Acting UH President David McClain reviewed the short list of candidates and tapped Konan, a professor who for the past year has chaired the UH-Manoa Economics Department. On Monday, the Board of Regents is expected to take up the question of her confirmation.

Konan already has a vocal cheering section, a coalition of students and faculty leaders who have lobbied for her selection.

All the candidates appeared to have the required credentials — and some arguably had even broader experience than the finalist.

But Konan has a reputation as a skillful educator, and students voted her in twice as winner of the campus' annual Excellence in Teaching award. They like her open-door approach, and clearly openness is a quality needed of UH administrators as the university continues to rebound from the tumultuous and often fractious experiences of recent history.

Peter Englert, Konan's embattled predecessor, shouldered a heavy burden during his tenure. At the very least, he occupied the hot seat during Manoa's administrative reorganization and the upheaval over proposals for a Navy research center. Some of his difficulties arose from his assertive management style that his critics found abrasive, but others praised him for making tough calls and shepherding the campus through a painful period.

The time may have come, however, for a more collaborative approach. Konan has the distinction of being the first woman chancellor at Manoa, but her supporters celebrated more about her personal style and credentials than her gender. She has logged a dozen years in the Manoa classrooms, and served for three years as interim assistant vice chancellor for academic affairs.

Outgoing Faculty Senate head Tom Schroeder observed that Konan knows her way around Hawai'i Hall and would be primed "to provide a steady hand and keep things moving forward." He's absolutely correct.

The measure of Konan's success will be how much progress she can facilitate for the benefit of students and teachers long after the honeymoon ends, as it inevitably will.