UHPA continues to endorse Representative Rhoads for his advocacy on higher education and his commitment to keep key employee benefit issues alive over the course of successive legislative sessions. Below is a statement received by Representative Rhoads:
University of Hawaii Professional Assembly Statement
Karl Rhoads
May 23, 2012
As the son of a mathematics professor and an elementary school teacher, I value education very highly. While multiple factors contribute to the success of a university, financial wherewithal is very important. This is true not only for physical plant, but in terms of support for faculty as well.
In my six years in the Legislature (four years as chair of the Committee on Labor and Public Employment), I have done my best to ensure the highest funding levels possible for the university system as a whole, but for faculty in particular. Because of the recession, I have been in the position of minimizing damage to faculty salary and benefits rather than increasing the overall financial packages offered. But the worst is over and we can stop making penny-wise and pound-foolish compensation decisions.
While the rewards of academic life are primarily intellectual, that does not mean that the laws of supply and demand are irrelevant to building and maintaining a quality university. Other factors being equal, the university offering the best compensation packages adjusted for cost of living will attract and retain the best faculty. If reelected, I will continue to advocate for the University of Hawaii and its faculty.
