The national recruitment for the next president of the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi 10-campus system will officially begin in late May 2024 after the ߣsir��Ƶ Board of Regents (BOR) approved the position description and leadership profile at the May 16 BOR monthly meeting at ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz�. The position description and leadership profile were based on feedback provided through six public forums that were held on four islands, and a public survey along with input from the regents and the Presidential Search Advisory Group (PSAG), who edited and finalized the profile before it was brought to the board.

• ߣsir��Ƶ President Search Website

“We are very pleased that the next phase of the search can officially begin, and the regents thank the PSAG for their important work on the leadership profile,” said BOR Interim Chair Gabriel Lee. “We are hoping there is a lot of local and national interest in the position and that we are able to attract the best candidates possible to lead the state’s sole provider of higher education.”

, the search firm hired by the BOR, will officially launch the recruitment in late May with outreach and national advertisements. The search is following the timeline approved by the regents on March 21.

• May to August—Candidate recruitment period
• August—Review of candidate materials, first round of candidate interviews
• September—Three to four finalists are named
• October—Final selection and negotiation, new president is announced
• Early 2025—New president begins

The PSAG is made up of stakeholders from across the ߣsir��Ƶ system and local community. The group assisted with county forums along with the development of the leadership profile and position description. The PSAG will review candidate applications, identify and recommend candidates for interviews, interview the first round of eight to 12 candidates and recommend semifinalists to the selection committee, which consists of all 11 regents.

As part of the listening phase of the search promised by the regents, approximately 565 people attended the six public forums held across the state in person or via Zoom. The public survey completed in February received 2,093 responses.

The new president will succeed President David Lassner, who announced in September that he will retire at the end of 2024.

President David Lassner provided updates on ߣsir��Ƶ support for Lahainaluna High School ߣsir��Ƶ, 2024 fall enrollment and philanthropic fundraising—noting that the ߣsir��Ƶ Foundation surpassed $100 million in fundraising—in his monthly report to the Board of Regents (BOR) at their May 16 meeting at ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz�.

Lassner also highlighted the successful commencement activities of the 10 campuses, including the ߣsir��Ƶuation ceremony held every four years on Molokaʻi and informed the regents about how recently passed federal appropriations require in-state tuition for the citizens of the Federated States of Micronesia, the Republic of the Marshall Islands and the Republic of Palau.

• Successful spring 2024 ߣsir��Ƶuation season ()
• Molokaʻi ߣsir��Ƶuation ()
• Federal tuition requirement for Compact of Free Association nations ()
• Ongoing support for Lahainaluna ߣsir��Ƶ ()
• Enrollment trending upwards for fall 2024 ()
• Record extramural funding ()
• ߣsir��Ƶ Foundation surpasses $100 million ()

See previous president’s reports to the Board of Regents.

The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi completed a series of public county forums to gather feedback that will help inform the search for next president of the 10-campus ߣsir��Ƶ System, the state’s sole provider of public higher education.

Approximately 85 people attended the six forums in person, and roughly 480 participated via Zoom. The forums, which took place on Oʻahu, Maui, Kauaʻi and ߣsir��Ƶʻi Island and finished on May 7, were scheduled by the ߣsir��Ƶ Board of Regents (BOR) as part of the listening phase of the search process. A public survey completed in February received nearly 2,000 responses.

“We plan to take all of the feedback from the forums and the listening sessions and try to incorporate it into the presidential profile that’s going to go out to essentially search for candidates to apply,” said Erin Centeio, co-chair of the presidential search advisory group (PSAG).

Centeio said that the PSAG plans to incorporate all the feedback from the forums and the surveys into a presidential profile that will be presented to the BOR at their meeting on May 16.

“Beyond the profile, these listening sessions are going to help us understand who the community wants for a next president,” said Centeio. “As we look at applicants and do first round interviews, we will be looking to these forums as well as everything that’s been submitted to be able to help guide us in who the next president should be.”

The board announced at its March 21 meeting that it plans to name finalists in September and announce the next president in October. The new president will begin in January 2025 and will succeed David Lassner, who announced in September 2023 that he will retire by December 2024.

