Public invited to take survey regrading next UH president

The University of Hawaii Board of Regents is asking the public to complete an eight-question survey about the next president of the state’s public higher education system.

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

“This is the first opportunity for our students, employees, alumni, community members and other constituency groups to participate in this very important process,” said BOR Chair Alapaki Nahale-a in a press release. “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 Hawaii.”

The BOR set the hiring process for the next president at a Dec. 7 board meeting to find a successor for UH President David Lassner. Lassner announced in September that he will retire at the end of 2024 or when the next president officially starts.

The BOR by Jan. 31 will hire an executive search company with access to Hawaii expertise and/or Hawaii focus to conduct a national search and recruit candidates, according to the press release.

The board is holding a special public meeting on Jan. 4 to finalize details of the advisory group of representatives from stakeholder groups including students, faculty, staff, alumni and community members.

The advisory 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.