As David Lassner approaches his end-of-the-year retirement as University of Hawaii president, here are three things he should do before he departs:

>> By the time Todd Graham’s tumultuous two-season tenure as coach ended in January 2022, the Hawaii football team was in shambles. Nineteen players, including three captains — quarterback Chevan Cordeiro, linebacker Darius Muasau and safety Khoury Bethley — had entered the transfer portal or were filling the applications. Their home venue for 45 football seasons was shuttered because rain, salty air and metal were not an everlasting formula for a stadium. At their temporary stadium, a curtain separated part of the visitors’ locker room from the hotdog line.

Timmy Chang, a homegrown hero and former record-setting UH quarterback, was hired as Graham’s replacement. Under the unifying “Braddahhood” theme, Chang repaired morale of what remained of the team and built a culture that helped distract from the Warriors’ battles to compete against other Mountain West programs for revenue, facilities and NIL opportunities.

The Warriors have improved modestly each year under Chang. At 4-6, they need to win their final two games to achieve Chang’s first break-even season. In January, Chang will be entering the final season of a four-year contract he signed in 2022. Because incoming UH president Wendy Hensel has no previous connection with the football program and athletic director Craig Angelos is working under an at-will agreement, it is up to Lassner to give Chang a contract extension. It is never good for recruiting for a coach to enter the final year of a contract.

In the coaching regime preceding Graham’s tenure, Nick Rolovich initially signed a four-year contract. A fifth year was automatically added because Rolovich met a clause rewarding him for the Warriors’ qualifying for a bowl in his first two seasons. At the end of the 2018 season, UH gave a two-year extension that would keep Rolovich under contract through the 2022 season. Rolovich ended up resigning to become Washington State’s head coach in 2020.

Graham then signed an incentive-loaded, five-year contract with UH. The deal called for Graham to receive a base of $750,000 in 2020 and then $800,000 annually the next four years. Whether Graham resigned or was canned, he agreed to forfeit the balance owed on his contract. Neither Graham nor UH was charged an early-departure fee.

In Chang’s case, the on-field record is what the record is, as they say in coachspeak, and it is not very good. But for the improvements, the building of unity, and dealing with challenging situations — UH no longer has use of a grass practice field — Chang has done a commendable job. Chang has a split contract in which this year’s total annual compensation of $700,008 includes an annual base salary of $290,004. He is the Mountain West’s lowest-paid head coach.

The Mountain West is entering a reconstruction in 2026, as well as negotiating a new television contract. Continuity is important for the league and UH. To help recruiting and maintain stability, Lassner should offer a two-year extension that would keep Chang under contract through at least 2027.

>> Soon after the announced completion of Rainbow Wahine Softball Stadium in 1997, it was discovered that home plate could not be viewed from the press box (where announcers and statisticians sit). Because the press box could not be moved back because of the electrical setup, 4 feet of dirt was added atop the field to improve the view.

That was the last project coach Bob Coolen could not fix. Coolen is known for maintaining the grounds, sweeping the dugouts, changing light bulbs, lining the field, and replacing or tightening bolts before, after and sometimes during games. The self-confessed neatnik once signed up for every shift of the athletic department’s cleanup day.

He also has been a pretty successful softball coach.

Coolen is retiring at the end of his coming season. Lassner should use his presidential powers and influence to name the stadium after Coolen.

>>When your boss wants to review the budget reports — ASAP! — the message is usually delivered through an email or phone call. For Lassner, the request sometimes comes during a state Senate hearing. Televised live.

Lassner appears to be a well-meaning administrator with an absence of malice. Last year, he pledged $1 million from his personal bank account toward UH’s ambitious fundraising drive. Before wading into retirement, this is an opportunity for Lassner to provide lawmakers and the Board of Regents an honest assessments of UH’s needs and the obstacles — financial and political — impeding progress. There’s nothing to lose now. And, in his style, he can deliver the message through private phone calls or meetings.