University of Hawai'i Board of Regents Chairman Al Landon said the lone candidate for UH president has "substantial support" from regents as they prepare to vote on her candidacy on Wednesday.

Meanwhile, M.R.C. Greenwood, who resigned as provost of the University of California system in 2005 amid an ethics investigation, confirmed yesterday that she's been in contact with Landon and they've discussed "general terms" of employment.

"I would absolutely not categorize any conversation that I've had as an offer," Greenwood said.

"For the record, I am still a candidate. You can also quote me as saying that I think the University of Hawai'i is an extremely interesting opportunity and I am genuinely interested in the position."

Eight of the 15 regents attended an executive session yesterday that was convened to discuss how the presidential selection process should proceed after one of two finalists dropped out on Tuesday.

After several hours of closed-door discussion, Landon said the board will meet Wednesday to vote on whether to offer Greenwood the presidency. If hired, she would replace David McClain, whose contract expires July 31.

Landon said it would be premature to say that the board intends to select her.

"Dr. Greenwood has substantial support on the board. We think that she brings a very helpful set of experiences and qualifications. But we want to make sure we get the view of all the regents," said Landon, adding that seven regents were absent yesterday.

Regents continue to lean toward selecting Greenwood even as criticism of the selection process and her candidacy remain in the community.

Much of the criticism focuses on Greenwood's resignation from her post as UC-system provost in 2005 after only two years amid allegations of favoritism and an investigation of her involvement in the promotion of a friend and business partner, UC-Santa Cruz Vice Provost Lynda Goff.

LINGLE CAUTIOUS

Gov. Linda Lingle yesterday said she does not want to get directly involved in the issue, but would support an extension of the search for the next president.

"I'm sure there are going to be some on the board that feel they need to extend it (the search)," she said, adding that "It's a difficult time to attract people."

Former Gov. Ben Cayetano yesterday said he feels the selection committee should submit additional names to the regents in light of the withdrawal of Robert Jones, a senior vice president at the University of Minnesota, as a candidate.

"They should continue their search. To give the regents one nominee, there's no choice at all. It's as if the search committee made the decision," Cayetano said.

He also directly addressed Greenwood's candidacy, suggesting that questions of conflict of interest in the UC system may prevent her from getting the full backing of the community as the new UH president.

And at a time when the university is facing $148 million in budget cuts over two years, strong leadership is vital, he said.

"It's important that whoever comes on, comes on clean and can get the trust of the faculty, the regents and also the public," Cayetano said.

Landon said he doesn't feel the regents are left without a choice, although there are regents "who look at it that way."

He noted that last Friday, regents decided to begin discussion of terms of employment with both Jones and Greenwood. It was only after those discussions began that Jones notified the regents he no longer intended to be a candidate.

"What we started with was three well-qualified candidates for one job. Only one was going to get selected in the end," Landon said.

"One right candidate is all we need, and it's nice to know that our process yielded more than one."

In a statement earlier this week, selection committee chairwoman Donna Tanoue said that Greenwood is "a nationally recognized academic leader who is highly qualified to lead the University of Hawai'i."

CREDENTIALS CITED

Greenwood is a member of the Institute of Medicine, whose members are elected for their professional achievement. Greenwood has served for six years on the National Science Board — the governing body of the U.S. National Science Foundation — whose members are appointed by the president based on their pre-eminence in research, education and science.

In a 23-page report to the UH Board of Regents released last week, the selection committee outlined the steps that led up to the selection of Greenwood as a final candidate.

The report outlines interviews conducted with two former chairmen and members of the UC Board of Regents, two former presidents of the UC system, the former UC general counsel, and other officials who had knowledge of Greenwood's resignation as provost.

"Based on our due diligence and our interviews of knowledgeable people in California and other states, and of Dr. Greenwood herself, we are confident in our selection of Dr. Greenwood as a finalist candidate," the report read.