“The selection of the next president will likely be the single most important decision made by this board and we are committed to doing it thoroughly in an inclusive and transparent manner,” said BOR Chair Gabriel Lee in a previous BOR meeting.

The PSAG is made up of ߣsir��Ƶ stakeholders and will make candidate recommendations to the search committee, which consists of all 11 regents. WittKieffer, a Chicago-based firm, was hired to assist in the search and will work with the BOR to develop the position description and profile of an ideal president and then recruit candidates.

This message was sent to the ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz� ʻohana from Provost Michael Bruno on May 7, 2024.

Aloha mai kākou!

As we close a successful academic year at the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks and congratulations to each and every one of you. To our ߣsir��Ƶ, especially our ߣsir��Ƶuates, your hard work and dedication to your studies have led you to this milestone. Well done!

I want to also take a moment to recognize and thank our campus for your efforts to assist those members of our community who were impacted by the Maui wildfires. Your empathy, actions, suggestions, and even financial assistance, were essential to delivering the message to our Maui ߣsir��Ƶ and their families that they are loved and will be strongly supported.

Many of our researchers stepped up to provide crucial support to the Maui response and the ongoing recovery effort. That critical work will continue. This year, these researchers and their colleagues have been awarded a record amount of extramural funding, enabling us to continue to conduct research that truly matters.

Mānoa was reaffirmed as one of the top institutions in the U.S. and across the globe by multiple rankings organizations this year. Among the highlights, we were ranked in the top 1% in the world for research and teaching, and several of our subjects were ranked in the top 20 in the nation. This recognition is a wonderful testament to the high caliber of education and scholarship at ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa.

I’m thrilled that the Native ߣsir��Ƶian Place of Learning Advancement Office (NHPoL) has successfully engaged with Cohort Kumukahi, the inaugural cohort of leadership of schools, colleges, and other units that will engage in a multi-year process to support the creation of five-year NHPoL action plans to fulfill the goals outlined in the ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa Strategic Plan.

None of these successes would have been possible without the unwavering dedication of our faculty and staff. Your passion for teaching, mentorship, and support create an environment where our ߣsir��Ƶ, and the broader community, can thrive and excel.

As we look ahead to the future, I’m filled with hope and excitement. I hope that our ߣsir��Ƶuates will always carry with them a sense of pride in being part of the ߣsir��Ƶ Mānoa ʻohana. Continue to pursue your dreams with determination and resilience, knowing that you are equipped with the knowledge and skills to make a meaningful difference in the world.

Congratulations once again, and mahalo nui loa for your contributions to this great university and the communities that we serve!

Kalbert Young, ߣsir��Ƶ vice president for budget and finance and chief financial officer, shares his analysis of the 2024 Legislative session.

Aloha ߣsir��Ƶ ߣsir��Ƶ, faculty, staff and administrators,

The 2024 legislative regular session concluded on May 3. Throughout the 2024 session, there were a lot of issues and initiatives that were anticipated to dominate the focus of the Legislature, such as responding to the Maui wildfires, legalizing recreational marijuana, easing sunshine law requirements, reforming the state tax code, etc. For things related to the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi, an initial review may seem like 2024 was a repeat of previous years’ results. However, I would postulate that there are some signs that there are a number of decent outcomes for ߣsir��Ƶ, all things considered. Perhaps, it could be the first year in a trend toward future improvement.

The first place to look is the state budget. The funding provided will support the current level of operations and capital improvement projects for the ߣsir��Ƶ 10-campus system. HB 1800 CD1 is the state supplemental operating and capital improvement projects (CIP) budget bill to fund the upcoming fiscal year that begins July 1.

Starting with the operating budget, below is a breakdown of the funding for ߣsir��Ƶ for the upcoming fiscal year compared to the Board of Regents’ budget request approved before the start of the session. What was “special” about this past legislative session, is the progress of support— and, not—throughout the session via the different drafts of the budget. For example, I believe it is a “historical first“ that a legislative body would overwhelmingly support a department’s budget request to the extent that they would fund everything the governor proposed, plus more. The House did just that in the house draft (HD) of the operating budget. Of course, that level of funding was not ultimately sustained in the Senate or in legislative conference committees on the final budget.

