It’s the John Deasy moment you’ve all been waiting for. Let’s read the latest message from University of Louisville President Jim Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willihnganz. Warning: It’s lengthy.
Long story short, Jim & Shirley say there was nothing wrong with John Deasy’s Ph.D. during the Robert Felner scandal.
We want your thoughts at the end.
Here you go:
Colleagues,
For the past few months, we have been examining many of our policies and procedures in light of actions surrounding the former dean of the College of Education and Human Development.
While we have taken all of the issues seriously, one allegation struck at the heart of the Academy: the accusation that we inappropriately awarded a graduate degree to one of the former dean’s students.
We immediately convened a Blue Ribbon Panel comprised of faculty, community members and students to review the award of this 2004 degree from the College of Education and Human Development. We shared the following with the Board of Trustees:
“Based upon the totality of the circumstances and information available, it is evident that waivers were granted by the then-graduate dean which permitted the student to register and defend his dissertation in one semester. The dissertation defense before a committee of University of Louisville CEHD faculty was successful, and the degree was subsequently awarded.
“The degree stands; no further action will be taken.
Read the rest of this lengthy letter after the jump…
“Because of the Federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA), which protects a student from the release of information about his or her academic record, we will not comment further.”
This decision concludes our review and confirms the integrity of our degree granting process. We do not give away degrees.
While we cannot go into more details of the student’s record, we can say the following.
The Blue Ribbon Panel appointed as part of this process conducted a lengthy and thorough review.
Part of their review included an examination of doctoral degrees awarded over the past 10 years. This review confirmed that in very rare instances, almost always when student well-being was at issue, the graduate dean acted within his authority to grant waivers. This is consistent with information presented to SACS during our reaccreditation review last year. The review of the discretion to grant waivers illuminated the need to clarify that a dean’s discretion cannot be exercised in such a manner that a dean, or deans in consultation with only each other, can make decisions without the faculty and unit consultation. That shared governance is a core value for us. The Blue Ribbon Panel review reinforces our earlier decision that we needed to reconstitute the graduate school to increase oversight and accountability.
Among the changes that we have made in graduate education at UofL are the following: We created a new school of graduate and interdisciplinary studies which required more shared responsibility for graduate education with the schools and colleges; a dean of graduate and interdisciplinary studies as well as a vice provost for same; a new set of by-laws and roles for the graduate faculty; and a clearer set of areas of responsibility for both the graduate school and the units.
Among the changes instituted or currently being voted through were those that changed the authority of the graduate dean so that he or she could no longer allow certain types of exemptions and variances in graduate student programs without explicit request for such from: the student, the student’s faculty mentor, any involved department chair, the student’s enrollment unit dean or designee and the University Provost or designee. This change and others will guarantee that the integrity of our degree-granting process is transparent and inclusive, as it should be.
As we mentioned at the start of this note, the review of the degree was one of six processes we launched last fall to address issues raised during a federal investigation into the former dean of our College of Education and Human Development. While our work in these areas is not complete, the committees all have shared their findings and made recommendations to the administration. In each case, changes are being made or are in the process of being implemented, or we are identifying funding and the appropriate policy actions. In each case, we, and the Board of Trustees, are taking the recommendations with the highest level of seriousness to ensure that we strengthen the university going forward.
Here’s where we stand with the other five areas:
1. An internal audit of the finances of the College. Audit Services completed its review. The audit uncovered issues in five areas: Contracting, financial controls, payroll controls, sponsored project compliance, and security over sensitive information. The audit also showed that predominantly the issues are the result of non-compliance with existing university policies and procedures. The college has developed and implemented work plans to correct the issues, and Audit Services will monitor their progress. The audit is available at: http://louisville.edu/advancement/files/audit.pptx.
2. An external audit of the university’s grants management and contracts practices. An outside firm, Cotton and Allen, reviewed the university’s grants management and contracts practices and presented three key conclusions:
a. Generally policies and procedures appear to be consistent with best practices and similar research universities.
b. Application of the policies and procedures could be improved.
c. Future growth could present issues based upon the university’s current infrastructure.
Cotton and Allen did make recommendations for review and change in seven areas. We appointed a task force, chaired by David Barker, director of audit services, to review and develop plans to address the recommendations. That committee made its recommendations to the Board of Trustees on March 3, and we have already begun to implement. For example, we have begun to develop a unit business manager training program, have outlined a university wide compliance program that will go into effect in the fall, and have reassigned staff to be sure that the grants management process is coordinated from beginning to end. The report is available at http://louisville.edu/advancement/files/response.pptx.
