UH regents select Wendy Hensel as next UH President

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents voted to appoint Wendy Hensel as the next president of the UH 10-campus system, the state’s sole provider of public higher education. The 11 regents voted unanimously for Hensel at the Thursday, Oct. 17 continuation of the Oct. 16 Special BOR Meeting at UH Mānoa.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of an exhaustive, extensive, nationwide search and hiring process, where our stakeholders were able to participate at every stage,” said BOR Chair Gabe Lee. “I am confident that Wendy Hensel is the right person to lead UH and help guide the state through the significant challenges ahead.”

Hensel is currently the Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost at the City University of New York and has served in that position since 2022. CUNY is a 25-campus system with an enrollment of 235,000 students.

Prior to CUNY, Hensel held leadership positions at Georgia State University as the Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs and Dean of the College of Law. She is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and earned a bachelor’s degree with highest honors from Michigan State University, where she was a Harry S. Truman Scholar ​​and an intern at the US Supreme Court.

The Board of Regents worked out the following terms of appointment for Hensel, and is awaiting her formal approval:

• $675,000 annual salary
• $7,000 a month housing allowance
• Up to $60,000 for moving expenses
• Tenure fallback position in the UH Mānoa William S. Richardson School of Law
• Term: three years with up to a two year extension subject to BOR approval

Hensel will succeed David Lassner who announced in September 2023, that he would retire at the end of 2024 after serving as president for more than 11 years. The extensive nationwide search for his replacement attracted 93 applicants.

The Presidential Search Advisory Group, volunteer representatives from UH stakeholder and governance groups who developed the position description and leadership profile, identified and interviewed 12 semi finalists. Three finalists were selected and two agreed to continue the process and participated in public events that included question and answer sessions and private meetings with stakeholders groups.

“Mahalo to the search advisory group and to thousands of people who participated in the process by completing the initial public survey and forums on what we need in a UH president,” said Lee in a news release. “And those who attended the public forums and provided feedback to the regents, which really helped inform our decision. It was invaluable.”

There are currently more than 50,000 students enrolled at UH across the 10-campus system. It fulfills its mission through seven community colleges, two regional universities and a globally-acclaimed research university with education and nine research centers throughout the state.