Public has one month left to participate in survey on next University of Hawaiʻi president

The public has one month left to participate in a short, eight-question survey on the next president of the state’s public higher education system. The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents is asking all stakeholders of the 10-campus UH system—students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and community members to participate.

The survey can be found at UHPresidentsurvey.org and will be open through February 15.

“The feedback we will receive from this survey will be a critical part of the process to select the next leader of UH, whose success is critical to the future of Hawaiʻi,” said BOR Chair Alapaki Nahale-a.” 

The BOR in December set the hiring process for the next president who will succeed UH President David Lassner. Lassner announced in September that he will retire at the end of 2024 or when the next president officially starts.

By Jan. 31, the BOR will select an executive search company with access to Hawaiʻi expertise and/or Hawaiʻi focus to conduct a national search and recruit candidates. 

The board at a Jan. 4 special meeting set a process to determine the makeup of an advisory group of stakeholder representatives. The group will provide advice and counsel to the selection committee, which all 11 regents are serving on. 

The feedback provided in the survey and public forums will be utilized by the search firm, selection committee and advisory board to ensure stakeholder input is an integral part of the hiring process. 

The recruitment process will run through April 15, followed by an evaluation period as the BOR aims to make an official selection in June.