The table below shows the progress of the budget proposal through the entirety of the session. This is barring any unlikely (line-item) veto of budget items by the governor. Items listed in red are “non-recurring” and will require the university to request continued funding at the next legislative session.

*Items in red are non-recurring.

Our top priority this session was the restoration of state general fund support to pre COVID-19 pandemic levels after being cut in 2020. Although this was a repeated request for the last two sessions, in 2024, the Legislature has restored pre-pandemic funding to the university’s base budget.

In addition to funding via the broad state budget, there were also individual appropriation measures to certain university units. Below are bills separate from the budget bill that appropriated funds to the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi for programs or initiatives.

ߣsir��Ƶʻi Promise

A few important initiatives were not funded. Most notably, is the recurring failure to fund the expansion of the ߣsir��Ƶʻi Promise Program for ߣsir��Ƶ at ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz�, ߣsir��Ƶ Hilo and ߣsir��Ƶ West Oʻahu. ߣsir��Ƶʻi Promise was implemented in 2017 at the seven community colleges and has been highly successful.

More on ߣsir��Ƶʻi Promise Program

This year’s initiative would have provided funds for the unmet financial needs for qualified ߣsir��Ƶ at the four-year campuses. This is notable, because 2024 represents the first year in the past five years where the university’s proposal on ߣsir��Ƶʻi Promise was not included in the governor’s budget proposal. Yet still notable, this was the singular additional item that the House included in its HD in addition to supporting all other parts of the governor’s operating budget proposal. In the end, the ߣsir��Ƶʻi Promise expansion was not funded in the final version of the budget.

Tobacco tax

There was also a bill that would have increased the cigarette tax revenue by 2 cents with those additional funds going to the . Cigarette tax revenue is the primary and critical source of funds to pay for the debt service on ߣsir��Ƶʻi’s Cancer Center. A portion of the cigarette tax revenues also pays for the operations and research of our state’s cancer center. Unfortunately, this bill did not pass and consequently, during the interim, there will need to be deeper discussions on this issue to determine the next steps for the state’s center.

Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) budget

Regarding the state CIP budget, these are the funds ߣsir��Ƶ uses to address major facility improvements and address deferred maintenance. This has consistently been a major area of concern for the university over the past decade. The Legislature appropriated a total of $184.2 million in general obligation bonds for the following projects:

*Items in red were previously appropriated in part or in full by General Funds in last year’s budget

Some of the figures are noted in red to indicate that the Legislature changed the Means of Financing from General Funds (i.e., cash funding) to General Obligation bonds. Although the amount of CIP funding may sound impressive—$184.2 million—in reality, the amount of additional funding support is actually less, with the net effect being a gain of only $19.5 million, as $164.7 million of previously appropriated capital improvement projects for ߣsir��Ƶ was purposely lapsed.

Last year, the first year of the biennium, the Legislature appropriated $101.2 million in General Funds for capital improvement projects at ߣsir��Ƶ. In order to free up cash to provide resources to respond to the devastation caused by the August wildfires, the Legislature force lapsed those General Funds and appropriated those amounts in General Obligation bonds. For the System/����ԴDz� Renew Improve Modernize (RIM) funds, an additional $70 million was appropriated to get to the $100 million total for FY25. In total, $164.7 million of previously appropriated capital improvement projects for ߣsir��Ƶ was purposely lapsed, and a table with additional detail is provided below:

While the condition of student housing on the ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz� campus was a major topic of discussion this past legislative session, in the final conclusion of the budget no explicit funding was provided toward student housing or student housing facilities. The budget appropriation for RIM projects does include recognition of “student housing facilities.” RIM funds could already be used for those projects but would now compete with the needs of all other facilities such as those for instructional, research, student support and administrative purposes rather than having its own funding source. Still, it is positive that there is some nod to student housing included with RIM funding.

The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi is grateful and appreciative to the Legislature and the governor for the budget funding. Sustained funding may always be a major issue for ߣsir��Ƶ programs and facilities, and despite a few shortcomings, I believe this budget represents decent support in a number of areas. The governor has until July 10, 2024, to sign, veto or allow bills to become law without his signature.

