Posted on: Monday, November 8, 2004
Dobelle named CEO at nonprofit
Advertiser Staff and News Services
Evan Dobelle, who resigned under pressure as president of the University of Hawai'i, has been named the new president and CEO of the New England Board of Higher Education, according to a published report.
Dobelle resigned as university president Aug. 14 and took a two-year, nontenured research position at the university as part of a settlement with the Board of Regents, which had fired him "for cause" June 15.
The research position pays $125,000 a year.
The settlement was reached July 29 after Dobelle threatened to sue for wrongful termination. The regents rescinded their action, and Dobelle agreed to resign with a $1.8 million severance package.
The regents who voted to fire Dobelle had cited a breakdown in trust between him and the university board.
Last night, regent Kitty Lagareta said that under the terms of the settlement, Dobelle can accept the new job and keep his appointment as a researcher in the UH Department of Urban and Regional planning.
"He would still have to do his research," Lagareta said, "but he would not have to be here to do it. As long as he performs the research, he can accept the new position."
The UH conflict was taken into account by the New England Board of Higher Education.
Last month, Carole A. Cowan, head of the search committee for the New England board, dismissed any concerns, saying such clashes have happened before in higher education.
The committee was impressed with Dobelle's credentials, she said.
"He is the clear choice ... from a very strong field of candidates," she said. "The committee felt he had a unique background, a blend of experience of public and private colleges ... more than 30 years experience in government and higher education."
The New England Board of Higher Education is a consortium that serves public and independent colleges, universities and graduate schools in six eastern states: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont.
The board advances higher education opportunities for New England residents and promotes regional cooperation and efficient use of educational resources, according to its Web site.
Dobelle, 59, came to Hawai'i in 2001 after seven years as president of Trinity College in Hartford, Conn.
He also has served as treasurer of the Democratic National Committee, mayor of Pittsfield, Mass., and U.S. chief of protocol in the White House during the Carter administration.
Dobelle will replace Robert A. Weygand, a former U.S. representative and lieutenant governor from Rhode Island, who left earlier this year to become a vice president at the University of Rhode Island.
Dobelle was slated to begin work at the Boston-based nonprofit agency Jan. 1, The Hartford (Conn.) Courant reported yesterday on its Web site.
Evan Dobelle
