Funny how that works. You don’t hear back from someone and then you publish a fancy story. Bam. You immediately get their attention and they’re eager to speak with you.
We finally heard from Jefferson County Public Schools Superintendent Sheldon Berman. Here’s his story and explanation for the plethora of telephone calls with Natalie Stiglitz.
He says he’s been close friends with Stiglitz for about six years and says they go running together at night, which could potentially explain the late-night telephone calls. He says they’re both avid runners.
“I didn’t talk to Natalie about Felner. I can ‘t say a lot about Felner, I met him 6 or 7 times about U of L collaboration issues,” said Berman. Recall that Felner referred to Berman as a friend and as “Shelly” in emails to University of Louisville President Jim Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willihnganz.
Here’s the rest of Berman’s take on his friendship with Stiglitz, “I have tremendous respect for Natalie and her incredible integrity. She’s a national leader in the field, and I would hate to see her reputation destroyed with this. She’s a valuable individual at U of L.”
Dr. Berman added that during the month of June there was a training program going on for 9th grade teachers that Stiglitz coordinated, and that was a reason for more calls at that time.
Many thanks to Berman for following up.
45 responses so far ↓
1 blowin' in the wind // Sep 4, 2008 at 5:58 pm
They go running together at night?????
2 blowin' in the wind // Sep 4, 2008 at 6:05 pm
Jake, that was a tongue in cheek thank you to Dr. Berman, please tell me it was tongue stuck in cheek!
3 jake // Sep 4, 2008 at 6:06 pm
I am honestly thankful that he gave us this great story.
4 blowin' in the wind // Sep 4, 2008 at 6:27 pm
I believe you, Jake.
Berman tried to hire Natalie for a major position at JCPS but Blake gave her a better deal at CEHD.
5 Not Confused // Sep 4, 2008 at 7:05 pm
Again…..running together at night?????
Give me a break.
Wife Ok with this Berman?
6 Lucky // Sep 4, 2008 at 7:29 pm
National leader???!! Of what?!
Integrity? What does THAT mean?
Google her and all you get is her UofL work–all set up by boyfriend Felner. What is national about that? All her personal information and vitae have been pulled from sites (no surprise). But we have seen her vitae–full of grants other people wrote and directed. She claimed them if they were managed out of the Nystrand center when she was the director. That shows a major LACK of integrity.
Ive sat in meetings with her when all she spoke of was shopping and working out. National leader? Integrity? Oh, Berman, what a disappointment. We thought you a scholar.
You go running with her at night??!?!
7 Hmm. // Sep 4, 2008 at 8:01 pm
Allegedly, after the first 3 or so candidates for princpalship at Manual High School, Berman allegedly refused to send more candidates for principalship to Manual. Allegedly, he wanted an interim principal until he could release a friend from a contract (or a friend from the north could be released). Allegedly, the people at Manual asked to see a list of qualified candidates and picked from that rather than wait for Berman’s next “slate” or next “person” to be sent. Allegedly, what looks like a ‘breath of fresh air’ to JCPS may be little more than the same old, same old. Allegedly.
8 Novena // Sep 4, 2008 at 9:01 pm
“Academic Reputation Is Usually Overblown”
To paraphrase Lucky, “National reputation?” re: Ms. Stiglitz. Having had a Ph.D for about a year or so, she’s certainly paid her dues and garnered a quick reputation. Did she even have one to defend in such rapid time? Many academicians, as in any trade, tend to earn it by the “hard work” of doing what is expected. As the Bard put it, it is “oft got without merit.” Getting it right is no assurance of academic success, nor are good deeds or helping others succeed. Which route did Natalie take? One can only surmise, wonder, and speculate. Maybe she even has an “international” reputation in the nooks and crannies of the CEHD.
9 Novena // Sep 4, 2008 at 9:49 pm
“Introducing the Next CEHD Dean: Susan Lucci”
Rotating all these Felner threads in my mind’s eye feels like “as the world turns” and a “search for tomorrow.” The CEHD has not had a “guiding light” for at least five years. The “days of our lives” have been nasty, miserable, long, and brutish. The administration forgets we have “only one life to live.” I want to live to see “all my children” view UofL with at least an inch of pride. But we linger– lame, broken, on “the edge of night–” waiting for a ride to the “general hospital.” On the way we gaze at Natalie and Shelly, “the young and the restless,” on another dark run as the werewolf howls (quiet, Bobby).
10 Tirnstile // Sep 4, 2008 at 10:04 pm
I’m a ‘Bold and the Beautiful’ guy myself. Yes, I admit it…. It’s only 30 minutes and is on during my lunch break. Ironically, one of the main story lines is about a much older guy with power and money who married a much younger, blonde hottie.
