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The University of Hawai'i at Mānoa has a permanent vice chancellor for academic affairs for the first time in almost two years.
Reed Dasenbrock was approved for the position by the Board of Regents last month, the final obstacle in a selection process that stretched from June of 2007 to March of 2009.
Before coming to UH, Dasenbrock was the cabinet secretary of higher education for the state of New Mexico, the only position of its kind in the country.
"We're delighted that UH Mānoa will benefit from Dr. Dasenbrock's many years of experience in higher education planning, administration and teaching. He will play a critical role in charting a future for our Mānoa campus that builds on our tradition of academic excellence during a challenging period of budget constraints," UH Mānoa Chancellor Virginia Hinshaw said in a press release.
The last permanent VCAA was Neal Smatresk, who left in June 2007 to become the executive vice president and provost of the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. An advisory committee headed by Hinshaw was assembled to recommend replacements for Smatresk.
The purpose of the advisory committee was "to create a challenge and opportunity profile describing the position, while working with the recruiting firm to advertise and spread the word about the position, reviewing the pool of candidates, conducting the first round of interviews and recommending finalists for the chancellor's invitation to campus to learn more about the position," said committee member and dean of the UH School of Nursing and Dental Hygiene Mary Boland in an e-mail.
While the search for the new VCAA was underway, Peter Quigley, UH Mānoa's former assistant to the VCAA, was appointed interim in August 2007. Quigley was also one of the finalists for the permanent VCAA spot, according to Boland.
The field of applicants was pared down to three finalists by March 2008, including Dasenbrock, but the committee wasn't able to come to a decision about which of the three candidates to select, according to Gregg Takayama, UH Mānoa spokesperson.
The same month, Gary Ostrander, UH Mānoa's vice chancellor for research, utilized a clause in the VCAA search process that stated that applications for the job would be accepted until the position is filled and put his name up for consideration.
Ostrander's move prompted ethnic studies professor Noel Kent and former journalism professor Bev Keever to criticize Ostrander, in a letter to Ka Leo, for having an unfair advantage because he had been involved with the VCAA advisory committee.
Hinshaw responded that Ostrander went through the same application process as all other candidates and that campus feedback showed an interest in additional candidates.
Ostrander was approved by the advisory committee, although he later had "second thoughts" and withdrew his name from consideration because of research interests, according to Takayama.
"At that point the committee sort of went on hold," Takayama said.
In November 2008, Hinshaw restarted the advisory and appointed Mary Boland to serve as chair. The 13-member committee reviewed previous candidates, including Dasenbrock, who was interviewed in January as one of two finalists for the position before being recommended by university administrators.
Dasenbrock has a Ph.D. in English from John Hopkins University. His 20-year tenure at New Mexico State University included stints as chair of NMSU's English department and associate dean for research in the College of Arts and Sciences.
Later, Dasenbrock transferred to the University of New Mexico, where he became provost in 2005. In 2007, New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson hired Dasenbrock as the state's cabinet secretary of higher education.
Dasenbrock said in his VCAA short biography that while his last job was "fascinating," it also made him recognize that his "real home is as part of a university community of scholars and students."
The VCAA is UH Mānoa's main academic administrator and is responsible for leading and managing UH's academic affairs, serving as deputy to the chancellor.
Dasenbrock will start his new position on April 6.
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