The University of Louisville is in for quite a ride. UofL’s President Jim Ramsey is once again singing the praises of former Dean of the College of Education and Human Development Robert Felner.
Felner, you couldn’t forget, is the focus of a massive federal investigation involving both the United States Postal Service and the Secret Service.
Get a load of what Ramsey piled on for the Courier-Journal:
Ramsey also reiterated that Felner “advanced” the university’s College of Education and Human Development since his arrival in 2003.
Specifically, he noted the college’s rise in national rankings, an increase in grants and a stronger relationship with Jefferson County Public Schools. “The list of accomplishments are there,” Ramsey said.
During the same period, the university saw a marked increase in grievances filed by employees in the college of education. All of the grievances were against Felner, some alleging sexual harassment and intimidation.
Ramsey said the number of grievances against Felner “tells me he was bringing about change that needed to be made.”
Still, Ramsey said, the university “took all of them (grievances) seriously.”
“Management style is one thing, and a lot of the things that came in were anonymous,” he said. “Violation of university policy is another thing.”
All right. Who wants to be first to claim that Jim Ramsey is the most out-of-touch person at UofL? And who believes the university took all of the grievances against Robert Felner seriously? I mean, I just published 32 instances of problems that should have garnered more than a yawn from the university’s administration. And nothing ever happened. Nothing was ever resolved.
Who on earth is handling public relations for UofL? Somebody’s contract needs to get cut. Immediately. This is a waste of taxpayer dollars if I’ve ever seen one.
Also, Nancy Rodriguez again peddles misinformation that the federal investigation into Robert Felner and the University of Louisville is only about a $694,000 grant. So not true. That’s just the tip of the iceberg in the investigation. But she did finally report that the investigation began after Provost Shirley Willihnganz turned a complaint over to campus police to investigate. So kudos for that.
We’re so blown away by both the University of Louisville’s handling of the Felner situation and the Courier-Journal’s. Blown away.
18 responses so far ↓
1 Tirnstile // Jul 16, 2008 at 2:55 pm
Can anyone say, “Two steps forward, and three steps back?”
“Ramsey said the number of grievances against Felner ‘tells me he was bringing about change that needed to be made.’” I guess sexual harassment of students is their idea of improving student/teacher dichotomy….
This story is getting more pathetic every day.
2 jane doe // Jul 16, 2008 at 3:16 pm
as a former employee of CEHD, I wonder how many faculty and staff are still there after filing a grievance against Karen Karp?
3 Hillary // Jul 16, 2008 at 3:21 pm
Do you think the public and media responsewould be different if classes were in session? Might this heat up a little bit in a month or so, or will it just be dead?
4 Hillary // Jul 16, 2008 at 3:22 pm
Addition:
The thinking there is that student outrage might affect the larger response…
5 sallymae443 // Jul 16, 2008 at 3:42 pm
If they all knew all the facts and all the information- there’d be more outrage! Classes are in session- summer session!
6 UL Faculty Member // Jul 16, 2008 at 3:47 pm
This just gets more bizarre. Why do Jim Ramsey and Anne Northup continue to say positive things about Felner’s work at U of L? How about a simple, “I cannot comment about an ongoing federal investigation?”
7 Informed // Jul 16, 2008 at 3:49 pm
I wonder if students know abou this blog. How many students will also report their own problems with Felner and his leadership team.
8 Judy // Jul 16, 2008 at 5:37 pm
Good idea to alert UofL about the Felner Scandal. The number of students on campus is limited during the summer, but there must be a way to email the leaders of the Student Govt., and ask them to spread the word about Felner and about http://www.pageonekentucky.com .
Why are Ramsey and Northup supporting Felner? VERY interesting.
9 PWK // Jul 16, 2008 at 5:58 pm
I’m still waiting to hear from the faculty in the Dept. of Ed at URI – he’s gone – he can’t hurt you any more – speak up and be as brave as these people from U of L.
10 jake // Jul 16, 2008 at 6:11 pm
UofL students (and student government) are reading like crazy.
And the folks at URI are talking.
Don’t fret– the truth is coming out.
11 longgone // Jul 16, 2008 at 6:19 pm
I am stunned that a university president would take an Enron approach to “getting ahead.” Ethics, humanity and integrity are clearly secondary to Dr. Ramsey. This is a sad commentary on the state of higher education and the depths to which it has descended. Dr. Ramsey should take the time to know a toxic environment cannot lead to anything but trouble. When you empower a “change agent” you do not absolve him or the university from humane behavior toward employees or employing an agenda that supports the values and mission of the university. UofL is clearly like Enron, the only thing that matters is the bottom line–ethics be damned! I, for one, wonder about the quality of research coming from an institution where only the bottom line matters? Who knows how much of it was fabricated or shaped to please the agenda of the funders.
I guess Dr. Ramsay wouldn’t know the definition of torture either…if it was in the interests of the university to use inhumane tactics to increase the bottom line. What a wonderful REPUTATION Dean Felner has earned for the University of Louisville. It has certainly earned fame all over the country.
