New president selected for University of Hawaii

HONOLULU (KHON2) — The search for the new president of the University of Hawaii has come to an end.

Get Hawaii’s latest morning news delivered to your inbox, sign up for News 2 You

The Board of Regents unanimously selected Wendy Hensel on Thursday, Oct. 17.

Hensel is currently the Executive Vice Chancellor and University Provost for The City University of New York and has previously held positions at Georgia State University. She is a cum laude graduate of Harvard Law School and earned a bachelor’s from Michigan State University.

“Today’s announcement is the culmination of an exhaustive, extensive, nationwide search and hiring process, where our stakeholders were able to participate at every stage,” said BOR Chair Gabe Lee. “I am confident that Wendy Hensel is the right person to lead UH and help guide the state through the significant challenges ahead.”

The 16th president of the UH System said the first thing to check off her to-do list is touring each of Hawaii’s 10 campuses to meet with stakeholders, staff and students.

“And I’ve also said repeatedly that my agenda will always be student-oriented. Students come first. And so one of the first things I’d like to look at in more depth are graduation and retention rates,” Hensel said.

Working on a pipeline from education to occupation is another goal of Hensel’s — she wants to make sure students learn things in the classroom that they will use in life.

“So that we take the mystery out of how to get from the beginning when they come in to where they ultimately want to go,” Hensel said.

Hensel has work experience at Georgia and New York universities but has not worked in the Islands before. Regents said there was some apprehension in selecting an out-of-state president.

“And I appreciate that, I understand. I also was really gunning for a local candidate, but it just didn’t work out that way,” UH Interim Student Regent Josh Faumuina said.

“But to me, that just means that it’s more critical to ensure pathways to enable Kanaka to thrive in these western spaces while fully embracing the astute ancestral knowledge of our Kupuna,” said Honolulu County UH Regent Diane Paloma.

A total of 92 applicants that included Hawaii residents were considered. Regents worked with a selection firm to whittle the list down to three finalists before one dropped out, which left Hensel and one other candidate.

“We have also been careful to treat all the candidates fairly and to uphold confidentiality so that people will trust the process when they put themselves forward for consideration,” said UH Regent Vice Chair Laurie Loo.

“I think the important thing is to come ready with ears open, heart open wide and and begin to set a vision together with the community. So I’m really excited about that

Hensel will oversee more than 9,200 employees serving about 48,000 students throughout UH’s 10-campus system.

Current UH President David Lassner is expected to retire by the end of the year. Lassner has served since 2014 as UH’s 15th president.

Find more Hawaii, Oahu, Maui and Kauai news here

The first day of Hensel’s three-year contract will be in January, 2025. She will earn a yearly salary of $675,000, which is up from current president Lassner’s pay of $430,000.

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to KHON2.