Interim positions affect UH effeciency

By Jenn Boneza

Almost half of the key positions at UH-Manoa are filled with interim appointments or are completely vacant, and three of the top UH-system positions are occupied by interims including interims.  UH President David McClain also filled an interim position until recently being appointed president.

McClain said that he is aware of the high number of interims at Manoa and throughout the system. Regarding the vacancies, he said that in any organization it is normal to have a certain amount of turnover and he wants to make sure to replace  those people with the best candidates possible.

“This is very much on Manoa’s radar screens,” said McClain.  He added that reducing the number of interims at Manoa and throughout the system is one of his central goals for this year.

How do all of the interim appointees and vacancies affect students at UH? 

Interim Vice President of Academic Planning and Policy Linda Johnsrud said that although she thinks it is not affecting the efficiency of the University, it might reflect negatively in other ways.  She said there’s always a concern about the authority, clout or effectiveness you might have if you’re only expected to be around temporarily.
           
ASUH President Grant Teichman said consistency is one of the main problems he has faced.  “People in office now will most likely no be there a year from now,” Teichman said.  “In terms of continuity for students and in terms of having a project and seeing it through it gets very tough when people at the top levels are moving in and out.”
           
Lack of continuity is not the only problem according to Dean of Students Alan Yang.  He said, “When you begin with the most senior levels of management being interim that kind of percolates downward and creates somewhat of a delay in appointing deans and directors.”
           
Interim Director of Student Housing Janice Camara agrees that from her perspective “yes, there is a delay,” and that in her opinion “everyone’s an interim.”  Camara who was appointed to her position in January 2005 after the previous interim director of housing left, said that she is “reluctant to make long-term decisions,” because she will only be in her position until December.  However, she did say that she “will make short-term decisions.”
           
Camara said that student housing has been plagued with problems including $25 million in deferred maintenance and losing their architect. Although she said she sees “signs of things getting better” she added that there is still “a lot more talking that needs to be done.”
           
Jaime Carter, a psychology major who lives in the dorms, said she does think it affects students.  “If people stuck around longer,” Carter said, “it would be a more solid university.  When they’re only here temporarily, they don’t get to focus on real issues.”
           
Despite the inconsistency and delays that some say exist, others still say that having over 23 interims and 23 vacancies out of 103 executive and managerial positions at Manoa does not affect the way the campus is running.
           
Vice President for Administration Sam Callejo said, “You’ve got qualified people in positions doing the job, it’s not like (the job) is not getting done.”

Why are there so many interim appointees and vacancies at UH?

The number of positions being filled by interim appointees is, in part, due to the reorganization of the system and the Manoa chancellor’s office according to Johnsrud.  The system reorganization was first approved in 2003 with the most recent system re-org approved in June 2005.  The Manoa chancellor’s office reorganization was first approved in February 2005.

“Appointing interims is a mechanism we use to get from point A to point B,” Johnsrud said.  “And it’s a perfectly appropriate mechanism.”

Executive Director of the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Ralph Wolfe, which is responsible for granting UH accreditation, said, “Interim appointees can be valuable and useful positions during a transition.”  Wolfe added that although WASC would not fault any university or revoke their accreditation for the amount of interims they have, it could become an issue if the university did not develop a strategy to replace them with permanent employees.

As far as vacancies are concerned, System Director of Human Resources Ed Yuen said that in addition to the employees retiring and being asked to leave “positions remain vacant due to lack of funding.  “In prior years, the University was faced with budget cuts.  These budget cuts often resulted in positions that became vacant remaining vacant because funds were not available to fill these positions.”

UH has received over $20 million in budget since 1998 according to active Vice Chancellor of Manoa Kathy Cutshaw.  Since the reorganization created the need for more positions and there are already vacant positions due to previous budget cuts where does the money come from?

“It’s not new money,” said Callejo.  “You just have to move it around. You have to not spend in other areas and manage the money like you manage your checkbook because the amount of revenue is finite, and if I want to spend it on hiring another person, I have to find areas I can save to pay for that person.”

He added that “it doesn’t really impact (students),” and, at the system level, they try to supplement the campuses as much as possible.  “We all know what our mission is,” Callejo said.  “Our mission is higher education for the students and we never lose track of that.”