3. A Faculty Senate review of our faculty grievance procedure. We received the report (posted at http://louisville.edu/gov/facultysenate/GPRC%20Final.htm) and have taken the following actions:
a. The provost has appointed a committee to look at potential Redbook changes that will improve the grievance procedure.
b. We created an ombuds office and appointed Dennis Hall as interim ombudsman. The office has been well-received; Dr. Hall actually began receiving calls before the office was fully operational.
4. A review, requested by our Faculty, Staff and Student senates, on managerial and administrative practices. The committee has completed its report and shared it with us. We presented it to the Board of Trustees, who approved it. Because of similar recommendations from other committees, we have asked the provost’s office to collate the recommendations, which we will review and share with the campus community. The committee’s report is available at: http://louisville.edu/gov/facultysenate/ShareGov.htm.
5. A review of the conflict of interest policy and proposal of a values statement. We have received proposed changes to the conflict of interest policy and a proposed values statement from the committee and have forwarded them to the Compliance Oversight Council for its review. Those documents will be distributed to the university community soon. The remaining issue, the criminal charges filed against the former dean, will be decided in the federal courts.
In each case we have carefully reviewed our practices, policies and procedures. We have renewed our commitment to our values as a university. This process has not been easy, but we will emerge as a stronger institution.
We would like to thank all of the committees for their hard work and dedication to improving the university. And we would like to thank all of our faculty, staff and students – and particularly those in the College of Education and Human Development – for your efforts and your support as we have worked through a challenging situation this year.
James R. Ramsey
President
Shirley C. Willihnganz
Executive Vice President and Provost
(END)
So, what are your thoughts?
We’ll say this: We have heard a number of stories about fraudulent degrees at the University. We’ve reported on a few of them. And we plan to continue reporting on them/get threatened with lawsuits from UofL.
But this explanation from the powers that be at the University of Louisville really takes the cake. Pages and pages to deny wrongdoing? And so many words not to explain what actually went down with John Deasy?
If something is enough of a problem that you have to implement tons of changes, it’s clearly not a-okay.
Wow.
18 responses so far ↓
1 tbrauch // Apr 21, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Just to remind everyone,
http://pageonekentucky.com/2009/01/29/more-on-the-faux-phd-snafu-at-uofl/
2 Flag // Apr 21, 2009 at 6:45 pm
The long-expected crock of sh*t.
3 Novena // Apr 21, 2009 at 8:17 pm
“Eschewing Dispositions Evoking Clarity”
The UofL honchos have done it again, renewing their passive spirit of trotting out another Blue Ribbon panel to explain nothingness before the waiting public. Aided by their legal scribes, they have created a self-congratulatory document with only a dollop on the Deasy matter. They have inundated our minds with so much prolixity about other concerns (of which there are many that they have had to blue-ribbon to death) that our suffering eyelids tear up as if we’d eaten raw onions at Sodexo. I can hear the Board members now: “Nice report, JR & SW. We stand fully behind you, even if we have no idea what it means.”
4 Ray Re Vocal Head // Apr 21, 2009 at 9:20 pm
You may ask yourself, how do I work this. Same as it ever was..same as it ever was..same as it ever was..same as it ever was… Give that man a Blue Ribbon, bartender.
5 Concern // Apr 21, 2009 at 11:04 pm
If everything is correct, where is the approval from the IRB? Remember Bobbie only had one study approved. How can the blue ribbon committee overlook? Who is paying them? Maybe other Bobbie dissertations need to be reviewed for IRB over site….
6 Taylor // Apr 21, 2009 at 11:30 pm
I think I’ve already been in grad school as long as Deasy was – where’s my PhD?! Can I get a bunch for all of my friends who are trying to finish their dissertations, too? we earned it, I swear…extenuating circumstances and all that shit. just give me the doctorate!
7 Stuck in Looserville Univ. // Apr 22, 2009 at 3:10 am
??????
Who was in that distinguished committee?
What was defended when and where? Is it checked out of the library still?
Whose data? Findings?
I seem to remember two large king/queen eggs on the fence….how does that go?
Let’s invite Dr. Deazzy to come for a keynote address??
Surely it will meet bobby’s stds and those of the back door tenure faculty he brought (who could not get a tenure line elsewhere…)
Deasy can become a big D. University Scholar like that other one who works all the time others do not…?
