{"id":56351,"date":"2017-02-15T09:00:50","date_gmt":"2017-02-15T19:00:50","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/?p=56351"},"modified":"2018-05-01T14:10:54","modified_gmt":"2018-05-02T00:10:54","slug":"next-steps-as-manoa-chancellor-search-concludes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/2017\/02\/15\/next-steps-as-manoa-chancellor-search-concludes\/","title":{"rendered":"Next steps as M\u0101noa chancellor search concludes"},"content":{"rendered":"<span class=\"span-reading-time rt-reading-time\" style=\"display: block;\"><span class=\"rt-label rt-prefix\">Reading time: <\/span> <span class=\"rt-time\"> 5<\/span> <span class=\"rt-label rt-postfix\">minutes<\/span><\/span><div class=\"responsive-video-wrap\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" width=\"620\" height=\"349\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/b8GGDELkRJc?showinfo=0\" title=\"Youtube video player\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe><\/div>\n<figure id=\"attachment_50778\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-50778\" style=\"width: 260px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/manoa-hawaii-hall-wide-260x173.jpg\" alt=\"Students sitting on the lawn in front of Hawaii Hall\" width=\"260\" height=\"173\" class=\"size-medium wp-image-50778\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/manoa-hawaii-hall-wide-260x173.jpg 260w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/09\/manoa-hawaii-hall-wide.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 260px) 100vw, 260px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-50778\" class=\"wp-caption-text\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> Hall<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The search for a new chancellor for the University\u00a0of <a href=\"http:\/\/manoa.hawaii.edu\/\"><span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> at M&#257;noa<\/a> has concluded without an appointment. Rather than reopen the search,\u00a0University of <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span> President <a href=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/leadership\/david-lassner\/\"><strong>David Lassner<\/strong><\/a> is recommending that he continue to serve as interim <abbr title=\"University of Hawaii\">UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa chancellor for two more years during which he will work\u00a0collaboratively\u00a0with the campus to advance <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>&#8217;s flagship research university. Lassner has served as the interim chancellor since September 2016.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It is my view that M&#257;noa can&#8217;t wait for a new chancellor to be selected to\u00a0make the advances we need now, and that\u00a0uncertainty places a severe damper on forward progress,&rdquo; said Lassner in <a href=\"#lassnermessage\">a February 15, 2017 message<\/a> to <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa students, faculty and staff. Lassner is recommending that the current interim arrangement continue and is not proposing to merge the positions of system president and M&#257;noa chancellor. &rdquo;I recognize, perhaps better than anyone, that the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> presidency and the M&#257;noa chancellorship are two distinct, large and difficult\u00a0jobs,&rdquo; Lassner stated.\u2028<\/p>\n<p>The recommendation is that the opening of a new search for a M&#257;noa chancellor be considered in two years. During that period, the focus will be to work collaboratively to advance key areas, including matters identified by the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/offices\/bor\">Board of Regents<\/a>. This will include such priorities as: a modern, integrated data-driven enrollment management program to reverse declining student\u00a0enrollment; mission-driven academic restructuring; new approaches to campus space\u00a0management, facilities modernization and planning; and moving toward a new campus budget model.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;My charge in the chancellor&#8217;s office\u00a0will be\u00a0to work\u00a0collaboratively with the M&#257;noa leadership, faculty, students and staff\u00a0to make the changes necessary for <abbr >UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa to\u00a0thrive as <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>&#8217;s\u00a0great research university,&rdquo; said Lassner.<\/p>\n<p>Lassner added that based on\u00a0his five and a half months as interim chancellor, he believes a significant restructuring of the M&#257;noa chancellor and vice\u00a0chancellor offices would support greater progress in critical areas and position <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa for greater success.<\/p>\n<p>He will hold an\u00a0open forum in March to provide an\u00a0update on progress\u00a0and to receive input and ideas\u00a0from the campus community.\u00a0<\/p>\n<h2>Search process<\/h2>\n<p>Last spring Lassner appointed a Search Advisory Committee for the chancellor of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa.\u00a0This group provided\u00a0comprehensive stakeholder representation from the campus and included community participants.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I can attest that committee worked in an extremely collegial manner and was diligent and hardworking in their dedication to the task of helping select the next chancellor of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa,&rdquo; said Lassner.\u00a0The committee\u00a0reviewed the role of the M&#257;noa chancellor, updated the position description and advertised\u00a0nationally and locally in specialized and general-purpose publications.\u00a0After reviewing more than thirty applications, eight semi-finalists were identified and interviewed via videoconference. Three finalists were selected, and each participated in two-day campus visits that included meetings with\u00a0stakeholder groups. A single finalist was identified for consideration of appointment, but upon the initiation of discussions that candidate withdrew from consideration.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;This was a superb Search Advisory Committee that did everything correctly, and I had no\u00a0disagreement with their conclusions,&rdquo; said Lassner.\u00a0&ldquo;I would like to thank the committee members for their thoughtfulness, care and diligence.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a name=\"lassnermessage\"><\/p>\n<h2>Statement on <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa chancellor search and next steps<\/h2>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_48951\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-48951\" style=\"width: 200px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/system-lassner-200.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"271\" class=\"size-full wp-image-48951\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/system-lassner-200.