The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) has hired WittKieffer, a Chicago-based firm to assist in the search for the next president of the UH 10-campus system, the sole provider of public higher education in Hawaiʻi. WittKieffer will work with the BOR to develop the position description and profile of an ideal president and then recruit candidates.
The regents reviewed 13 applicants before selecting WittKieffer, which was founded in 1969 and has a long history of leadership searches including in higher education. The search firm has worked with UC Berkeley, Syracuse University, University of Oxford, the University of Hong Kong and more.
The BOR initiated a request for proposals in January for a search firm to help find the replacement for UH President David Lassner, who announced last year he would retire in 2024.
President Search Advisory Group
Regents have scheduled a continuation of a February 16 special meeting for March 7 to vote on the candidates for the Presidential Search Advisory Group and determine the groupʻs exact responsibilities. The 12-member advisory group will represent UH stakeholders in the search process and assist the selection committee, which is composed of the 11 regents.
The selection committee, advisory group and WittKieffer will also utilize data collected in a public survey on the next president that received 2,092 responses.
