Regents; appointment; tenure; qualifications; meetings
HRS §304A-104
in effect304A-104. Regents; appointment; tenure; qualifications; meetings
(a) The affairs of the university shall be under the general management and control of the board of regents. The board shall consist of eleven members who shall be appointed by the governor from lists of qualified candidates presented to the governor by the candidate advisory council, pursuant to section 304A-104.6, and shall be confirmed by the senate; provided that if the list of qualified candidates includes fewer than three candidates at any time during the nomination and confirmation process, the governor may request that the candidate advisory council reopen recruitment for qualified candidates. Members may be removed by the governor. Except as otherwise provided by law, state officers shall be eligible for appointment and membership.
The term of each member shall be five years,
except as provided for the initial appointment in section 26-11; provided that
the term of the student member shall be two years. Every member may serve
beyond the expiration date of the member's term of appointment as a holdover
member until the member's successor has been appointed by the governor and
confirmed by the senate in accordance with article X, section 6 of the Hawaii
State Constitution; provided that, notwithstanding any law to the contrary, a
holdover member shall not serve as a member of the board beyond the end of the
first regular session of the legislature following the expiration of the member's
term. Members shall serve no more than two consecutive five-year terms;
provided that the members who are initially appointed to terms of two years or
less pursuant to section 26-11(a) may be reappointed to two ensuing five-year
terms. If a member is to be appointed to a second term of five years, the
senate shall consider the question of whether to reconfirm the member at least
one hundred twenty days prior to the conclusion of a member's first five-year
term; provided that if the senate is not in session within one hundred twenty
days prior to the conclusion of the member's first five-year term, the member
shall continue to serve until the senate convenes for the next regular session
or the next special session for which the senate is authorized to consider the
question of reconfirmation.
(b) In determining whether to confirm the
governor's nominee to the board of regents, the senate shall consider the
combination of abilities, breadth of experiences, and characteristics of the
board of regents, as a whole, that will best serve the diverse interests and
needs of the students of the university system and assist the university system
in achieving its strategic goals and performance indicators. The senate shall
consider whether the board reflects the diversity of the student population,
the various counties of the State, and a broad representation of higher
education-related stakeholders.
(c) At its first meeting after June 30 of each
year, the board of regents shall elect a chairperson and one or more
vice-chairpersons who shall serve until the adjournment of the first meeting of
the board of regents after June 30 of the next year, or thereafter until their
successors are elected; provided that the chairperson and vice chairpersons
shall not be elected prior to the taking of office of regents whose terms shall
begin on July 1 of that year. The board shall appoint a secretary, who shall
not be a member of the board. The president of the university shall act as
executive officer of the board. A majority of the board of regents shall
constitute a quorum to conduct business, and the concurrence of a majority of
all the members to which the board of regents is entitled shall be necessary to
make any action of the board of regents valid. The board shall meet at least
ten times annually and, from time to time, may meet in each of the counties of
Hawaii, Maui, and Kauai.
(d) The governor shall notify the candidate
advisory council for the board of regents of the University of Hawaii in
writing within ten days of receiving notification that a member of the board of
regents is resigning or has died, or is being removed by the governor.
(e) The members of the board of regents shall
serve without pay but shall be entitled to their travel expenses within the
State when attending meetings of the board or when actually engaged in business
relating to the work of the board.
[L 2006, c 75, pt of §2; am L 2007, c 56, §4;
am L Sp 2008, c 9, §3; am L 2011, c 50, §1; am L 2013, c 72, §3; am L 2019, c
172, §3]
Source: Hawaii State Legislature (capitol.hawaii.gov), via Internet Archive capturesURL: http://www.capitol.hawaii.gov/hrscurrent/Vol05_Ch0261-0319/HRS0304A/HRS_0304A-0104.htmFetched: 11/10/2026