A survey asking what ought to be the top priorities for the University of Hawaii and its next president is open for only one more month, and UH leaders are urging all stakeholders — students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community members — to participate.
The survey at UHPresidentsurvey.org Opens in a new tab will accept responses through Feb. 15.
UH Board of Regents Chair Alapaki Nahale-a said feedback from the survey will be a “critical part of the process” as the board works to select a successor to outgoing UH President David Lassner, who has announced that he will retire at the end of this year or when the next president officially starts.
Key questions on the survey include:
>> Given the challenges and opportunities facing higher education and the state of Hawaii, what do you think is the most critical work to be done by the new president in the next three to five years?
>> What should the next president understand about UH to be successful?
>> What goals, values and/or capabilities should the next president have to lead UH?
>> What does UH need most in a new leader?
>> Should the current position of UH system president/UH Manoa chancellor be separated to create individual positions? Please explain.
The Board of Regents in December revised and finalized key parts of its presidential search plan to increase transparency and stakeholder involvement.
This month the regents held a special meeting to continue refining the search plan, and opted to stick with a “committee of the whole” composed exclusively of the 11 regents, instead of adding nonregent stakeholders.
But the board also boosted the role of a related advisory group by increasing membership to up to 12 key stakeholders, and changing its description to say that it “will provide advice and recommendations” to the presidential selection committee.
A representative from each of the four UH governance groups — faculty senate, staff senate and student caucus, and the Puko‘a Council, which represents 10 Native Hawaiian councils — plus board Vice Chairs Gabriel Lee and Ernest Wilson are in the process of forming the advisory group. The goal is to have the advisory group ready for the full board to vote on at the Feb. 16 board meeting at UH Hilo.
By Jan. 31 the board is scheduled to select an executive-search company.
“The feedback provided in the survey and public forums will be utilized by the search firm, selection committee and advisory board to ensure stakeholder input is an integral part of the hiring process,” a UH news release said.
The recruitment process is scheduled to run through April 15. The board aims to select the next president in June.