I need some new running shoes. It’s happening there!
11 Novena // Sep 4, 2008 at 10:39 pm
“CEHD Soap Opera: ‘Terminal Illness’”?
Tirn, I see you’re back from a long lunch break. The “Bold & the Beautiful” does sound invigorating, especially in this ethos of terminal illness. Consider the long CEHD journey into night. A disastrous marriage to Bobby. A “losership” team tied in as many knots (when not kissin’ up) as “Knots Landing.” A central administration with constant amnesia. I know, as cheesy a plot as “Dallas,” with our own JR in the lead. As royally shallow as “Dynasty,” with our own catty character actors falling down the daily stairwell. So many secret relationships, so many last-minute revelations. Tirn, let’s go to the Irish Rover before we become too drunk to carry on.
12 ed // Sep 4, 2008 at 10:48 pm
You guys kill me. Let’s hope when this is over, Bobby is in the “Dark Shadows” for a very long time.
13 Tirnstile // Sep 4, 2008 at 11:13 pm
ed: When you come to the Ville for the big trial and sentencing party, we’ll have a pint glass with your name on it.
My hunch is that the Louisville Bats season is about over. Wonder where Bobby will be spending his spare time now…. He does wear a GPS ankle bracelet, right?
14 Give us a break... // Sep 4, 2008 at 11:22 pm
There you are, ed. I’ve been waiting for your comments on our very own soap opera.
Fiction is never better than real life:
Act 257, Scene 1273: Bobby and Jennifer T. smooching in the Freedom Hall parking lot.
GAG!
15 ed // Sep 4, 2008 at 11:29 pm
Well, we know he’s not running at night with Natalie.
16 ed // Sep 4, 2008 at 11:33 pm
Break,
You’re so right. You just can’t make this stuff up. I feel like I should be paying to see this show.
I’m kidding, Jake.
17 Always Amazed // Sep 4, 2008 at 11:38 pm
Shelley,Shelley, Shelley…..you didn’t take long to ingratiate yourself amongst the locals! Good of Felner to introduce you to his castoffs. And just how did you meet Natalie some six years ago if she has no scholarly record prior to Blobby according to other people who have posted here? Was Blobby the one that tipped you off about the great job opening here in the ‘Ville where the stupid decision makers roam?
18 arad // Sep 4, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Why is it such a big deal to run at night?
Would you rather have him run with her during the day instead of tending to the 99,000 students who attend JCPS? I wouldn’t.
Also, it’s summertime. It’s kind of hot during the day. Just ask the folks over at PRP.
19 ed // Sep 5, 2008 at 8:42 am
Tirn,
Thanks for the offer…it would be a hoot… but I find myself wondering if there’ll really be a trial. With everything we’ve seen, it feels pretty certain there’ll be charges. The “hugs” emails alone show what they were doing. And, if Schroeder has an ounce of sense, he’s already rolled over on Bobby. (Sorry….there’s an image no one needs first thing in the morning).
So, when the charges come, does this arrogant psycho think he can outwit, outcharm, outtalk the evidence….especially if huggy bear has made a deal with the Feds and is prepared to say, “Yeah, we did it”?? Hard to imagine his lawyers wouldn’t be urging him to consider whatever might be offered at that point, maybe a couple or few years off a sentence for saving the Feds the time and expense of a trial.
And if his arrogance forces a trial, would it even stay in Louisville? Seems like WAY too much press for his lawyers not to want it moved elsewhere. Could there be 12 impartial people left in that town?
All questions that will eventually answer themselves, I know.
Of course, when charged, (even though I’d like to see him in jail for a long time) a high speed chase ending in a fireball might not be too shabby. Maybe with some of those “OJ” helicopter shots.
20 Novena // Sep 5, 2008 at 10:06 am
“Bobby Trial Venue Switched to Caney Creek”
Yes, it does faze me that Bobbby might be saved by the F. Scott Fitzgerald dictum: “The rich are different from you and me.” Balzac also spoke of “laws as spider webs” to protect “the big flies,” very similar to Proudhon’s description of them as guardians of “the rich and mighty.” I do think Bobby’s trial will be switched to Pippa Passes (locals call it “Caney Creek”), where, in Robert Browning’s words, “Owls and bats, cowls and twats . . . adjourn to the oak-stump pantry” (one of those words is particularly apt in our situation). Anyway, Browning’s poem does end on a high note (for us), presuming there is a guilty verdict: “God’s in his Heaven–All is right with the world.”
21 Give us a break... // Sep 5, 2008 at 12:20 pm
Some of us were reminiscing about the old A&S dean who was fired by UofL for leaving obscene notes out at the Louisville airport. By university standards for behavior, that must be worse than torturing faculty and staff.
