University of Hawaiʻi President David Lassner addressed the November 19 announcement that UH Mānoa Athletic Director Craig Angelos’ tenure will conclude on December 1 at the UH Board of Regents November 21 meeting.
Full remarks: Response to Public Oral and Written Testimony and Media Frenzy
First, let me thank those who provided testimony online and in-person here today. I appreciated the respectful and passionate expression of your opinions and views. Sadly, some of the written testimony to the Board of Regents that is publicly posted includes the ugly lies and conspiracy theories circulating on social media and online.
I have supervised university employees, both unionized and exempt, for some 40 years. I understand the processes involved and get professional HR help when necessary. In the course of my career I have hired many people, and I am very happy to report that I have had been responsible for many, many fewer exits. Some exits have involved people I had hired and some were existing employees. Behaving professionally and respectfully throughout that difficult process has also meant doing my best to assist folks with opportunities for future employment.
In my opinion the UH Mānoa Athletic Director is the second hardest job in the University and one of the hardest jobs in Hawaiʻi. I will return to the hiring process shortly, since that has been the subject of some of the outright lies circulating. But to be clear, I personally selected Mr. Angelos to serve as AD with the advice and counsel of a Search Advisory Committee of internal and external constituents and ultimately with the approval of the BOR.
We have met regularly since he has been hired, typically twice a month if our schedules have not interfered. I have shared my assessments with him throughout that time, and he has agreed or not agreed with my comments and my feedback to him with suggestions. In addition, as part of the standard UH annual executive evaluation process we conduct an anonymous online survey of constituents regarding our executives, both objective and subjective, that we refer to as a “360.” Outside of HR, only the supervisor has access to those results and for the AD that is me. I also receive verbal feedback, solicited and unsolicited, from internal and external stakeholders and colleagues on a regular basis. This culminates in an annual performance evaluation discussion that brings the year together.
I absolutely acknowledge Mr. Angelos’ leadership and roles in some of the accomplishments he cites that are echoed by his supporters. Positives and accomplishments are part of his and everyone’s performance assessment. And since university presidents comprise the boards of athletic conferences, and many actions involve multiple parties, I know more than a simple list of accomplishments captures about the many contributors to some of these items and their status. As I know full well from my own performance evaluations conducted by my former bosses and now by the Board, a list like that is important but does not capture the totality of the performance of an executive. My job is to make sure that this critical position is held by someone who can lead all aspects of our athletic program, internally and externally, with its incredibly diverse internal and external constituents. Especially as we head into a future that will look very different than the past.
As both Mr. Angelos and I have stated, the separation was based on my overall evaluation of his performance. Mr. Angelos has clearly expressed his disagreement with my evaluation and feedback. I can certainly believe that he felt “blindsided” by the separation at this time. But to believe that my evaluation and feedback was never discussed with would be a false assumption. While the details of employee performance assessments are private, Mr. Angelos was in every one of those discussions with me.
Let me respond to the question of timing of the announcement. I earlier came to the conclusion that separation was needed, but did not believe it would be in the best interests of the university to take this action while the presidential search was underway. This reaction over the past week demonstrates exactly why—it would quickly have become a major distraction and might have overwhelmed that absolutely critical search.
At the same time I did not believe that I could or should leave the next president to solve a problem that I believed existed, particularly one that was a result of my own decision making. I would think, or at least hope, that any responsible leader would act the same way. Hence this somewhat awkward timing. Those around me know that while I am retiring on December 31, I have in no way stopped doing my job and will continue to do so until my last day as President. Although I am in contact with incoming President Hensel and informed her of this action, I did not seek her counsel nor guidance on the specifics of this matter.
Now let me turn to the disgraceful personal attacks that have been launched by anonymous haters in the community, some of which are shamefully repeated in the written testimony submitted for this meeting. I am grateful that all of our live testifiers, in contrast with some of what was submitted in writing, were factual and respectful. I know that the live testifiers genuinely care about UH Athletics, and from their perspective believe Craig Angelos is the right AD for UH Mānoa at this crucial time. But some of the written testifiers are perpetuating a particularly nasty web of lies. While I am sad to think this way, it raises questions about the identities of the anonymous individuals that are fighting so viciously and what is it they believe they will lose with the departure of AD Angelos. I will leave others to speculate or investigate these persons and their motivations, including whether there is any liability for their actions. But to correct some of the outright lies being promulgated:
- When it was time to hire a successor to the prior AD there was never any doubt that I would create a search advisory committee. This is the process I have used to fill every executive position that reports to me and the suggestion that I was pressured or forced to form a committee is an outright lie.
