UH presidential candidates Greenwood and Jones to visit campuses

University of Hawaiʻi
Contact:
Carolyn Tanaka, (808) 956-9803
External Affairs & University Relations
Posted: Apr 30, 2009


HONOLULU — The University of Hawaiʻi Advisory Presidential Selection Committee has invited two candidates to visit UH campuses statewide from May 6-13. The candidates will participate in meetings with various constituent groups and speak at public forums on Oʻahu, Kauaʻi, Maui and the Island of Hawaiʻi.

According to UH Advisory Presidential Selection Committee Chair Donna Tanoue, "The Advisory Presidential Selection Committee has been impressed by the high level of talent across the pool of candidates interested in leading the University. We are pleased to invite two candidates, Dr. M.R.C. Greenwood and Dr. Robert J. Jones, to participate in the on-campus visits. Both candidates offer strong leadership, a strong commitment to academic values, and a deep appreciation of shared governance with the faculty and the importance of building effective working relationships with elected leaders and the community. Throughout our discussions, these candidates have recognized the unique attributes of the University of Hawaiʻi and the challenges and opportunities ahead, and we encourage the community to come out to meet Dr. Greenwood and Dr. Jones at the upcoming public forums."

Dr. M.R.C. Greenwood is Chancellor Emerita, University of California, Santa Cruz, and currently Director of the Foods for Health Initiative, Chair of the Graduate Group in Nutritional Biology and Distinguished Professor of Nutrition and Internal Medicine at the University of California, Davis. She holds an appointment as Adjunct Professor of Public Health and Nutrition at the University of California, Berkeley. Dr. Greenwood is a nationally and internationally known expert on obesity and diabetes. In addition, she is a national leader on science and technology policy and an expert on higher education policy issues.

She is a member of the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies of Sciences, has been President of the North American Association for the Study of Obesity (NAASO) — now the Obesity Society, President of the American Society of Clinical Nutrition and has chaired the Food and Nutrition Board of the Institution of Medicine. She is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and is a fellow, past president and board chair of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Dr. Greenwood previously served as Chancellor of UC Santa Cruz, a position she held from 1996 to 2004. She also previously served as Provost and Senior Vice President for Academic Affairs for the 10-campus University of California (UC) system, the second highest position in the UC system, a position she held from 2004-2005.

Dr. Greenwood graduated summa cum laude from Vassar College and received her Ph.D. from The Rockefeller University. Her research interests are in developmental cell biology, genetics, neurosciences, physiology, women‘s health, nutrition and science and higher education policy. Her work over the past 40 years, focusing on the genetic causes of obesity, and on science policy issues, is recognized worldwide. She is the author of numerous scientific publications and presentations.

Dr. Robert J. Jones is Senior Vice President for System Academic Administration for the University of Minnesota and Professor, a position he has held since 2004. In this capacity, he serves as a senior academic and chief operating officer for the University of Minnesota system. His leadership responsibilities include oversight for the coordinate campuses, international programs, public engagement and outreach, diversity and multicultural affairs, PreK-12 and other youth and family programs, urban initiatives, planning and institutional research, information technology, human resources, the University of Minnesota Extension, and other university statewide initiatives. Prior to his current appointment, he served in various administrative positions at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities, for over 15 years, including vice president and executive vice provost for faculty and academic programs, vice president for campus life and vice provost for faculty and academic personnel, and interim vice president for student development.

Dr. Jones earned a bachelor‘s degree in agronomy from Fort Valley State College, a master‘s degree in crop physiology from the University of Georgia, and a doctorate in crop physiology from the University of Missouri. After earning his Ph.D., he joined the University of Minnesota faculty as a professor of Agronomy and Plant Genetics. He is an internationally recognized authority on plant physiology, and has published numerous scientific papers, manuscripts and abstracts. He conducts research on stabilizing grain yields of maize against environmental stresses and other global climate change. He is a fellow of both the American Society of Agronomy and the Crop Science Society of America. He has been a visiting professor and featured speaker in North America, Europe, Asia and Africa, and from 1984-1994 served as an academic and scientific consultant for Archbishop Desmond Tutu‘s South African Education Program.

Tanoue noted a third candidate was also being considered, but that candidate‘s visit has not been scheduled. Dr. Greenwood will visit the UH campuses on May 6, 7 and 8. Dr. Jones will visit the campuses on May 11, 12 and 13. For more information about Dr. Greenwood and Dr. Jones and their schedule of public forums and meetings at UH campuses, visit www.hawaii.edu/president.

For more information, visit: http://www.hawaii.edu/president