On the eve of a Board of Regents session to discuss the Stevie Wonder concert fiasco, University of Hawaii President M.R.C. Greenwood said Tuesday that athletic director Jim Donovan was on his way out before the ill-fated venture.
In her first public statement on the issue since Donovan was removed as AD on July 11, Greenwood maintained "at the same time and almost coincidentally, (the) UH administration had determined that after 41⁄2 years of a five-year agreement, it was time to search for a new director of athletics."
Greenwood ended five weeks of public silence on the issue with a mass email to the "University ‘ohana" Tuesday afternoon, much of which dealt with Donovan’s employment and the Wonder controversy.
Greenwood wrote, "Plans for the process and timetable for this action (removing Donovan) would have commenced regardless of the concert cancellation and ensuing investigation. The discussions regarding this personnel decision were in the early stages and not yet public, but the attention of campus leadership had already turned to the recruitment process."
She did not address why Donovan, who has been reassigned to an as-yet-unnamed position, will be retained with a $211,200-a-year, three-year contract when his AD contract expires March 23. She did not say why Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple had effusively described Donovan’s job performance as "fantastic" and lauded his "incredible talents" at an Aug. 13 news conference.
The 15-member Board of Regents is scheduled to review the "reassignment of James Donovan and return from leave with pay of Richard Sheriff" in a closed-door executive session at 9 a.m. today at Windward Community College. In addition, it is scheduled to discuss "the status of (the) investigation of (the) Stevie Wonder concert."
A spokesman for the regents would not comment pending today’s meeting.
Donovan also would not comment, and as of Tuesday afternoon, UH had yet to post the opening for a new AD.
In her email Greenwood said: "We believe we were scammed (on the Wonder concert). When we became aware that we may have been the victims of a fraud, we immediately reported it to law enforcement and fully cooperated with law enforcement.
"We also initiated our own internal investigation. The results will be presented to the Board of Regents this Wednesday. In order for the investigation to proceed freely and fully, employees closely connected with the planned concert were removed from the workplace and placed on paid leave. Because we felt it unfair to make statements before facts were available, we have declined to engage in the widespread speculation about blame and accountability."
Greenwood wrote, "Unfortunately, these two separate issues collided and became entangled in the public’s perceptions. Personnel actions related to the future of the athletic department are not a result of nor derived from the investigation over the concert, and the two events should not have become so connected in the way that they have."