- I was not trying to hire Lois Manin as AD. While her application was private, as she has now publicly disclosed she was selected as a finalist for the position by the search advisory committee. Finalists were interviewed by the search advisory committee, by me and by others. I selected AD Angelos over her and the other finalists for the position and I defended that appointment when I brought it to the BOR for approval. To suggest I wanted to hire her at that time is an outright lie; if I had wanted to hire her as AD I had every opportunity to do so.
- The primary target of the attacks who is accused of trying to oust the AD, Associate AD Manin, who will become Acting AD, has publicly announced that she will not apply for the AD position when President Hensel commences the next search. Ms. Manin is an at-will employee who will serve under the next AD subject to the same employment terms as all UH executives, as she has under the last two ADs. I respect the job she has done and the personal integrity she has displayed throughout these attacks.
- The accusations of a coup by individuals inside the department or my rewarding my friends are outright lies. I am not social friends with the individuals being viciously attacked. They are certainly professional colleagues, as are hundreds of other UHers in the Athletic Dept and throughout the university. I do not know where these individuals live, they have never been to my home and I do not believe I have shared a meal with them other than perhaps at some athletic event. Neither individual ever called or reached out to me to express concerns about AD Angelos. Not once.
- Nastier allegations online are even worse and I will not dignify them with a denial. Everyone involved in these attacks, either creating them or promulgating them, whether they are ever held accountable legally or otherwise, should be absolutely ashamed of themselves and hope they are never caught in a similar web of lies.
As Mr. Angelos shared in his public statement, it is time to move forward and for him to seek his next great opportunity in intercollegiate athletics. While he of course disagreed and was not happy with my decision to separate, he and I did agree to a schedule for announcing his departure that we believed would have been in the best interests of both the university and his future job prospects under the very difficult circumstances.
Within 24 hours the news was leaked to the sports media on the continent and the lies began. So let me share some messages that I have held back, hoping rationality would prevail.
For the haters and liars—I tell you as someone in a position that is responsible to hire AD and other executives: your actions to create a social media firestorm of support with no ethics or morals is not likely to help Mr. Angelos win the trust of prospective employers. There is enough drama in this business, especially now, without adding to the permanent online record your lies about the circumstances of his departure from UH. If he does not think he can call you off I am asking you to do so now, for his future job prospects as well as for good of the student athletes and coaches you claim to support.
For the donors, boosters, sponsors and fans who have been drawn into this false narrative and web of conspiracy theories—I love your passion for UH Mānoa athletics and I always will. Your cheering, your screams, your shakas, your donations, your sponsorships, your incredible willingness to travel to support are teams—these are not things you do for an Athletic Director, and I am certainly aware they are not things you do for a President, especially not for me right now. Your passion is and should be for our amazing student athletes and our coaches, who represent our university and our state with honor and with pride. If you withhold your support because you disagree with my decision about what is best for UH and the program, you are only hurting the student athletes and coaches I know you want to support.
To the student athletes, coaches and staff of our beloved Athletic Deptartment—I care deeply about UH Mānoa Athletics and believe my actions have been necessary, appropriate and professional. I know that many of you including those here today do not agree with me, and I absolutely respect your opinion, which I’m sure is well-founded based on what you see. I urge you to put this behind you and focus on student-athlete success on the court, in the field and in the classroom. The passion of our community is clear and evident, and that passion is for you, not for the President and not for the AD, whoever is in those roles at any point in time. We are in a time of incredible change in intercollegiate athletics, the most dynamic in history. If you have specific suggestions regarding what should be continued, what should change, and where we should head moving forward—please, please share those ideas with me and with incoming Acting AD Manin. This is not a time to stand still, and your ideas are critical.
And to one last group that has stayed below the radar—I think we all know that when this sort of frenzy is created anyone who does not agree is quickly shouted down or just stays silent. So I want to thank those who have reached out to me privately to either thank me because you agree with my action or just to express confidence in my decision-making and my integrity. You may not be loud, but you are heard too.
Let me close by saying that I have been at the center of many difficult decisions and many controversies in my 11 years a president. While I regret the shameful leaks, lies and vicious attacks that characterize this situation, I say honestly and with my head held high to the regents, to all of you here, to the Athletic Deptartment to the University and to the public at-large—I have never done anything but act in what I truly believe to be in the best interests of this University that I love. And this action was no different.
Go Bows!
