State higher ed official is finalist for Hawaii university chancellor position

With a little more than seven months left on his yearlong contract, John White, acting chancellor for the Nevada System of Higher Education, is one of two finalists for the chancellor position at the University of Hawaii at Manoa.

Board of Regents Chairman Rick Trachok said the new development, announced by the university last month, has not affected the board’s search for White’s permanent replacement.

The board still plans to choose a search firm Dec. 6 to seek White’s replacement, Trachok said, with the intent to have a list of candidates to consider around April.

“John has done an excellent job for the system, stepping in as acting chancellor,” Trachok said. “When I approached John, he made two things very clear. One is that he would do it only for a year, and two, that he was in the process of seeking a presidency position at a university.”

White was announced as a finalist for the chief executive officer position at University of Hawaii at Manoa last month and will participate in a final round of interviews next week, according to a press release by the university.

White — a UNLV law professor and former administrator — took the position of acting chancellor in July, succeeding Dan Klaich who oversaw the agency for seven years before his controversial retirement in May. White’s annual base salary is $303,000, plus $32,000 in automobile and housing allowances.

Trachok said he hopes White stays on until his contract is up June 30, but believes that even if White is no longer in the role, that he and White have laid enough groundwork to be successful in the upcoming legislative session, where higher education is poised to be a key priority.

“Would I like to have him as a partner? Absolutely,” Trachok said. “It would be better to have him. But, if for some reason he’s not able to stay with the system, we’ll continue to move forward and be successful in our efforts.”

NSHE’s chancellor search committee has 21 members made up of six regents and 15 advisory members. Trachok said the board hopes to have a new chancellor in place July 1.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.