The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) will interview the two finalists for president of the 10-campus system during a Special Meeting on Wednesday, October 16. The next president of the state’s sole provider of public higher education could be named as early as Thursday, October 17. The announcement could also come in the days and weeks to follow but is expected by the end of the month.
The finalists are Western Michigan University Provost and Vice President Julian Vasquez Heilig and City University of New York Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Wendy Hensel. More information on the candidates can be found on the UH President Search webpage and on UHNews.org.
Finalist public events
The two finalists participated in a series of public forums with question and answer periods and meet and greet events held at UH campuses in each county. More than 1,400 people attended a total of eight public events in person and virtually.
The finalists also met privately with governance groups and campus and system leadership teams.
The regents are considering feedback provided by UH community members and the general public after the events. More than 417 people submitted input through anonymous surveys after the public events and more than 30 people have submitted testimony for the October 16 meeting.
The nationwide search attracted 93 applicants. Twelve semi-finalists were selected and interviewed by an advisory group of representatives of UH stakeholder and governance groups, which also developed the position description and leadership profile.
The new president will succeed David Lassner who is retiring by the end of the year after serving since 2014 as UH’s 15th president.
