University of Hawai'i President Evan Dobelle has
impressed everyone with his relentless energy and
salesmanship during his first year in Hawai'i, but
perceptions of favoritism and often extravagant spending
are giving rise to persistent, if muted, criticism.
"Leadership
by cronyism," was one Mänoa administrator's blunt
private assessment, a reference to Dobelle's proclivity
for hiring old friends and associates at what once would
have been considered eye-popping salaries.
One example
is the appointment of a "senior advisor to the president
for global affairs," the title Dobelle has bestowed on
historian Michael Lestz.
There's
nothing surprising about Dobelle seeking counsel as the
university attempts to grow its ties to Asia. But while
UH has a long list of distinguished faculty with such
expertise, Dobelle instead chose Lestz, a friend and
close associate at Trinity College in Connecticut.
Dobelle was president of the small private college before
assuming his present position a year ago.
Lestz could
not be reached for comment, and Paul Costello,
vice-president for external affairs and university
relations, said Lestz is on vacation this
week.
Lestz, who
earned a Ph.D. from Yale University, had been on a
two-year sabbatical leave from Trinity while directing an
international student program in Nepal. The program was
abruptly terminated after Nepal's king was assassinated
in June 2001, Costello said.
"So he spoke
with Evan, and Evan invited him to come here and assist
with global issues throughout Asia," Costello
said.
"[Lestz] moves pretty effortlessly through the
cultures of Southeast Asia, and he established programs
for Trinity students in several countries over the past
several years," Costello said.
Information
provided by Costello's office initially indicated Lestz
serves without pay. However, Costello later acknowledged
that a contract is being prepared for a half-time
position that will pay Lestz $80,000 for the year
beginning July 1, 2002. The contract also includes a
housing stipend of $1,200 a month, Costello said.
In addition,
Lestz has been awarded a $40,000 fellowship as the first
Freeman Professor in the UH Center for Asian Studies,
with funding from a larger grant for Asian programs
received earlier by the center. Although careful not to
disparage Lestz's professional accomplishments, several
scholars privately suggested he was offered the
fellowship because of his close personal ties to
Dobelle.
Lestz has an
office in Asian Studies to allow opportunities for mixing
with students and faculty, a requirement of the
fellowship, but colleagues report he is rarely there and
actually operates out of another office next to Dobelle's
on the second floor of Bachman Hall.
The total of
at least $134,000 Lestz will receive this year is more
than 50 percent above the average $80,500 salary of a
professor at UH-Mänoa, although Lestz holds the
lower rank of associate professor at the much smaller
Trinity campus, according to their Dean of
Faculty.
Lestz has
also traveled regularly with Dobelle, both while at
Trinity and since being at UH. For example, Lestz
accompanied Dobelle on a six-nation swing through Asia
last month, flying international business class at
university expense along with wife Kit Dobelle and the
president's administrative assistant.
The estimated
cost of nearly $13,000 per person included upgrades to
business class, which were funded from a protocol account
in the UH Foundation controlled by Dobelle, according to
Costello.
This doesn't
sit well with everyone on campus.
"No one
travels by business class using grants or university
funds," a longtime Mänoa staffer complained. "Or
maybe I'm just used to being a state worker, accounting
for every penny of our budget."
--Ian Lind,
ian@ilind.net
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