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The Honolulu Advertiser
Posted on: Wednesday, June 10, 2009

UH regents select Greenwood as new school president


By Loren Moreno
Advertiser Staff Writer

Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

At the UH Campus Ballroom, Doodie Downs from Hawaii Community College discusses her concerns with UH board of Regents over the possible selection of Dr. M.R.C Greenwood as the new University of Hawaii president.

JEFF WIDENER | The Honolulu Advertiser

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Hawaii news photo - The Honolulu Advertiser

Undated handout photo of M.R.C. Greenwood, candidate for UH president

UH photo.

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The University of Hawaii Board of Regents today chose M.R.C. Greenwood as the university’s next president.

Regents decided on Greenwood by a vote of 12-0, with three members absent.
Greenwood was the lone candidate to replace David McClain as UH president.
Board chairman Al Landon said the regents intend to have her in place no later than Aug. 24, the first day of classes.
Greenwood, who resigned as provost of the University of California system in 2005 amid an ethics investigation, has substantial support from regents.
Over the past several weeks, Greenwood has emerged from a short list of 14 candidates interviewed by a presidential selection committee as the top candidate for the job.
She was among three finalists, one of whom dropped out early prior to his or her name being reveal. Then, on June 2, a second finalist, Robert J. Jones, senior academic and chief operating officer for the University of Minnesota, removed his name for consideration.
Last week, regents appeared to be leaning toward selecting Greenwood as UH’s next top executive even as criticism of the selection process and her candidacy remain in the community.
But after several hours of closed-door discussion during a meeting on Friday, board chairman Landon emerged to say that the board is postponing its decision until today. Eight of the 15 regents attended that executive session and Landon said he wanted more members present for a vote.
Much of the criticism of Greenwood's candidacy has focused on her resignation from her post as UC-system provost in 2005 after only two years amid allegations of favoritism and an investigation of her involvement in the promotion of a friend and business partner, UC-Santa Cruz Vice Provost Lynda Goff.
In a statement last week, selection committee chairwoman Donna Tanoue said that Greenwood is “a nationally recognized academic leader who is highly qualified to lead the University of Hawaii.”
Greenwood is a member of the Institute of Medicine, whose members are elected for their professional achievement. Greenwood has served for six years on the National Science Board - the governing body of the U.S. National Science Foundation - whose members are appointed by the president based on their pre-eminence in research, education and science.
In a 23-page report to the UH Board of Regents, the selection committee outlined the steps that led up to the selection of Greenwood as a final candidate.
The report outlines interviews conducted with two former chairmen and members of the UC Board of Regents, two former presidents of the UC system, the former UC general counsel, and other officials who had knowledge of Greenwood's resignation as provost.
“Based on our due diligence and our interviews of knowledgeable people in California and other states, and of Dr. Greenwood herself, we are confident in our selection of Dr. Greenwood as a finalist candidate,” the report read.