University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle's new strategic plan has helped raise faculty morale on many UH campuses, says Mary Tiles, president of the University of Hawaii Professional Assembly. Legislators hear UH
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But unless the state Legislature helps fund these long-term visions, the letdown on faculty will be severe and the effect on morale disastrous, warned Tiles, a philosophy professor.
"As legislators, you should be aware that choices made this year will effectively determine whether UH-Manoa is to remain a serious research university with well-recognized professional schools, or whether it is to be allowed to decline to the status of a local, isolated four-year college," Tiles told the House Higher Education Committee yesterday.
Legislators had their first chance to quiz Dobelle and his staff on the recently approved strategic plan, as well as on last month's reorganization of the UH administration.
They also heard from faculty and student representatives, who support the changes but question whether they can be carried out without additional funding.
Paul Clur, chairman of the systemwide UH Student Caucus, said student leaders were involved since the inception of the strategic plan and "support it whole-heartedly." But Clur said students were not so enthusiastic about the reorganization because it eliminated the Office of the Vice President for Student Affairs post, which they viewed as a conduit to the UH president.
A compromise was reached after the student caucus was officially included in the new organizational chart. They will have direct access to the UH president through monthly meetings, he said.
Dobelle assured state lawmakers that the $613,000 in combined salaries for the three new vice president positions and a chief of staff position have been offset by reallocations within the UH system, as well as the elimination of 31 vacant administrative positions and one active position.
He explained that the UH is spending about $1.9 million less in administrative costs than it did 10 years ago. Dobelle said his style of leadership is to have a few key people with higher salaries and a lot of responsibility, rather than five or six people with lower salaries and the same responsibility but no one who is clearly accountable.
The committee meets again tomorrow with UH officials to review the university budget.
Meanwhile, Gov. Linda Lingle said Dobelle wants to talk to her about public-private partnerships he has been working on. Lingle said the UH was the first to comment on her imposition of spending restrictions and she has exempted the university from a statewide hiring freeze.
"In order for the university to fulfill its role, it has to be autonomous. One proposal in our package will be to allow the university to do all its own collective bargaining," she said.
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