HONOLULU — The University of Hawaii Board of Regents is asking for earnest feedback on the next president of the state’s public higher education system — not via multiple-choice questions, but an open-ended, eight-question survey for the public to provide thoughtful responses.

Students, faculty, staff, alumni, donors and members of the community are asked to participate in the Presidential Search Survey available online through Feb. 15.

“The feedback we will receive from this survey will be a critical part of the process to select the next leader of UH, whose success is critical to the future of Hawaii,” said BOR Chair Alapaki Nahale-a in a news release.

In December 2023, the BOR approved a search process after UH President David Lassner announced in September he would retire at the end of 2024.

According to the release, BOR will select an executive search company with Hawaii sensibilities by Jan. 31 to conduct a nationwide search and recruit candidates.

At a special Jan. 4 meeting, the BOR finalized the process for the president’s search advisory group that will advise the selection committee on which all 11 regents are serving.

Feedback received through the survey and public forums will be used by the search firm, selection committee and advisory board as an integral part of the hiring process.

Recruitment will run through April 15, followed by an evaluation period with an official selection made in June.