[ OUR OPINION ]
Clear the clouds of
conflict over universityWHATEVER contractual violation the Board of Regents eventually ascribes in its decision to fire University of Hawaii President Evan Dobelle, it is clear that distrust and acrimony were the basis.
THE ISSUE
The Board of Regents has fired the university's president after a prolonged period of discord.
It now falls to board members to disperse the poisonous atmosphere their dispute with Dobelle has generated so that the university and the community may recover.
Although he had riled many camps inside and outside the institution, Dobelle's dismissal leaves the university in an inimical climate that could hamper efforts to find a new leader. The termination has been widely reported in publications across the country.
The board did not specify why it had terminated Dobelle's contract, which was to run through June 2008, saying only that it was "for cause." The contract defines cause as a felony conviction, physical or mental instability, or "moral turpitude," none of which has been evident. Unless one of these applies, Dobelle could be eligible to receive as much as $2.26 million, a burdensome amount for the university.
Dobelle blew into Hawaii with a reputation for getting things done. In contrast to his taciturn predecessor Kenneth Mortimer, the dynamic and expansive Dobelle was initially welcomed for his lofty goals and exciting ideas.
His $442,000 annual salary raised eyebrows as the university struggled financially, but he championed wage increases for faculty, supported Hawaiian studies programs and introduced enterprises to encompass the business community and to extend the breadth of the state's public education system from kindergarten through graduate school.
Despite his charismatic abilities and a wealth of inspiring strategies to elevate the university, Dobelle appeared out of step with the community at times. When he chose a mainland outfit to design a new UH logo, the public took umbrage, rejecting the proposals outright. He seemed perplexed by the episode, saying, "You know, the local thing is kind of interesting to me. We don't have these conversations in California or Massachusetts or in Florida."
Be that as it may, the remarks fueled a smoldering resentment sparked by Dobelle's importing a team of associates, most of whom he had worked with at posts on the East Coast, and paying them salaries that far exceeded previous administrators.
Regents faulted him for lavish spending on travel and entertainment, costly renovations at his College Hill residence and for frustrating their requests to account for finances.
Legislators were put off by Dobelle's unfulfilled promises to raise funds for the medical school and a self-regard that bordered on arrogance.
Dobelle set himself in Linda Lingle's sights when he naively endorsed her rival during the gubernatorial campaign. Although both claimed to have let bygones be bygones, the matter surely colored the perceptions of Lingle-appointed regents, setting the stage for continued conflict.
The result is that Hawaii and the university system lose an opportunity for progress and stability. For that, regents and Dobelle are equally complicit.
