Donald Straney appointed UH Hilo chancellor

The University of Hawaii at Hilo has a new chancellor.  Donald Straney was named to the post today with the three year appointment to officially begin on July 1, 2010.  Straney comes to Hawaii after serving as the dean of the College of Science and a professor of biology at California State Polytechnic University in Pamona.

Donald Straney. Photo Courtesy the University of Hawaii.

The appointment comes amid ongoing discussion over the University’s role in the proposed construction of a 30-meter telescope atop Mauna Kea.  UH Hilo recently submitted a final environmental impact statement for the project.  (Details are available at the following link:  http://mauinow.com/2010/05/13/mauna-kea-a-search-for-balance-between-sacred-summit-and-science-city/)

Straney joined Cal Poly Pomona in August, 2002 after spending 23 years at Michigan State University where he served as chair of the Department of Zoology and assistant to the provost for faculty development. He is also on the National Advisory Board of the National Science Foundation-supported Center for the Integration of Teaching, Research and Learning at the University of Wisconsin.

He received a doctorate in zoology from the University of California, Berkeley, and both his master’s and bachelor’s degrees in zoology from Michigan State University.

“Donald Straney brings an impressive set of talents and expertise to the position of UH Hilo chancellor and we are pleased to have him on board,” said University of Hawai‘i President M.R.C. Greenwood. “His solid leadership record and background in the sciences will be great assets, as the campus continues to grow and develop in this area.

Straney has been a principal investigator for three large-scale grants at Cal Poly Pomona: a Howard Hughes Medical Institute grant to enhance undergraduate instruction in biology, a National Science Foundation ADVANCE grant to support the professional development of science and engineering faculty, and a U.S. Department of Education Teacher Quality Enhancement grant to prepare the next generation of teachers.

“I’m honored to join the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. I am impressed with its strong programs, faculty and staff and by the energy of its students,” said Straney “I look forward to talking with people on campus and in the community about ways we can expand our impact on student learning and the lives of people in the state.”