UH launches search to re-establish UH Mānoa chancellor position

from UH News, February 25, 2026

The University of Hawaiʻi has officially launched a national search to select the next chancellor of UH Mānoa, re-establishing the position to ensure dedicated executive leadership for the flagship campus of the UH 10-campus system, the state’s only public higher education system.

Currently, the UH president also holds UH Mānoa chancellor responsibilities, while academic affairs, research, enrollment management and student affairs are led by the UH Mānoa provost. Splitting the roles was discussed by the Board of Regents during the 2024 presidential search. UH Mānoa is the only UH campus without a dedicated chancellor. While this hybrid structure has provided continuity, it does not offer Mānoa the same level of focused executive representation and advocacy as the other UH campuses.

In August 2025, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) released a report evaluating the UH System Structure that recommended separating the two positions. The Board of Regents subsequently formed a permitted interaction group to study the issue and, in December, voted to accept the recommendation and re-establish the UH Mānoa chancellor position.

“We initially anticipated launching a fall 2026 search. However, it has become clear that moving forward now is in the best interests of both UH Mānoa and the 10-campus system—a decision unanimously supported by the Mānoa Faculty Senate,” said UH President Wendy Hensel in a February 25, 2026 email to the UH Mānoa campus (below). “Not only is this a critically important leadership position, but the challenging federal landscape, reorganization conversations and changes in AI and other technology make clear this is an inflection moment for the campus and the system.”

Hensel said the search will be inclusive, transparent and engaged and announced that David Karl, UH Mānoa director of the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, and former UH regent Jan Sullivan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Oceanit, have agreed to serve as co-chairs of the search committee.

Next steps

Each step in the search will be communicated widely as they occur and include:

Formation of a representative search advisory committee
Open nomination and application period (approximately one month)
Campus visits by finalists, including open forums and stakeholder meetings, before the end of the spring semester
Committee recommendation of finalists to the UH president
UH president recommendation of the selected candidate to the Board of Regents for consideration and approval
Anticipated start date: fall 2026

Chancellor responsibilities

The chancellor will serve as the chief executive officer of UH Mānoa, reporting to the UH president and serving on the president’s senior leadership team. The chancellor will oversee a budget exceeding $800 million and more than 5,000 employees and will provide strategic leadership across academic affairs, research, student success, enrollment and administrative operations in collaboration with the provost and executive team.

The chancellor is also expected to advance UH Mānoa’s mission as Hawaiʻi’s flagship research university while upholding its responsibility to the Native Hawaiian community, language and culture, and strengthening its connections across Hawaiʻi, the Pacific and Asia.

For more information, please visit the search website.

UH Mānoa

Founded in 1907, UH Mānoa is a globally recognized center of learning and research with a kuleana to serve the people and places of Hawaiʻi and its neighbors across the Pacific and Asia. The university cultivates creative and innovative leaders who mālama people, places and ways of knowing to sustain and transform Hawaiʻi and the world. As a Land-, Sea-, Space- and Sun-Grant university, UH Mānoa serves more than 20,000 students across 14 colleges and schools, offering 97 bachelor’s, 86 master’s and 56 doctoral degree programs.

UH Mānoa is a Carnegie R1 (very high research activity) institution and is internationally recognized as one of the nation’s top research universities, with research and development awards totaling $570 million in fiscal year 2024–25. The campus maintains particular strengths in ocean and earth sciences, astronomy and Asia-Pacific studies and plays a central role in Hawaiʻi’s economic development, civic engagement and community outreach through its commitment to teaching, scholarship and service.

UH President Hensel’s message to UH Mānoa

This message was shared with the students, faculty and staff of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa on February 25, 2026.

Aloha UH Mānoa students, faculty, staff and administrators.

I am pleased to announce that we have started an immediate search to select the next Chancellor of UH Mānoa, with the goal of naming a new leader by summer 2026.

Currently, I have responsibilities both as the System President and the Mānoa Chancellor. During the search for my position in 2024, the Board of Regents raised the possibility of splitting these roles. UH Mānoa is currently the only UH campus without an exclusive chancellor. While the current hybrid structure has helped maintain continuity, it does not provide Mānoa with the same level of focused executive representation and advocacy.

In August 2025, the National Center for Higher Education Management Systems (NCHEMS) released a report evaluating the University of Hawaiʻi System structure. It recommended that UH split the two positions, and the Board of Regents formed a permitted interaction group to study the issue. This past December, the Board of Regents voted to accept the recommendation and re-establish the UH Mānoa Chancellor position.

We initially anticipated launching a fall 2026 search. However, it has become clear that moving forward now is in the best interests of both UH Mānoa and the 10-campus system — a decision unanimously supported by the Mānoa Faculty Senate. Not only is this a critically important leadership position, but the challenging federal landscape, reorganization conversations, and changes in AI and other technology make clear this is an inflection moment for the campus and the system. Moreover, because the new chancellor should be involved in several leadership searches now pending across Mānoa, further delay creates a ripple effect on stability.

Search approach and timeline

A national search is now underway that will be inclusive, transparent and engaged. I am very pleased to announce that David Karl, UH Mānoa director of the Daniel K. Inouye Center for Microbial Oceanography: Research and Education, and former UH regent Jan Sullivan, executive vice president and chief operating officer of Oceanit, have agreed to serve as co-chairs of the search committee.

Each step in the search will be communicated widely as they occur and include:

Next steps:

Formation of a representative search advisory committee that includes shared governance groups
Open nomination and application period (one month)
Campus visits by finalists, including open forums and stakeholder meetings, before the end of the spring semester
Committee recommendation of finalists to the UH president
UH president recommendation of the selected candidate to the Board of Regents for consideration and approval

The goal is to identify and appoint the next UH Mānoa Chancellor with a start date as early as July 2026.

I am excited about these next steps and look forward to engaging with you throughout the process. Mahalo for your continued commitment to UH Mānoa and the University of Hawaiʻi.

With aloha,

Wendy Hensel
UH President

HNN: UH begins nationwide search to re-establish Manoa chancellor position