HONOLULU — University of Hawai’i President David Lassner’s recommendation to the Board of Regents for the next UH-Manoa Athletics Director will be announced on the morning of Friday, May 12. 

Lassner’s recommendation comes after a committee of eight members cultivated a list of 3-5 finalists for the UH president to potentially pick from.

The process continues following the state’s Sunshine Law, making sure that these meetings between board members are public meetings. While the announcement of recommendation will come May 12, the board will not convene to meet and vote until Thursday, May 18.

Part of the announcement coming earlier than the official placement is due to the law’s policy of posting agendas six days in advance of meetings.

The members of the committee are not allowed to discuss the agenda outside of the meeting ahead of time in accordance with Sunshine Law policy.

David Matlin, who will retire after eight years with the title, will have his final day in charge in the first weekend of June before the new candidate would be expected to take over.

The process has gone “exactly as what was announced” and with everything “according to plan” in finding the best potential future leaders for the school and athletics, with final steps now in sight and expected in motion.

The university collected applicants that were then interviewed by the committee before a shortlist was formed for Lassner to see ahead of his recommendation. The shortlist contained somewhere between three and five different options for the school’s president to decide on who to recommend to the Board of Regents.

This process differs from previous athletic director announcement and searches, as the athletic director used to report to the chancellor, who would go to the president for final call. With a reworked order of command, the AD directly reports to Lassner, the school’s president, who must have his recommendation approved by the Board of Regents.