Biologic Imperative Frank Pooler #2

Retired college president Frank Pooler is home after a difficult first interim assignment. Winter is setting in and he begins to see snow shoveling as his winter fitness program. He did have one interim assignment the previous year and felt he would not be called upon for other opportunities. He upset the local applecart far too much in dealing with problems there.

A phone call changes all that. He is offered another interim assignment; this time in Hawaii. Another small college in a relatively small isolated locale. According to the placement firm there were no major issues at this college, other than a dearth of senior leadership, after planned departure of two senior administrators and the unexpected passing of its president. Sun and surf, palm trees, the beach, and warm weather. Lots of work, but could it be as bad as the first interim gig?
Like everyone else Frank arrives in Hawaii to find a beautiful island. Unlike everyone else he finds a college divided by culture, religion, and any number of ideologies. His administrative assistant seems to be a phantom, the students rambunctious, the local townspeople dismayed with the college, the media more shark-like than usual, enrollment is declining, but the weather is lovely.

That a male English professor and a female biology professor are living together isn’t even noteworthy for Frank. That the biologist has become pregnant in this relationship doesn’t resonate with Pooler as it does with others. Although this becomes a problem on campus, the real issue develops when the pregnant woman, well-liked by all reports, is killed in a grisly murder. The pregnancy and the murder further divide an already fractured campus where students are making sacrifices to the volcano goddess, students can’t complete degrees, and Pooler has to track down his admin assistant.

Frank works with the police and others to maintain some level of order on campus; repair community relations; deal with faculty, student, and enrollment issues; and find out who butchered the faculty member and why.