Hawai'i Pacific University is reorganizing and expanding its top management as it sets the stage to launch fundraising campaigns to finance expansion of the Hawai'i Loa campus and the Oceanic Institute site, as well as improvements at the Downtown Honolulu campus.

However, an e-mail about some of those changes sent to faculty and staff yesterday by longtime President Chatt Wright raised some alarm and questions.

Wright's e-mail said, in part, "if there ever comes a time when I am unexpectedly unable to perform my duties as president, Dr. (John) Fleckles will serve as acting president until I am able to return or until a new president is chosen."

Reached later in the day, Wright said the wording contains no hidden meaning and that he is not ill or planning to step down.

"This is not a signal about anything," said Wright, who is 65 and has approximately 4 1/2 to five years left on his contract with the HPU board of trustees, when he says he will retire.

Wright has led HPU for 30 years.

The e-mail, said Wright, was his announcement to the staff that people are being moved into leadership positions as the university looks at beginning a major build-out of the Hawai'i Loa site that will help boost the eventual enrollment to around 12,000 students overall from the current 8,500.

"We're beginning master-planning for the build-out of the Hawai'i Loa campus and improving the Oceanic Institute and added work in the Downtown area, and we're restructuring so we have the right people," he said.

Included in the Hawai'i Loa build-out will be a new student center with a performing arts center and theater, an auditorium and a contemporary art museum.

Dormitories and dining commons also will be expanded, along with classrooms and laboratories.

Wright said the board had approved the promotion of Fleckles from vice president of academic affairs to senior vice president of academic affairs, as well as naming him as the person who would step in as acting president if there was a need.

Fleckles teamed with Wright in 1992 after HPU's merger with Hawai'i Loa College. Fleckles had been dean of faculty and academic affairs at Hawai'i Loa and helped bring the merged colleges together under Wright's leadership.

"We've been bringing in a lot of new people, and we've been restructuring for succession," said Wright. "This is just in case something happened. We just wanted to formalize that. We're just trying to build in a transition way in advance and bring in some real strong people."

As well, Wright has promoted Lloyd Fujie to senior vice president and chief financial officer. Fujie joined HPU a year ago as vice president and CFO, after 32 years with Deloitte & Touche, including 10 years as managing partner of the firm in Hawai'i.

Wright said there will be additional announcements as he continues to strengthen the academic and administrative team at HPU, and also make replacements as people retire.

Recently he named Charles Steilen as dean of the College of Business Administration, and Alissa J. Arp as the new vice president for research and dean of natural sciences.

Steilen plans to expand student internships and bring real-life Hawai'i business cases into the classroom. Arp will be encouraging development of new graduate programs in the marine sciences.

Reach Beverly Creamer at bcreamer@honoluluadvertiser.com.