Julian Vasquez Heilig, the second of two finalists for the next University of Hawaii president, emphasized a respect for Hawaii’s history and Native Hawaiian culture in his appearance at a Hilo forum on Tuesday. “We need to create a system that’s grounded in indigeneity, community-facing and fully aligned with the values of this land,” he said, in language familiar to those following the evolution of national public policy in recent years.

Heilig’s top priority, he said, would be cooperative evaluation of the UH system and improvements where needed. A decision on outgoing UH President David Lassner’s replacement is expected from the UH Board of Regents by the end of October.