Interviews of two men vying to become the next University of Hawaii president will be open to the public.

The university Board of Regents will be interviewing the two finalists on Tuesday during a special meeting.

The board says that the interviews will be open to the public in the "spirit of transparency."

The board will hear public testimony before the interviews begin.

A petition questions the qualifications of one of the finalists, retired Lt. Gen. Frank Wiercinski, who led U.S. Army Pacific for two years.

Some oppose his military background and argue he doesn’t have experience leading a public education institution.

The other finalist is David Lassner, who took over after M.R.C. Greenwood said she would step down to deal with health problems and spend more time with family.