UH Regents have announced two finalists for UH President. One -- Heilig -- is a leading proponent of Critical Race Theory. The other -- Hensel -- is not.
Critical Race Theory (CRT) is an excuse to bar Asian students from equal access to higher education. Will CRT dominate UH--the university system in the most Asian state of all?
After a series of public hearings (videos below) Regents plan to choose "mid to late October."
VIDEO: Heilig Pushing Critical Race Theory
Hensel Graduation Address 2022
Here is the other choice for UH--not pushing CRT.
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Regents on track to select next UH President in mid-October
UH News, October 1, 2024
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 online survey for Vasquez Heilig 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.
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Finalists for UH President named, public forums scheduled
from UH News, September 11, 2024
The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents (BOR) has named two finalists for the next president of the state’s 10-campus public higher education system:
Wendy F. Hensel is currently the Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost for The City University of New York (CUNY), where she oversees every aspect of the student and faculty experience across the 25 campus system. Prior to joining CUNY, Hensel held leadership positions at Georgia State University as Dean of the College of Law and later Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs. She is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and earned a bachelor’s with highest honors from Michigan State University, where she was a Harry S. Truman Scholar and an intern at the U.S. Supreme Court. Read Hensel’s full CV.
Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig is currently serving as Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs for Western Michigan University (WMU). Prior to joining WMU, Vasquez Heilig was the Dean of the College of Education at the University of Kentucky, part of his nearly two decades of leadership. His experience includes successful fundraising and financial management and spearheading strategic initiatives that bolstered research and educational innovation. Vasquez Heilig earned his PhD and master’s degrees from Stanford University and holds additional degrees from the University of Michigan Ann Arbor. Read Vasquez Heilig’s full CV.
The finalists will be introduced to the UH community and general public through a series of open houses (meet and greet opportunities) and public forums (question and answer sessions) scheduled for the weeks of September 23 and September 30 in each of the four counties: Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi and Honolulu (full schedule below).
“There was a tremendous amount of interest shown in the president’s position, and now we have two excellent candidates,” said BOR Chair Gabe Lee. “We are asking all members of the UH ʻohana and other stakeholders, along with the general public, to participate in the public events and provide feedback on our finalists. That input will be critical as the regents deliberate and select the next UH President.”
The two finalists will also meet with campus and system leadership teams and faculty, staff and student governance groups, including the Pūkoʻa Council, a group of UH Native Hawaiian leaders.
“It was very important to the regents that representatives from each campus and the various UH stakeholders have an opportunity to meet the finalists,” said Lee. “I know that all of these stakeholder groups will also provide valuable input to the regents.”
Information on how to provide feedback on each of the finalists will be announced prior to the open houses and public forums. The regents will interview each candidate after the public events and are scheduled to announce their decision in mid to late October.
There were 93 applicants for the position, a group that was then narrowed down by the Presidential Search Advisory Group. The Advisory Group interviewed 12 semifinalists in late August and then forwarded their recommendations for the finalists to regents for the final decision.
“On behalf of the Regents, I would like to personally thank the applicants for their interest and the Presidential Search Advisory Group for their time and expertise,” said Lee.
The new president will succeed David Lassner, who will retire by the end of the year after serving since 2014 as UH’s 15th president.
Public Event Schedule
Wendy F. Hensel
Monday, September 23—Maui and Kauaʻi
Maui
8–9 a.m.: Open House—UH Maui College, Kaʻaʻike Building Rooms 105 BCD
9:30–10:30 a.m.: Campus Forum (Zoom available and recorded)—Kaʻaʻike Building Rooms 105 BCD
Kauaʻi
2–3 p.m.: Open House—Kauaʻi Community College, Fine Arts Auditorium
3–4 p.m.: Campus Forum (Zoom available and recorded)—Fine Arts Auditorium
Tuesday, September 24—Hawaiʻi and Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi Island
8–9 a.m.: Open House—UH Hilo University Classroom Building Room 127 (Rose and Raymond Tseng Terrace)
9:30–10:30 a.m.: Campus Forum (Zoom available and recorded)—UH Hilo Performing Arts Center
Oʻahu
4–5:30 p.m.: Oʻahu Campuses Forum—UH Mānoa Art Auditorium
Wednesday, September 25—Oʻahu
8–9 a.m.: Oʻahu Campuses Open House—UH Mānoa Bachman Hall
Dr. Julian Vasquez Heilig
Monday, September 30—Maui and Kauaʻi
Maui
8–9 a.m.: Open House—UH Maui College, Kaʻaʻike Building Rooms 105 BCD
9:30–10:30 a.m.: Campus Forum (Zoom available and recorded)—Kaʻaʻike Building Rooms 105 BCD
Kauaʻi
2–3 p.m.: Open House—Kauaʻi Community College, Fine Arts Auditorium
3–4 p.m.: Campus Forum (Zoom available and recorded)—Fine Arts Auditorium
Tuesday, October 1—Hawaiʻi and Oʻahu
Hawaiʻi Island
8–9 a.m.: Open House—UH Hilo University Classroom Building Room 127 (Rose and Raymond Tseng Terrace)
9:30–10:30 a.m.: Campus Forum (Zoom available and recorded)—UH Hilo Performing Arts Center
Oʻahu
4–5:30 p.m.: Oʻahu Campuses Forum—UH Mānoa Art Auditorium
Wednesday, October 2—Oʻahu
8–9 a.m.: Oʻahu Campuses Open House—UH Mānoa Bachman Hall
More information regarding the search process is available online.
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Big Q: What do you think of the two finalists for University of Hawaii president?
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