The draft report, prepared by the commission as a standard follow-up to the UH systemwide reorganization of a year ago, advised the board to seek training to help it "to carry out critical functions in a professional and exemplary manner."

The draft report comes amid a firestorm surrounding Dobelle's firing a week ago today and is certain to fuel further speculation that his dismissal may have been political in nature. The Board of Regents and Gov. Linda Lingle have denied that, but the regents' refusal to make public the reason for Dobelle's firing has only added to the speculation.

Board of Regents' chairwoman Patricia Lee could not be reached for comment on the report, although a message was left on her cell phone. Attorney Barry Marr, who has been retained by the board in the wake of its firing of Dobelle, did not return a phone call seeking comment.

Dobelle, who had been expected back in Hawai'i yesterday but has delayed his return until tomorrow or later, said the report shows "that the job of president of the University of Hawai'i was being made almost impossible to succeed."

His attorney, Rick Fried, said the report "shows basically what appears to have been happening all along. This board apparently micromanaged and didn't let Evan do his job."

The final report, which changes only in one instance, according to ACCJC executive director Barbara Beno, will be mailed to UH administrators and the board Friday, along with a letter recommending action.

"At that point we ask the institution to make it available (to the public)," Beno said

Mike Rota, associate vice president for academic affairs for the system, and one of the recipients of the report, said he has asked for an electronic version to make it easier for the office of the acting president, David McClain, to post a copy of the final report on the university Web site.

Beno would not comment on what the recommended actions might be and would not say how the final report will affect accreditation of the system, if at all.

"While in a small state such as Hawai'i it is sometimes difficult to achieve several degrees of separation between university regents, campus personnel, political actors and business persons, the university seems to struggle a good deal with what appear to be politically driven actions," said the draft report issued in the early part of May.

"While one might say that this 'small-town' culture has always been a part of the University of Hawai'i operating reality," said the report, it noted that the Board of Regents has an obligation "to provide a framework and practice that limits the impact of such close personal, political and business relationships on the university's operations."

The report goes on to say that the board is riddled with politics.

"University staff described some of the employees of the university who are related to Board of Regents members and the difficulty an administrator might have making decisions that affect friends and relatives of regents, politicians and others," the report noted.

"One board member used a proposed policy on university contracting to make long political comments about the governor, the previous governor, and the state's history of contracting corruption under another political party," said the report, referring to statements made by former regent Ted Hong at the April meeting although it does not mention him by name. Hong was appointed by Gov. Linda Lingle, the state's first Republican governor following decades of Democratic leadership in the state's top office. Hong's term on the Board of Regents has since expired.

"The lengthy commentary was political, largely about an entity other than the university, and was inappropriate for a university governing board, which has a responsibility to protect the educational institution from undue political influence," the report said.

"The board chair and peers seem unable to guide or control board members in order to prevent inappropriate behavior."

Additionally, the report draft noted that the board "continues to have difficulty operating at an appropriate policy and decision-making level" and was unable to stay on its planned schedule at the April meeting attended by an ACCJC representative.

In saying that, it noted that the board asked such detailed questions regarding temporary student housing — questions that involve operations, not policy — that action was delayed. As a result, some new housing to serve students would not become available until the spring semester.

The report said that some of the board's questions, though perhaps well meaning, should have been addressed with staff before the meeting, "or should have been entrusted to university staff."

The report also noted that regents "had difficulty" following the board's policy on evaluating the president in his second year and said the relationship between the president and the board "appears to be troubled," which was "disadvantageous to the university and its institutions."

In backing that up, it noted that the board had increased its involvement in operations, citing greater decision-making by the board on contracts by reducing the monetary level needing board consultation from $100,000 to $25,000. That has already delayed one contract a chancellor had negotiated, the report said.