The next president of the 10-campus University of Hawaiʻi system is expected to be announced by mid-to-late October after the completion of a series of public events for the two finalists, Western Michigan University Provost and Vice President Julian Vasquez Heilig and City University of New York Executive Vice Chancellor and Provost Wendy Hensel.
The UH Board of Regents will interview both candidates in person at an October 16 Special Board meeting that will take place in executive session. The regents will meet again on October 17, also in executive session, and areare expected to make an announcement on that day or shortly thereafter. The new president is expected to start by January 2025, succeeding David Lassner who has served in the position since 2013.
Finalist feedback requested
The regents are asking all stakeholders and the public to provide feedback on the finalists that will be taken under consideration as they make their decision. More information on Vasquez Heilig and Hensel can be found on the UH President Search website including the video recordings of the moderated public forums where they each answered dozens of questions from the in-person and online audience.
Feedback can be submitted as testimony to the BOR via email to bor.testimony@hawaii.edu. The testimony will be posted in the week prior to the October 16 Special Board meeting.
There were also confidential online surveys open for a week for each finalist during their public events. The will be open until 6 p.m., Friday, October 4. The survey for Hensel closed September 27 after her public events schedule. The regents are taking the feedback shared in the survey under consideration as they decide.
Well attended public events
The forums were part of a series of public events and private meetings held September 23 to September 25 for Hensel, and September 30 to October 2 for Vasquez Heilig at UH campuses on Kauaʻi, Maui, Hawaiʻi Island and Oʻahu.
Each finalist participated in four open houses and four public forums and answered a wide range of questions including their interest in and commitment to Hawaiʻi, and the University of Hawaiʻi and its 2023-2029 Strategic Plan. More than 1,400 people attended the forums in person and online. They also met with campus leadership teams and governance groups.