The University of Hawaii Board of Regents formally OK’d on Thursday the appointment of Carolyn Ma, new dean of the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy.
Ma, 55, is an Oahu native who has been with the University of Hawaii at Hilo pharmacy college since 2007. Most recently, she served as its interim dean. She succeeded founding Dean John Pezzuto, who left the campus in August 2015.
The university conducted a yearlong, off-campus search last year for a permanent dean but that was unsuccessful. UH-Hilo Chancellor Don Straney previously said repeating the search would “divert attention unnecessarily” from preparing for an upcoming accreditation visit in March. Straney announced his initial recommendation to appoint Ma permanently in an internal email last month to pharmacy students and staff.
Ma said she is pleased to fill the dean position permanently and see the college’s long-awaited permanent building get completed. Construction of the new building kicked off last week and is expected to take about 18 months.
“We’re hopeful,” Ma said previously. “We’re excited.”
Ma’s approved salary is $240,000. Pezzuto’s salary was $341,568 when he left.