It’s unclear exactly how many candidates are being considered, as some of the finalists have withdrawn their applications due to privacy concerns, the press release says. The committee was charged with publicizing the names of its final candidates, which were initially said to include between five and six people.
The committee — made up of regents and others representing various UH stakeholders — will present its final report at a special meeting April 28.
Lead by Regent Carl Carlson, the committee highlighted its commitment to public transparency. Carlson said in a press release:
This was an opportunity to hear from the community about what it wanted in a public university and to re-establish and rebuild a sense of trust that had been severely damaged. I believe we made progress in the dozens of public meetings with hundreds and hundreds of individuals.
The committee opted not to hire a third-party headhunting firm and instead conducted its own search.
Carlson noted:
… to conduct the search ourselves, we cast the widest net possible in Hawaii and beyond and have vetted, screened, interviewed and considered any and all nominations we received.
— Alia Wong
