Amid ongoing efforts to bring light to the firing of University of Hawaii at Manoa Chancellor Tom Apple, the Board of Regents today voted to appoint a longtime Manoa dean to serve as acting head of the campus.

Robert Bley-Vroman oversees the College of Languages, Linguistics and Literature and was nominated for the interim position last week by UH President David Lassner. The position goes into effect Sept. 1.

Lassner’s termination of Apple, who will remain at UH Manoa as a chemistry professor, has caused significant tension on campus in recent weeks, with critics questioning whether internal UH politics motivated the decision. Much of the speculation has centered on the Cancer Center, a research unit attached to UH Manoa that’s gained a good deal of notoriety because of its leadership and finances.

David Lassner, whose decision to fire Tom Apple has garnered lots of criticism, was selected as UH president earlier this summer.

PF Bentley/Civil Beat

Apple was vocal in his criticism of the center and its director, Michele Carbone, prompting many professors and students to wonder whether his firing was a retaliatory move. They also question the secrecy surrounding Apple’s removal.

But Lassner has denied repeatedly that the dispute had any influence on his decision, instead pointing to Apple’s handling of UH Manoa’s budget and inability to unite its administration.

The Board of Regents and Lassner today assured members of the public that they had heard their concerns and value their feedback. They said they recognize that “additional steps are needed to strengthen critical relationships on campus.” Lassner said he’s committed to making the processes behind personnel decisions more transparent in the future.

Bley-Vroman, according to a press release, “has committed to maintain the high standard for campus communications that students and faculty have made clear they expect and that we all believe they deserve in their Chancellor.”

He will also work closely with campus administrators and its community to address the campus’s fiscal problems, according to regents. UH Manoa faces a significant deficit and has been spending its reserves at a rate of $20 million a year.

Regents also reaffirmed their request that the university conduct an “objective and forward-looking review” of the Cancer Center.

In a statement the regents said it has received significant “input on the substantial level of churn among the senior system and campus administration over the past decade.”

The university is therefore going to assess UH Manoa’s administrative structure and its relationship with the rest of the university to “improve management, decrease administrative costs and increase focus on academic excellence.”