One University of Hawaii faculty leader sent an email last night with a link to the notice of a special meeting of the Board of Regents, to discuss President M.R.C. Greenwood’s contract.

The subject line of his email: “Missiles have left the silos.”

While Greenwood has fumbled the aftermath of the Stevie Wonder fiasco, there is a dangerous undercurrent of behind-the-scenes political meddling that makes a bad situation quite a bit worse. This kind of interference will do far more damage to the university’s reputation in the long term than anything Greenwood has done, or not done, to date.

There was Greenwood’s testimony before the Senate Special Committee on Accountability concerning pressure from the governor’s office, which in turn was being pushed by the Senate President, House Speaker, and other political insiders seeking Donovan’s reinstatement.

The Star-Advertiser this morning quotes Rep. Mark Takai calling for Greenwood’s removal. Recall that Takai had publicly called for the reinstatement of both Donovan and Rich Sheriff after the two were put on administrative leave while an investigation of the concert was conducted by outside factfinders.

Takai was prominent in sending a letter on behalf of the UH-Manoa Letterwinners Club to Chancellor Tom Apple called Sheriff and Donovan “men of impeccable character with outstanding leadership and administrative qualities.”

I can’t quarrel with this view of their character, but I certainly wouldn’t call their leadership and administrative qualities as “outstanding,” at least as reflected in the documents from the concert investigation.

The documents suggest Sheriff was swept up in the sales pitch by promoter Bob Peyton, who pushed visions of a concert series that would raise a million dollars a year for athletics. As a result, Sheriff failed to scrutinize the deal before recommending it to Donovan. Instead of critically examining the deal, he became a booster, referring to the concert as “an opportunity” rather than as an event to be evaluated.

And Donovan appeared to have paid little attention to the concert planning, delegating all decisions to others, even as it morphed from a simple deal to rent Stan Sheriff Center to the promoter into a complex partnership that put the university into an unusually risky position. Donovan, smarting over the rejection of his request for a multi-year contract renewal, seemed to have remained quite detached throughout the whole planning process.

The difference between the tenor of the Senate’s questioning of Greenwood, who was hammered from all sides, and the totally friendly questions tossed at Sheriff and Donovan, who got none of the critical cross-examination reserved for Greenwood and the BOR, appears to reflect some of these same political dynamics.

So it’s it seems to me no coincidence that the same day the Board of Regents announced its intent to review Greenwood’s contract, the Hawaii Tourism Authority–itself one of the more politicized state agencies–announced it had included Donovan among 45 movers and shakers appointed to a new Pro Bowl Committee.

The joint signals seem pretty clear. No confidence in Greenwood. Full backing of Donovan. The only thing that isn’t clear is just who is behind this political faction and what their motives really are.

Also named to the Pro Bowl committee were UH Foundation staffer Vince Baldemor, (president of the umbrella booster group, Ahahui Koa Anuenue, and Bruce Coppa (Governor Abercrombie’s chief of staff and the state’s administrative director), who was key player in pressuring Greenwood on Donovan’s reinstatement.

According to the documents that have been made public, Baldemor participated in the athletic department’s planning for concert’s ticket sales.

In any case, Greenwood’s removal would be unavoidably tied to all this external politics. After Even Dobell’s ouster, it was difficult for the university to recuit a new president. Pushing Greenwood out under these circumstances would just compound those difficulties for the university as a whole going forward. And that wouldn’t be good news for the state.