The University of Hawai'i deserves credit for making sure its two candidates for president were exposed to students, faculty and the community on O'ahu, Kaua'i, Maui and the Big Island, where they attempted to answer questions and cast vision.

But the work of its search committee left a lot to be desired as obvious questions went unanswered, such as how many local candidates were in the mix and why a Hawai'i finalist was not included.

Two candidates publically emerged but a third withdrew after deciding he or she did not want to be identified in the process, raising questions about whether this candidate fully understood or was completely briefed about the details so late into the selection process.

Of the two that came out for interviews, M.R.C. Greenwood, the former provost of the University of California system, was so flawed because of conflict-of-interest violations that it is curious as to how she made the cut. Interviewed by The Advertiser editorial board, she was reluctant to take responsibility, going so far as to suggest that her resignation as provost had nothing to do with the scandal she had created and all to do with disagreements with her boss over the system's direction.

The other hopeful, Robert J. Jones, has spent 31 years as a faculty member and top administrator at the University of Minnesota, where he now serves as senior vice president for system administration. It is still unclear why he would make a move to Hawai'i — a destination he has visited only twice — so late in his career.

There is little excitement in the community over the two choices, overshadowed by questions about who was left in the batch of 500 or 600 that a national search firm — paid $100,000 — sorted through. The selection committee personally interviewed 14 finalists in Hawai'i but its chairwoman would not divulge to our reporter, Loren Moreno, how many of those finalists were local or had local ties.

Choosing locally has its merits. In 2006, the UH regents — to some degree of criticism — bypassed a national search in offering interim President David McClain the permanent position. McClain provided steady leadership for three years after the regents emerged from a messy $3.4 million settlement with former UH President Evan Dobelle. Although many initially were lukewarm about his appointment, his departure in July now has UH alums already nostalgic for the McClain years.

The bottom line is that the best qualified candidate should get the job, but the slate of hopefuls should have included at least one local candidate, with the names forwarded to the regents. Surely there is someone within our higher education system who was worthy of consideration. If not, why not?