Board of Regents appoints McClain University of Hawaii president

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Carolyn Tanaka, (808) 956-9803
Mia Noguchi, (808) 956-9095
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: Mar 7, 2006

HONOLULU — At a special meeting held today at Honolulu Community College, the University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) appointed Interim President David McClain to the permanent position of president of the 10-campus University of Hawaiʻi System. McClain‘s appointment extends to July 31, 2009.

BOR Chair Kitty Lagareta stated, "We have seen David McClain in action for the past year and a half and feel strongly that he is the right person and the best person at the right time to take the university forward. Throughout this process, the regents have been unanimous in their support of him becoming president. We are pleased that he and Wendie have agreed to accept this huge job for another few years."

McClain will receive a compensation increase of 5.5 percent, to $360,000, just below the median of current surveys of the salaries of higher education system chief executive officers. Provisions in his current appointment agreement as interim president have been continued, including the requirement to reside at College Hill, and an automobile allowance and parking pass.

McClain commented, "Wendie and I are excited about the opportunity to continue to serve the 80,000 students on our campuses, and the community in which we have lived for the last 15 years. We‘re gratified by the groundswell of support we‘ve received from the academy and the community in recent weeks, and we sincerely appreciate the confidence and dedication of the regents. We look forward with enthusiasm to working with the entire UH ʻohana to improve the caliber of higher education, and the quality of life, in Hawaiʻi."

At a special meeting held on Feb. 28, 2006, the UH Board of Regents unanimously voted to accept the recommendation of the Board‘s Task Group on the Presidential Search to suspend the national search for a president and offer the position to McClain. The BOR‘s Task Group on the Presidential Search previously submitted a report to the Board describing its efforts in the process of a national search for the president‘s position. The overall feedback the Task Group received, both from search firms and national experts on system presidents, was that the Board of Regents should seek to keep McClain onboard and offer him the permanent position.

McClain was appointed interim president of the university in August 2004. Prior to that, he served as the system vice president for academic affairs, and was previously dean of the UH Mānoa College of Business.

To read McClain's statement on his appointment, see www.hawaii.edu/offices/op/2006/0307statement.pdf .

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/offices/op/2006/0307statement.pdf