I'm sure he's going to be all right.
Ikawa, who called the UH regents' action "just one step to the future," said: "People have got to realize that 100 years from now, the university will still be here and we'll be gone."
Reach Sean Hao at shao@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8093.