I guess it all depends on what one defines as obscene behavior. I think I would have preferred working with him. He was probably more polite. At least he didn’t scream, whine, and raise a ruckus out at the airport….
22 blowin' in the wind // Sep 5, 2008 at 1:15 pm
googlin’ around and found 2006 pic of Natalie in DC, described as “Professor Natalie Stiglitz” …also other places where she has described herself as professor…integrity????…I know how hard it must be for a poor little instructor to make her way in the big world, but really!!! Awful quick (self) promotion.
23 Novena // Sep 5, 2008 at 1:43 pm
“Torture: Guantanamo vs. UofHell”
Give us a break, you’re right–the wacko ex-A & S dean at least didn’t torture us. (But do you notice how many crazy deans UofL either receives or produces?)
In any case, the administration and the “losership team” still have their way in the CEHD for obvious, torturous reasons. We have to say what they want to hear–or Guantanamo will look like a walk in the Easter parade. We have to reflect (not on NCATE–do we ever?), but on what will please the damn louts. In our reverie, we remind ourselves: why is it that only human beings torture for sport? The “losership team” recently conducted a CEHD faculty survey (big surprise, indeed–through a newly acquired grant) in order to identify the most painful method of torture to get the goods on any dissenting profs. The winner? “Sit us in a room (with a GED on the wall), strap us to a chair–and then put Bobby’s ‘town-hall’ audios on.”
24 blowin' in the wind // Sep 5, 2008 at 2:13 pm
How many of the dozens of coordinators of training sessions in June had to check in with SB on a regular basis? June is the busiest month for professional development sessions in the district.
25 Novena // Sep 5, 2008 at 3:10 pm
“Who Says UofHell Is Obscene?”
Whoever said it is wrong. Our inquisitors torture and practice tough methods for our own good, i. e., to make us healthier. It’s a kind of Cardinal Marine Corps tactic: what hurts you makes you stronger. Call it a cleansing process. Indeed, it would be seedy and upsetting to do otherwise. Recall what Mae West asked about gentlemen who seemingly don pistols. Now, do you feel better about the UofHell inquisitors?
26 Novena // Sep 5, 2008 at 3:40 pm
“Waiting for the Verdict: Musings on Life & Death”
“I set a curse upon you.”
Yeah, ’twas Bobby and his losership team.
“If only we could find a way of telling the truth without anyone knowing what actually happened.”
Umm, you need to find a post-modernist Pinocchio, honchos.
“At last darkness has come. . . . I might have spared you, but now you must die.”
Gracias, the grass above our coffins will be eternally grateful.
Sherlock, are these administrative notes that you quote? No, they actually come from “Dark Shadows.” Yet there are close similarities, Dr. Watson.
Thanks, ed.
27 blowin' in the wind // Sep 5, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Does anyone know why Natalie’s vita has suddenly disappeared from the CEHD web site? I just tried to check and its gone.
28 jake // Sep 5, 2008 at 4:11 pm
The only place her name is now mentioned is on the Nystrand Center’s page. She’s still listed as director there, but there’s no CV.
29 Novena // Sep 5, 2008 at 5:12 pm
“Vitae Scholasticae, Wither Thou?”
Jake, I’ve known a lot of academics to pad their vitae, with piles of minutiae, e. g.:
–letters from principals, thanking them for useful Jungian workshops for teachers;
–details on chairing committees that never met (something like Congress–sorry Anne & Mitch);
–splashin’ their names as 8th co-author of a trifling article no one will read;
–emphasizin’ an international presentation at some obscure conference that nobody could find (it was in the boiler room);
–chairin’ 51 provocative doctoral dissertations, but not reading them, etc.
You get the drift, Jake.
Natalie’s approach is somethin’ new, but increasingly popular in the CEHD/UofL. I guess such folks don’t have to prove any merit. It might be too redundant.
30 ed // Sep 5, 2008 at 5:24 pm
But she’s pretty hot, Novena. Of course, far be it from me in even remotely imply that has anything to do with anything. I’d be jumped on faster than Sam Springfield. And, of course, any man or woman can climb the ladder of success regardless of how they look.
But she’s pretty hot, Novena.
31 Tirnstile // Sep 5, 2008 at 6:14 pm
Now 81 million-and-one crack in the glass ceiling. Some cracks need repairin’.
And, for all of you kids out there, Say “no” to crack. It’s whack, or so I hear.
