Finalists for University of Hawai‘i president named, public visits to islands scheduled

The University of Hawaiʻi Board of Regents has named two finalists for the next president of the state’s 10-campus public higher education system: Wendy F. Hensel and Julian Vasquez Heilig.

• Hensel (click here to view CV) is currently the executive vice chancellor and university provost for The City University of New York, 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.
  
• Heilig (click here to view CV) is currently serving as provost and vice president of academic affairs for Western Michigan University. 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.

The finalists will be introduced to the University of Hawai‘i community and general public through a series of open houses and public forums scheduled for the weeks of Sept. 23 and Sept. 30 in each of the four counties: Maui, Kauaʻi, Hawaiʻi and Honolulu.

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 University of Hawai‘i Native Hawaiian leaders.

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.

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

• Sept. 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
      
• Sept. 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
      
• Sept. 25 – Oʻahu
  • 8-9 a.m.: Oʻahu Campuses Open House – UH Mānoa Bachman Hall

Julian Vasquez Heilig

• Sept. 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
      
• Oct. 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
      
• Oct. 2 – Oʻahu
  • 8-9 a.m.: Oʻahu Campuses Open House – UH Mānoa Bachman Hall

More information regarding the search process is available here.