Posted on: Thursday, November 18, 2004

Regents praised for recent actions

By Beverly Creamer
Advertiser Education Writer

The University of Hawai'i Board of Regents came in for praise this week from the leader of a community college accrediting team, who just six months ago criticized the board for micromanagement.

Regents were praised for undergoing a recent self-study training retreat, and for what Barbara Beno, executive director of the Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges, called their excellent and effective working relationship with acting UH President David McClain.

"Things are going well. Things are improving. I'm glad to see the progress," said Beno during a follow-up visit with a regent's committee governing community colleges. The next report the UH community college system receives is going to be "very positive," she said.

That marks a turnaround from the previous year, when regents were embroiled in a deteriorating relationship with former President Evan Dobelle that saw the board increasingly involved in university operations and ultimately resulted in Dobelle's resignation under pressure in August.

May and June reports from the commission were critical of the board for permitting "excessive politics" during discussions of university business, "inappropriate behavior" by one regent who delivered a political commentary, as well as oversight the commission considered micromanaging.

But this week Beno noted that when a board moves into such close management of a university system it often indicates to accreditors there's a troubled relationship.

"One of the first signs an accrediting board will see is a board operating at too low an altitude because there is no trust or no confidence in the administration," Beno said. "The minute we see that, we're looking for what caused it. We're not assuming the board members themselves are problematic, although on occasion that may be the case for a board member or two.

"But when we see that as an ongoing problem, we'll stick with you until you figure out how to resolve it."

Board vice-chairwoman Kitty Lagareta told Beno her comments were "validating," noting that a lot of what accreditors had called micromanagement was an attempt by the board to get details that weren't forthcoming from the former administration.

Lagareta specifically cited details on how the system reorganization done under Dobelle was expected precisely to work.

"We never got anything further than a grand reorganization concept," said Lagareta. "A lot of what you identified as micromanagement was an effort to attach details."

Beno said she sympathized with the board because accreditors had also been trying to get additional details on how certain aspects of the system reorganization were to work, and had been unable to do so.

"We were after something similar to what you were after. We knew you wouldn't be able to get them, too."

Lagareta said the formerly "dysfunctional" relationship between the board and president has become one now that's "better than functional."

With McClain, she said, "We have great meetings, great planning and we do see ourselves working as a partnership with the president. For many of us it's a great relief."

Despite her praise, Beno and another accrediting committee member said the commission's next report will be critical of the slow progress UH community colleges have made in reviewing programs, including assessing student learning. The board and administrators indicated they will make the issue a priority.

The UH regents have been looking closely at streamlining their meeting schedules and have changed today's agenda to reflect the first of what could be a number of changes. The board will meet today as a whole, rather than breaking out into committees which extended meetings.

Board chairwoman Patricia Lee said the board hopes to continue to deal with internal structural changes — as it did at its recent training retreat — outside the purview of state sunshine laws. Beno said she has been at a number of retreats where the purpose was to train the board, and they were closed meetings.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8013.