Each week Editorial and Opinion Editor Jeanne Mariani-Belding hosts The Hot Seat, our opinion-page blog that brings in elected leaders and people in the news and lets you ask the questions during a live online chat.

On The Hot Seat last week was UH Athletic Director Jim Donovan.

Here is an excerpt from that Hot Seat session.

Louis K.: As new athletic director, what are the top three things you plan to accomplish in your first year? And having spent some time in the system, what seem to be the biggest hurdles to getting things done?

Jim Donovan: The first item would be to provide the coaches and student-athletes (with) what they need to win conference championships. The second item would be to get the budget situation under control, which means holding down expenses and increasing revenues. The third item would be to change the corporate culture in the athletic department so that we provide superior service and value to our customers. There's a lot more to do than this, but those would be my top three.

Koauka: Once things get "settled" down, will you consider moving UH Athletics into a conference within the central/west part of the Mainland? Seems everything UH will do, travel cost will a primary factor.

Donovan: I think the WAC has served us very well over the past 30 years. More likely than switching conferences, we will look to play more non-conference games against teams west of the Rockies because of travel costs. We are definitely seeing a reluctance to travel to Hawai'i by institutions because of the dramatic increase in the cost of travel and gas. Hopefully this is only a temporary phenomenon and not a permanent situation.

Jason: Can you explain the ticket pricing and what this all means for UH fans? And what's your assessment of the football program so far post-Coach Jones?

Donovan: One of the first things I thought we needed to do when I got on board was to take a look at our season ticket and individual game ticket prices. My concern was that we had raised all our prices to the point that some of our fans could no longer afford to attend our events in person. After meeting with our management staff, we decided to lower season and individual game ticket prices in the endzones for UH football. We also decided to lower prices in the upper level of all arena sports and the "red" section of Les Murakami Stadium. We also created family packages where our fans, in certain sections of our facilities, can buy one child seat and get one free. All of these price reductions were done to make it more affordable for all of our fans to attend our events.

I've been very pleased with the efforts that Coach McMackin has made with the team, inside our department, and with our community. He's been a real pleasure to work with and he's very focused on continuing the success of our Warrior football program. While this year's schedule is certainly the toughest I can recall in my 28 years since I was a former Rainbow Warrior, I know Coach Mack will have the team ready to play. If I learned any lesson last season ... you just gotta believe!

Betsy: Can you tell us what true changes we will see, if any, in the football program? And please tell us how you plan to make a positive difference in terms of athletics for women?

Donovan: One of the first changes we're seeing with the UH football program is Coach McMackin doing an outstanding job with public relations. I'm sure this will pay dividends for the Warriors for years to come. As far as on-the-field changes, I suspect we'll be running the ball a little bit more and you'll see the QB taking the snap from under center versus the shotgun formation — at least enough that everyone will notice it's happening more often. As far as defense, I truly believe this year's starters may be the best we've seen in a long time.

As far as women's athletics goes, I believe that this is one aspect of our athletic department that is performing spectacularly. One of the items that I've been able to address in my first 100 days is starting the process of hiring several assistant coaches for our women's programs. We're taking a hard look at all the sports budgets, in particular the women's programs, to make sure they have the funding they need to win their conference. With women's volleyball, soccer, softball, water polo, track & field and diving all having outstanding seasons this past year, we have much to look forward to in 2008-09.

Steve: Can you tell us your thoughts on the $185 million renovation of Aloha Stadium and how it will affect UH football, if at all? Do you think it's a good idea, or should the state build a new stadium better suited to UH's needs?

Donovan: First and foremost, the location of Aloha Stadium couldn't be better for the island of O'ahu. Being at the intersection of the H-1 and H-3 freeways and only a few miles from the H-2 Freeway, it's a very convenient location. Add to the fact that it's a planned light rail stop, its location gets even better (imagine parking at UH or Blaisdell or in Pearl City and taking rail to Aloha and avoiding the traffic and parking challenges).

I did have the opportunity to see the projected improvements, and they were quite impressive. They certainly would be welcome by fans and sponsors. As far as building a new stadium or refurbishing the one we have, both of those options are in the hundreds of millions of dollars and only the legislative and executive branches can really make that decision (when you're talking about that level of funding).

Andreas: What's the status of the sports scholarship program beyond just football? Are there opportunities for girls? And what do you plan to do to improve it?

Donovan: We have a total of 19 sports programs at UH (20 if you count the cheer team, which in my opinion has some of the best athletes we have). All of these programs offer some kind of scholarship opportunities for their athletes. Koa Anuenue, an organization that has been raising scholarship funds for UH sports for about 40 years, provides us with most of the monetary support necessary to provide these scholarships. We wouldn't be nearly as successful as we are today without Koa Anuenue's loyal support.

Of the 19 sports programs, 12 of them are for women athletes.

Our long-term plans for improving the experience for our student-athletes is to raise funds so that our athletes can also go to summer school if they so desire. By doing so, this helps them graduate sooner, stay in shape between playing seasons and takes a little pressure off them school-wise during the regular year. This is one of the areas that we will be working hard to improve.

John: Aloha, Jim, a lot is said about the football program but what about the others, and especially the swimming program. Will competitive swimming ever come back to the UH?

Donovan: Our swimming and diving program is actually doing quite well, and I expect even better results in the coming years. This past season, our women's diving program had an NCAA champion in the 1-meter event and the men's diving program scored a second-place finish in the NCAA championship 1-meter event. Look for more great results from our swimming and diving program!

Greg: What's your strategy for managing this athletic department to maximum efficiency? How do you plan to bring in new revenue?

Donovan: Well, the first thing I believe we need to do to increase overall efficiency is to change the corporate culture such that the employees feel empowered to implement solutions. I'm working hard at getting this new concept across to the hundred or so employees that work hard to bring all of you a successful athletic program. Changing corporate culture takes time and a clear vision. My vision, in the simplest terms, is to provide a Disney-like experience for our customers and sponsors, and to provide an environment for our student-athletes so that they not only graduate but have one of the best times of their lives while they're at UH.

New revenue would include premium parking at Aloha Stadium and UH for our sporting events. Continuing to work with Koa Anuenue to raise more scholarship funds. Approaching corporations and donors for facility and scholarship support. Throw on top of that new TV, radio, and WAC TV contracts and there are numerous sources for additional revenues. In addition, we're always looking to create brand-new revenue streams.