The transition to new leadership at the University of Hawaiʻi is well underway as Wendy Hensel works with retiring President David Lassner and campus leadership to assume the presidency of the 10-campus system on January 1, 2025. Hensel has been actively preparing for her new role while wrapping up her responsibilities as executive vice chancellor and university provost at the City University of New York (CUNY). Her last day at CUNY was Monday, November 25.
“All of my attention is now directly toward Hawaiʻi, and I am committed to being as prepared as possible to lead this incredible institution on day one,” Hensel said. “While there is a steep learning curve, I am so grateful for the gifts of support, knowledge, and insight provided by so many stakeholders who are uniform in their passion for the University of Hawaiʻi. I have enjoyed discussions with members of our UH community and engaging in early conversations with Hawaiʻi’s leaders to ensure a smooth transition. Everyone has been very generous with their time and support, which I appreciate tremendously.”
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In addition to meeting with outgoing UH President David Lassner, Hensel has connected with the Governor, members of the legislature, Hawaiʻi’s congressional delegation members, officers and some of the key executives of the university, leadership from the Hawaiʻi Department of Education and the University of Hawaiʻi Professional Assembly, and other UH and business and community leaders.
“Once on the ground in Hawaiʻi, I am really looking forward to meeting with other members of the campus leadership teams and groups like Pūkoʻa, the All Campus Council of Faculty Senate Chairs, the Staff Council, and the UH Student Caucus,” said Hensel. “Our conversations during the search process were illuminating, and I am eager to learn more about their thoughts on how we can collaborate together on behalf of UH.”
She is also in the early stages of organizing visits to each UH campus and meeting with Regents.
“Understanding issues and budgets is clearly a priority, but nothing is more important than the people that make up our community,” said Hensel. “I am eager to engage across our 10-campus system to get to know and hear from as many people as possible so that we can begin to build a forward vision together. I can’t wait to get started and look forward to our road ahead next year.”
