University of Hawaii regents met privately and separately for about six hours with the two finalists to become UH’s 16th president and ended Wednesday’s regents’ meeting with no announcement, but with plans to resume their special meeting this morning.
Any number of options could be determined today, including the naming of the next president, an announcement that the regents are in negotiations with their tentative pick over pay and other compensation or even the possibility that the search will begin anew.
The finalists who spoke to the full 11-member board for the first time Wednesday are Julian Vasquez Heilig, 49, provost and vice president of academic affairs at Western Michigan University, who has cousins and a sister on Oahu; and Wendy Hensel, 54, executive vice chancellor and university provost for The City University of New York, who bought a townhome on Hawaii island three years ago along the Kohala Coast.
Neither appeared during Wednesday’s public session of the regents’ meeting in which regents were criticized for how they’ve conducted their search, including concerns over their closed-door discussions with and about the two finalists and the absence of any local candidates.
Each of the finalists later arrived separately and out of sight to talk to the regents after the public was dismissed from UH-Manoa’s Bachman Hall.
Before the regents went into executive session, some of the public testimony — both in writing and in person — urged the regents to start their search over, while others objected that the appointment of an interim president in the meantime would delay efforts and progress at UH if they resume their search for a permanent president to replace retiring David Lassner following a 47-year career at UH capped by his last 14 years in charge of the system of seven community colleges and three four-year universities.
Following their earlier whirlwind visits across UH campuses across four islands, the overwhelming written and oral testimony at Wednesday’s regents’ meeting favored Heilig, although Hensel also has support.
Others criticized the search process itself and the lack of a finalist with deeper Hawaii roots.
Dennis Lin, a UH-Hilo alum, wrote to the board, “I can see from both candidates that they are sufficiently qualified and have exemplary resumes. My concern is why is there no Hawaii based/connected candidates/finalists?
“Why not hire from our own backyard? Choose candidates who have lived experience in the UH system, grown their careers, and raised their families here in Hawaii.
“We will spend more time educating the finalists on Hawaii’s unique geographic location, socioeconomic landscape, culture, and political challenges.
“I urge the Board to reconsider and bring together a short list of Hawaii-bred, UH-nurtured candidates to the table.”
Janina Martin, an assistant professor of Early Childhood Education at Honolulu Community College and a doctoral candidate in the Education Foundations Global and International Education program at UH-Manoa told the board in written testimony:
“It is with heavy heart that I again look at candidates for UH president and see the glaring lack of understanding needed to run a University centrally located in Pacifica. How is it that time and time again the essential component of understanding of Pacific islands, peoples, and culture, rarely show up in finalists? Are we once again doomed to see continent-centric president fumble with the complexities and nuanced realities of what it means to be a Pacifica based and serving institution?
She cited the much-criticized presidencies of Evan Dobelle and M.R.C. Greenwood before him who were from the mainland and said, “We don’t need more (Dobelle) or Greenwood experiences which had the effect of setting us back and didn’t allow for true progression of learning and growth as an institution.
“We need someone who is innovative and rooted in understandings of those being served. I urge the board to go back to the process to find those candidates.”
Others threw their preference for either of the two finalists after listening to them during community forums.
Erik Beach, president of Hawaii Community College’s student government, was among those who prefer Vasquez Heilig, saying that Vasquez Heilig’s “answers were intellectual, factual and inclusive in their nature and I could feel that he honestly cares about the students and their needs. His connections to our islands and our culture are genuine and unbiased. He is both relatable and open to student engagement which is very important in these changing times.”
Lois Yamauchi, a professor and chair of educational psychology at Manoa’s College of Education, called Vasquez Heilig a “stronger leader of our system and campus.”
He has “read books and articles by Hawaiian scholars about Hawai‘i’s culture and history and integrated these into his presentation,” Yamauchi said. “On the other hand, when Dr. Hensel was asked what she had read about Hawaiian culture and history and which authors she had read, she could not name any scholars and said that she had watched two documentaries. This was disappointing, given that she has a residence on Hawai‘i island. I would have thought she would have known of our focus on the Indigenous people of our islands. Dr. Hensel also mispronounced some of the Hawaiian values she included in her responses.”
But former Manoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw said Hensel “seemed the most capable of fulfilling the responsibilities of the UH president position. She has highly relevant professional experience, including administrative leadership at a system level, dealing with a wide range of responsibilities (budget, student affairs, congressional interactions, etc.) She has served in a range of positions within universities as well, so that insight would enable her to understand the needs of students, staff, and faculty. Her presentation and responses to questions were thoughtful, concise, reasoned, and articulate. Her enthusiasm for the position was also evident. Plus, she already has a personal connection to Hawai’i. She seemed well aware of the opportunities and the challenges of the position and ready to assume both.”
Calvin Black, coordinator for the Hawaii Community College’s on-campus employment center, also wrote that Hensel would be better suited to serve as president.
“Wendy seems more qualified, more knowledgeable, and better equipped to lead UH than Julian,” Black wrote in his testimony. “Many or most of Julian’s answers to questions, and his speech at the open forums, seemed filled with fluff about ‘listening to constituents,’ which to be clear is absolutely necessary, but in this case felt more like he was just saying what he knew people would want to hear rather than articulating any clear vision or path forward. Despite Julian’s extensive CV, Wendy’s background and work history seem more relevant to the position.”