Mahalo for your time and attention,
Kalbert Young
Vice President for Budget and Finance/Chief Financial Officer

The mission of the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Mānoa (CTAHR) is to secure the future of ߣsir��Ƶʻi by building local self-sufficiency in food and agricultural products, according to CTAHR’s new Dean Parwinder Grewal who started on March 1. It was part of Grewal’s first speech to CTAHR faculty and staff at the four-day, state of the college conference in April 2024.

“CTAHR’s inclusive vision is to secure the future of ߣsir��Ƶʻi through collaborative innovation and merging the Western, Asian, Hispanic, and Native ߣsir��Ƶian knowledge systems,” said Grewal, adding that local self sufficiently has to happen while also, “enhancing the health of ߣsir��Ƶian ecosystems, families and communities through research, teaching and cooperative Extension.”

Grewal also focused on the challenges in ߣsir��Ƶʻi that CTAHR research and extension can help address including �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s energy supply, with more than 80% of the energy being imported (mostly as oil); �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s food supply with 85–90% of our food being imported; and food security with 11% of families and 1 in 6 children facing food insecurity in the state.

“We can help develop ag stations as hubs of prosperity by establishing sustainable production systems with locally relevant food, feed, forage, fiber, floriculture, timber, seed production, livestock, swine, and small ruminant (sheep, goat) production,” said Grewal.

Grewal also discussed CTAHR’s student enrollment trends over the past five years. Student numbers have declined since the COVID-19 pandemic, however programs such as natural resources and environmental management, molecular biosciences and bioengineering and more are trending upward. In the past three years CTAHR ߣsir��Ƶ have also been awarded $780,618 in scholarships to support student success. Currently 43% of CTAHR ߣsir��Ƶ are ߣsir��Ƶʻi residents with Native ߣsir��Ƶians representing 13% of the student population.

Grewal also identified supporting student success, cooperative extension workforce and extramural awards as other areas that CTAHR will focus on moving forward. CTAHR faculty had a record year in 2023 with $47 million in extramural awards.

The conference included keynote speakers, educational sessions and showcased research at the symposium. CTAHR faculty and staff had the opportunity to tour some of the CTAHR‘s research and Extension stations based on Oʻahu.

A familiar face will become the new dean for the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at ����ԴDz�’s medical school. Former vice dean Thomas Samuel “Sam” Shomaker was selected to lead the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM).

The former JABSOM leader returns after stints as dean of the Austin campus for the University of Texas Medical Branch and the dean and vice president at Texas A&M Health Science Center.

Shomaker worked at ߣsir��Ƶ’s medical school from 2000 to 2006. Besides his role as vice dean, Shomaker stepped in as interim dean when Dean Ed Cadman stepped down in 2005.

He is scheduled to start on July 1. His appointment is subject to approval by the ߣsir��Ƶ Board of Regents.

“Dr. Shomaker has extensive leadership experience and served in senior leadership positions within higher education and medical schools, including his time at JABSOM. He has an understanding of the needs of JABSOM, our community and health partners, ߣsir��Ƶʻi and beyond,” ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz� Provost Michael Bruno said in an email to the JABSOM community.

Shomaker earned a MD from ߣsir��Ƶ ����ԴDz�, JD from Georgetown University School of Law, master’s degree in management from Stanford University Graduate School of Business, and a bachelor’s degree from St. Louis University.

President David Lassner provided an update on the troubled Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) form and its impact to the ߣsir��Ƶ 10-campus system and the nation in his President’s Report to the Board of Regents (BOR) at the April 18 monthly meeting at Kapiʻolani Community College.

Lassner also provided more information on ߣsir��Ƶ’s progress in leading the state’s broadband initiative and the university’s record pace in extramural funding.

• FAFSA update ()
• ߣsir��Ƶ leading ߣsir��Ƶʻi broadband initiative ()
• Extramural funding on record pace ()

See previous president’s reports to the Board of Regents.

The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi Board of Regents has scheduled six county forums to gather feedback from the general public to help inform the search for the next president of the 10-campus ߣsir��Ƶ System, the state’s sole provider of public higher education.

