Regents Terminate Dobelle; McClain Acting President

Evan S. Dobelle	David McClain

The Board of Regents announced late Tues., June 15, the unanimous decision to terminate President Evan S. Dobelle for cause. The decision came after deliberations that lasted 12 hours regarding the three-year evaluation of Dobelle. UH Vice President for Academic Affairs David McClain was named acting president, effective immediately.

“Sadly, we have come to the realization that the President no longer has our trust and there is no longer a unity of purpose between the board and the president or a clear recognition of his integrity, character and commitment,” said UH Board of Regents Chairperson Patricia Lee. “Clearly, this is the most difficult decision ever to be made by the Regents. However, we are confident that we have made the right decision at the right time and that our beloved University of Hawai‘i will continue to move forward successfully.”

Read the press release.

Volcanic Soils Yield Clues About Agriculture and Chiefdoms in Hawai‘i

Kohala photo courtesy of Stanford University.

An international research team, which includes UHM Anthropology Chair Michael Graves, links soil nutrient abundance and availability to the prehistoric development of dryland agriculture in Kohala, Hawai‘i. Their findings were published in the June 11 issue of Science.

The archaeological remnants of a large dryland agricultural system on the Kohala mountains match the precise locations where volcanic soil nutrients, necessary for sustained farming, are most abundant. Traditional agriculture in this area focused on growing sweet potatoes, and the surplus it produced supported population expansion and the development of competitive chiefdoms beginning in the 17th or 18th centuries. By the end of the 18th century, this agricultural zone had expanded geographically to its limits, in turn, underwriting the efforts by Kamehameha I to unify all of the Hawaiian Islands under his rule.

For more information read the press release or visit the Hawai‘i Archaeological Research Project Web site.

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McClain plans for a smooth
leadership transition
(Honolulu Star Bulletin photo)