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/08\/system-lassner-200-192x260.jpg 192w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-48951\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">David Lassner<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p><em><abbr>UH<\/abbr> President David Lassner shared a message on February 15 to students, faculty and staff of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa campus.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Late last spring I appointed a Search Advisory Committee for the position of Chancellor of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa. This group provided comprehensive stakeholder representation from the campus and included community participants as well. The committee reviewed the role of the M&#257;noa Chancellor within <abbr>UH<\/abbr> today and updated the position description. The position was then advertised nationally and locally in specialized and general-purpose publications. The Committee received and reviewed over 30 applications, including those of candidates who were nominated for the position and agreed to be considered. <\/p>\n<p>Based on review of the written materials, the committee selected eight semi-finalists and interviewed them via videoconference. After extensive discussion, three of the semi-finalists were selected as finalists and invited to make campus visits. These visits took place during the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017 and consisted of two days of intensive meetings for each finalist with stakeholder groups and individuals.<\/p>\n<p>I met four times with the Committee during their work and I can attest that the committee worked in an extremely collegial manner and was diligent and hardworking in their dedication to the task of helping select the next Chancellor of <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa. Their final meeting provided me with an assessment of the viability of all three finalists with strengths and weaknesses. This was a superb Search Advisory Committee that did everything correctly, and I had no disagreement with their conclusions.<\/p>\n<p>Immediately after receiving the input of the committee, I reached out directly to one candidate. At that time I was advised of the candidate&#8217;s withdrawal from consideration for appointment at this time. I will not comment on the reasons for withdrawal since that might compromise the confidentiality of the Search Advisory Committee assessments. But I will say that the reasons in no way reflected on <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa or the qualifications, suitability and genuine interest of the candidate in the position. <\/p>\n<p>Based on the committee&#8217;s assessments, with which I am in full agreement after my own meetings with the finalists, I am unable to recommend a new Chancellor at this time. The Committee&#8217;s assessments are confidential, and I will not comment further on details and reasons.<\/p>\n<p>This of course raises the question of next steps. <\/p>\n<p><abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa is now well-positioned for significant progress on major challenges and opportunities. These include such imperatives as: creating a data-driven integrated enrollment management program for the campus to reverse declining student enrollment; mission-driven academic restructuring; new approaches to campus space management, facilities modernization and planning; better integration of instructional and research missions and activities; and taking initial implementation steps toward a new budget model. Based on my five and a half months as Interim Chancellor, it is also clear to me that a significant restructuring of the M&#257;noa Chancellor and Vice Chancellor offices would facilitate progress in critical areas and position M&#257;noa for greater success while improving efficiencies.<\/p>\n<p>It is my view that <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa can&#8217;t wait for a new Chancellor to be selected to make the advances we need, and that uncertainty places a severe damper on changes that support forward progress. It is therefore my recommendation that the search not be reopened at this time. I instead recommend that the Board of Regents charge me to continue in the dual capacity as President and Interim Chancellor. My charge in the Chancellor&#8217;s office will be to work collaboratively with the M&#257;noa campus leadership, faculty, students and staff, and with others in the Â鶹´«Ã½System, to make the changes necessary for <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa to thrive as <span aria-label=\"Hawaii\">Â鶹´«Ã½<\/span>&#8217;s great research university. Last year the Board of Regents laid out a set of mandates for the campus, and there are other imperatives as well. Next month I will hold an open forum to provide an update on the work to date and to receive input and ideas from the broad campus community. <\/p>\n<p>I recognize, perhaps better than anyone, that the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> Presidency and the M&#257;noa Chancellorship are two distinct, large and difficult jobs. So I am absolutely not recommending that the positions be combined. I believe that the question of campus leadership should be revisited in 2 years to determine how to fill the Chancellor position. In the meantime, I believe I can mitigate the conflicts that will naturally arise from time to time. And this arrangement will also provide for a closer relationship with the Board of Regents and with the System Vice Presidents as we advance the campus.<\/p>\n<p>This is not what I had hoped to be recommending, but I believe this is the best path available at this time to create a great future for <abbr>UH<\/abbr> M&#257;noa as the flagship research university of the <abbr>UH<\/abbr> System. <\/p>\n<p>Finally, I would like to thank the Search Advisory Committee for their thoughtfulness, care and diligence. I know they are disappointed, as I am and as are many on campus. This outcome is in no way a reflection on the Search Advisory Committee or their work.<\/p>\n<p>&#699;A&#699;ohe hana nui ke alu &#699;ia.<br \/>\n(No task is too big when done together by all.)<\/p>\n<p>David Lassner<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Lassner to continue as interim chancellor for the next two years, as the search closes without an appointment.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1193,28],"tags":[691,626,9],"class_list":["post-56351","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-administrative","category-governance","tag-administration","tag-executive-search","tag-uh-manoa","entry","has-media"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56351","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=56351"}],"version-history":[{"count":20,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56351\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":78974,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/56351\/revisions\/78974"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=56351"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=56351"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.hawaii.edu\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=56351"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}