Each forum will be ninety minutes long and available in-person and virtually via Zoom. They will take place over a week-long period from April 30 to May 7, with two forums on Oʻahu and ߣsir��Ƶʻi Island, and one forum each on Kauaʻi and Maui. The complete schedule and Zoom information is below.

The forums are part of the listening phase promised by the regents, which included a public survey that was completed in February with more than 2,000 responses.

, the Chicago-based firm hired to assist in the search, is using the feedback from the public forums and surveys, along with input gathered from interviews with the regents and the Presidential Search Advisory Group (PSAG), to develop the position description and leadership profile. The regents are expected to review both at the May 16 monthly board meeting, and if approved at that time, WittKieffer will begin the recruitment process.

The PSAG is made up of ߣsir��Ƶ stakeholders and will make candidate recommendations to the search committee, which consists of all 11 regents. The board announced at its March 21 meeting that it plans to name finalists in September and announce the next president in October. The new president will begin in January 2025 and will succeed David Lassner, who announced in September 2023 that he will retire by December 2024.

County forum schedule and Zoom meeting information:

Tuesday, April 30, 1:30 p.m.

University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at ����ԴDz�
Information Technology Building
1st Floor Conference Room 105A/B
2520 Correa Road
Honolulu, HI 96822

Zoom:

Meeting ID: 993 9260 8196
Passcode: 896965
Dial in: +1 669 444 9171 US

Recording:

Passcode: #!3zZ#n9

Wednesday, May 1, 9 a.m.

University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi Maui College
Kaʻaʻike Building Room 105BCD
310 W. Kaʻahumanu Avenue
Kahului, HI 96732

Zoom:

Meeting ID: 970 2402 9809
Passcode: 013158
Dial in: +1 669 444 9171 US

Recording:

Friday, May 3, 9 a.m.

ߣsir��Ƶʻi Community College–Pālamanui
Panini 126-127
73-4225 Ane Keohokalole Highway
Kailua-Kona, HI 96740

Zoom:

Meeting ID: 933 9068 7174
Passcode: 446556
Dial in: +1 408 638 0968 US

Recording:

Friday, May 3, 2 p.m.

University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi at Hilo
200 W. Kawili Street, UCB 100
Hilo, HI 96720

Zoom:

Meeting ID: 926 0797 6064
Passcode: 044150
Dial in: +1 669 444 9171 US

Recording:

Monday, May 6, 9:30 a.m.

Kauaʻi Community College
Fine Arts Auditorium (Bldg 5)
3-1901 Kaumualiʻi Highway
Lihuʻe, HI 96766

Zoom:

Meeting ID: 986 5755 9996
Passcode: 629812
Dial in: +1 669 444 9171 US

Recording:

Tuesday, May 7, 8:30 a.m.

University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi–West Oʻahu
Campus Center, Room C208
91-1001 Farrington Highway
Kapolei, HI 96707

Zoom:
Meeting ID: 921 1539 7556
Passcode: 941100
Dial in: +1 669 444 9171 US

Recording:

The University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi ʻohana came together for the first ߣsir��Ƶ Giving Day, raising $593,538 for dozens of programs across the 10 ߣsir��Ƶ campuses.

“It’s humbling to see how our community responded to this first Giving Day and we are extremely grateful for every donor who participated,” University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi Vice President of Advancement and ߣsir��Ƶ Foundation CEO Tim Dolan said. “The vision for this came from the incredible momentum of our historic $1 billion comprehensive campaign and Giving Day was a way to highlight some of the amazing work being done across ߣsir��Ƶ.”

Donors chose where they wanted their gifts to go, and funded scholarships to help ߣsir��Ƶ and families afford college, research that matters and everything from basic needs of ߣsir��Ƶ to world-class programs in astronomy, climate change and public health.

FOR ߣsir��Ƶ • FOR HAWAIʻI, The Campaign for the University of ߣsir��Ƶʻi, is focused on raising $1 billion to support ߣsir��Ƶ priorities on all 10 campuses across the state, including student success; research that matters; kuleana to Native ߣsir��Ƶians and ߣsir��Ƶʻi; sustainability, resilience and conservation; innovation and entrepreneurship; building �Ჹ�ɲ���ʻ��’s workforce; and engaging our community.