32 Novena // Sep 5, 2008 at 7:59 pm
“A Prayer for Lost Souls in the CEHD”
Sometimes one gives up a lot to get ahead. Many of us are human that way. Most of us try it, and we ask no further questions if we don’t succeed. Only the chosen few can succeed in the tooth and claw struggle of the CEHD. For the rest of us in the bowels of our great building, we know there is no use in asking for another chance. Rather than help us climb the ladder, they slam us wrung by wrung. It can get vicious; so after some beatings, we give up. Unless you are striking in appearance and/or unquestioning in attitude, don’t expect anything else. If you are lost, ugly, and weak (and too curious) , you are treated as one of the damned. Consider yourself lucky to be in this land of the brave, free, and strong. Amen.
33 Novena // Sep 5, 2008 at 8:40 pm
“A Prayer for the Lost Leadership Team”
I give you only humble advice: Read more T. S. Eliot and try to stop harming us, if you can. Reflect especially on his “The Hollow Men.” There you will see your reflection. He would count you as “stuffed men” and “violent souls.” He would view the CEHD as “the dead land” or “the cactus land,” with icily “stone images” sans human blood or even animal care. Life is flickering in danger there, candles faintly lit, our eyes starting to close. “This is the way the world ends/Not with a bang but with a whimper.” May God bless us.
34 Flag // Sep 5, 2008 at 10:25 pm
Natalie is listed for Office of Civic Education and Engagement
http://louisville.edu/education/civics/facilitators.html
35 Always Amazed // Sep 6, 2008 at 9:03 am
POOF! Flag, your link is now gone!
36 wc // Sep 6, 2008 at 9:25 am
Good grief. I saw that link just an hour ago, and now it is gone? Why would she care that her center is advertised? What myserious behavior. Well, hey, she’s got good tech skills, anyway.
37 Novena // Sep 6, 2008 at 11:20 am
“JR & SW, It’s Finally a Beginning”
Thanks, JR & SW, for the apology (see C-J, 9/6/08). It is certainly a start in healing the hurt and humiliated, the lost careers and battered lives. But there is a long way to go. Not just to save your jobs, but to make positive steps to see that the remaining guilty lose theirs. You know them, you protect them–and you keep them in place (realizing full well that our respect for them is nearly nil). We hope this is not the last word or deed. We especially want the latter, i. e., “walking the talk” in true fashion. Do not have this on your tombstone: “The bitterest tears shed . . . are for . . . deeds left undone” (Harriet Beecher Stowe).
38 jake // Sep 6, 2008 at 11:23 am
Please, no more poetry or prose in any form.
Every single time a comment is left that doesn’t read like a paragraph or everyday language, our spam filters assumes it’s spam.
I greatly appreciate the creativity and honesty commenters have brought to this site over the past few months. But we have to keep the conversation going in the form of actual conversation.
Many thanks.
39 Novena // Sep 6, 2008 at 11:43 am
“Potent Addendum to My Previous Comment”
A colleague of the CEHD just phoned to say that I was too gentle. He put it more forcefully (and I paraphrase only slightly): Tell the honchos to do a MapQuest, locate the address of the Education Building, and actually come visit us. Also, few folks have mentioned the staff and how awful Bobby was to them. Furthermore, will the honchos offer any restitution for hastening job-hunting and job-switching, for butchered livelihoods and careers, for families/homes rent asunder? Finally, is there still need for them to keep us in line at the reservation?
40 Give us a break... // Sep 6, 2008 at 12:16 pm
Jake, how aboout a new story on the president/provost “apology.” Our comments are getting diluted across the two or 3 older stories plus I’m sure there are many opinions on their comments to the Faculty Senate. Thanks!
41 jake // Sep 6, 2008 at 12:31 pm
This is why it’s important to constantly check the main page of the site.
A new story hit nearly 20 minutes before your comment at 12:16 P.M. was posted.
42 Flag // Sep 6, 2008 at 10:54 pm
Maybe we need an open-records request to see who ordered removal of the link?
43 Flag // Sep 6, 2008 at 11:01 pm
Sorry for two posts in a row, but that reeks as censorship.
Guess all of this really is having an impact, Jake. Someone is running scared.
44 ChangeAgent // Sep 7, 2008 at 6:54 am
Maybe Natalie doesn’t work at U of L anymore … has anyone called her phone extension?
45 MotherBoard // Sep 10, 2008 at 11:37 pm
How does a trainer get to have lengthy and frequent discussions with the superintendent??? He must be a very busy guy if he has time to talk to every trainer that works with teacher professional development. What a hoot! Does he really think that will fly with anyone that has a clue? What is Gheens for. Do they need help from him in discussing basic arrangements for a training?
Sounds like it is professional development of another kind to me. How many calls do you need to arrange a running time? Why the gym membership???
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