Students and employees should have second thoughts when choosing to attend a university where sexual harassment and routine humiliation of faculty are ignored– and the person responsible for the outrages still has the appreciation of President Ramsay. Well, they say all publicity is good. UofL now can climb the charts of E! and compete with Madonna. Wonder what the U.S. News ranking will be next year?
12 wc // Jul 16, 2008 at 7:03 pm
Jim Ramsey wants to insult us. There is no other way to look at this.
What I would like to know is, what exactly are all the great things RF has done? What money has he himself brought in besides what he embezzled?
It seems Ramsey wants to make a strong point, to communicate he sees no value in what we are saying. The truly stunning part is he sees no value in the official, signed Faculty Grievance officer’s letter to the provost (posted as one of the 32 letters) urging her to do something to help the distressed college.
He wants to hurt our feelings, and in doing so is making a true ass of himself.
13 jake // Jul 16, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Everyone tune in to WHAS11 @ 11 tonight to hear Ramsey’s full statement.
(We’ll have it in the morning if you miss it.)
14 Jeff // Jul 16, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Ramsey’s statement in the C-J about Felner increasing grants speaks volumes. To be specific, Felner was hired because he is (was?) a “rainmaker”, i.e., he brought in money. In university administration circles, this is a huge function. The thing that I find shocking is that Ramsey is apparently sticking with his fondness for the rainmaking. By my count, this is the 3rd time he has publicly spoken to media and supported Felner.
15 "Love 'The Ville, Not U of L" // Jul 16, 2008 at 8:34 pm
I applaud “Longgone” for affirming that ethics should be at the core of human activity, including that of academe. As another ex-U of L faculty member in the CEHD, I, too, was aghast at how oblivious the central administration was to the ethically corrosive behavior of Felner and his “leadership team.” He and they openly castigated, browbeated, and humiliated faculty in constant fashion (causing several literal nervous breakdowns); seldom thought of student needs and concerns (I hardly ever heard them speak in those terms); and pigeonholed higher education as a simple matter of big bucks via the almighty grant. Perhaps that is why central administrators looked the other way when it came to Herr Felner. Of course, most of those grants typically do not seep down to college students, practicing teachers, or P-12 students. But they do bring a sort of effete prestige (and money) to grants folks. Ironically, Felner may be “felled” by the sword of the big bucks be pursued so obsessively.
I’ve been at four universities and easily rank U of L as dead last–even though it is by far the wealthiest of the lot. I love the city of Louisville, but felt that U of L never lived up to the strength of the city. In a word, I saw U of L as an “outlaw” unievrsity–one where many administrators tiptoed the edges of ethics (see Felner and Shumaker, for example) and where service to the community was largely self-serving. U of L was a university of flimsy glitz (see “Bucks for Brains”) and not much substance. And most administrative decisions were largely based on politics, i.e., “what’s in it for me.” Perhaps Felner, Ramsey, Shirley W., and the CEHD “leadership team” need to be thoroughly fumigated before they are sent out to pasture. That might be the ethical thing to do for U of L and the Louisville community.
16 SC // Jul 16, 2008 at 9:05 pm
I too would like to know exactly what “accomplishments” President Ramsey is referring to. If the only accomplishments are an increased national ranking and increased external funding, are those truly desired at any human cost. If programs dwindle, and student and faculty satisfaction is sacrificed for the sake of a national ranking — that does speak squarely to the ethics of U of L administration. Why aren’t Dean’s evaluated on levels of faculty and student satisfaction; graduation rates; enrollment rates; alumni giving; and diversity. U of L says these things are valued in its vision and mission statements but it sounds like — so long as a Dean is bringing in external funding and buying higher and higher national rankings as a result – - all is well at the ‘Ville.
One more reason these entities that publish these national rankings need to limit or control for the importance placed on research dollars and account for student satisfaction and completion rates more.
17 SheWho // Jul 17, 2008 at 12:24 am
OH come on….the vast majority of you are highly intelligent with advanced degrees. You must be aware that most likely Ramsey is defending RF because if he did not then he would have to admit the truth–that he IGNORED all of the warning signs and clear messages that RF was a tyrant, unethical and an individual who makes sport of sexually harrassing students, staff and faculty and very literally intimidating, manipulating, bullying, coercing, terrorizing and carefully creating an atmosphere of fear, dread and trepidation for faculty, staff and students.
Think of the lawsuits that might be filed if Ramsey were to admit that he KNEW about the strong armed tactics and allowed them to continue in the name of national ranking (probably gained by bogus data) and federal grants.
It is just such a shame that he looks like an idiot….grievances because there was an atmosphere of change. What does he think of the CEHD faculty–that they are lazy, crazy and stupid? Not ‘with the times’?
I am embarrassed for UofL.
18 SheWho // Jul 17, 2008 at 12:25 am
P.S. What are the Board of Trustees doing for damage control–contemplating another raise for Ramsey?
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