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HONOLULU (AP) — University of Hawaii regents have approved an interim chancellor for the Manoa campus, as students and faculty call for the reinstatement of the fired chancellor.
The board voted unanimously Thursday to hire Robert Bley-Vroman, dean of Manoa's College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature. He was picked for a one-year term that starts Sept. 1 at a salary of $275,016, the Honolulu Star-Advertiser (http://bit.ly/XFCj3p ) reported.
Students and faculty at the meeting called for reinstatement of Chancellor Tom Apple. UH President David Lassner fired Apple on July 30 for unsatisfactory job performance.
Twenty students and faculty members addressed the regents. Most said they've lost trust in Lassner and were shut out of the process.
"We want this man back," said Lilikala Kameeleihiwa, a senior professor at the Center for Hawaiian Studies. "If you don't reinstate him, people are going to start calling for your resignations."
UH astronomer and professor Jeff Kuhn said faculty members are embarrassed by the administration's actions.
The regents, however, say they appreciate the concerns and ideas shared by students and faculty.
"The fact that there are different perspectives on personnel matters and how they are handled does not mean that those concerns are not being heard," regents Chairman Randy Moore said, reading a statement.
Apple was two years into a five-year contract and has accepted a settlement agreement that will reassign him as a chemistry professor, effective Sept. 1.
Moore said the university intends to honor the settlement agreement.
The regents discussed Bley-Vroman's appointment in a three-hour closed door session at Windward Community College.
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Information from: Honolulu Star-Advertiser, http://www.staradvertiser.com
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