Why not recruit him to the CEHD faculty now that we KNOW he is for real?? Don’t we have other inbreeding going on CEHDtown there?
Oh I forgot, it is all better now isn’t?
Maybe our brave faculty senate will look into this case and make it purtier…
Maybe after they do the real dean search?
Come on CJ you can do it!
and with respect to
3. A Faculty Senate review of our faculty grievance procedure. We received the report (posted at http://louisville.edu/gov/facultysenate/GPRC%20Final.htm) and have taken the following actions:
a. The provost has appointed a committee to look at potential Redbook changes that will improve the grievance procedure.
b. We created an ombuds office and appointed Dennis Hall as interim ombudsman. The office has been well-received; Dr. Hall actually began receiving calls before the office was fully operational.
“?
Guess why they are trying to fix the above????”
She royally screwed mine up and I told everyone I knew! run run
Koshewa is telling them they should hurry, the statute of limitations is not quite up, a judge may rule ….differently.
As long as they don’t resign there is no clean up or reconciliation nor truth….
That is when the clock begins ? or maybe when Shirley gets her award?
That could really really hurt, after she tried so haaaaard to get at truuuuth.
Imagine all that Truth and reconciliation without exit interviews
Na, I’ll wait for Big Jim’s Big Party…by 2012 Jake will have more readers than the CJ…
BTW forget about grievances as long as these two are there…..
YOU LOSE
also in Lodi .
8 Novena // Apr 22, 2009 at 6:08 am
“We Gain Strength Through Struggle”
“In the end, the Felner matter has strengthened us as a university. We have created Blue-Ribbon committees of esteemed professors to root out all our problems in full daylight and sunshine. This situation has really improved our status as America’s premier metropolitian research university. It has given us the opportunity to show the public, especially Kentucky taxpayers, that they are getting a bang for their buck. Our commitment to academic values has been renewed in the face of of one lone employee’s possible mistakes. We cherish our faculty (especially in the CEHD, who have challenged us to be the best we can be, and we have met that challenge), our staff (who work ceaselessly–sometimes without much reward), and our students (who often know not what we do in their best interest). We appreciate all constituents even more than we did a year ago. We are their university and we will always be one united family.”
–A certain cardinal PR statement
9 Richard Day // Apr 22, 2009 at 9:12 am
Interpretation: We were so totally screwed by former Dean of Education Robert Felner that it took a lot of people months and to dig through all of the bad acts he perpetrated and we still found the record sketchy. What we do know is that Felner influenced a former graduate dean to bend the academic rules for one of Felner’s buddies, John Deasy. We have high standards at UofL but sometimes we waive them. Deasy was permitted to register and defend his dissertation in one semester which effectively proves that the work was not done at the University of Louisville. But what are we going to do? Having given Felner the authority to screw us, he screwed us. Since the error was clearly UofL’s, we’re not in a position to take it back now. Maybe we’ll get a big grant from the Gates Foundation some day.
10 Always Amazed // Apr 22, 2009 at 9:36 am
Now you are on to somthing Richard! Quid pro quo – you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours! So just how long will it take for a Gates Foundation Grant to come Louisville’s way? What was that worth? $1M? $2M? Or will our great leaders get hoodwinked again and have the rug pulled out from under them by Deasy? After all, Louisville is now well known for it’s fatal attraction to “Losership”.
11 Rant // Apr 22, 2009 at 9:44 am
Two things. Given that Shirley and Jimbo did whatever Felner wanted, how would they have been better oversight than the Dean of the Grad school? Where is he by the way? No word from him. Anyone heard from the former keeper of records who was replaced by the U of L attornies? What’s the story behind that?
It amazes me that Jim and Shirley haven’t taken more heat for all of this. I guess they are well connented to the state. Still, there has been no correction for the wrongs done to individuals. I suppose the plan is just to write them off as casualties and ignore them. So much for one big happy family.
12 Ray Re // Apr 22, 2009 at 10:51 am
Wow. This morning’s C-J front pager begs for so many follow ups to un-answered questions that I hear Hebert is practicing sprints at Patterson.
13 Novena // Apr 22, 2009 at 10:54 am
“Stuck in the Middle with Deasy”
Stuck in Looserville Univ., you forgot to add that Deasy received the UofL Alumni Fellow Award in 2007. This raises a few questions. What did he do to honor the UofL? Which “distinguished” committee gave him that honor? Did they show him around campus for the first time–or did he skip the award presentation? Was he another handpicked Felner prospect for a grand position in the CEHD without the faculty ever having a chance to interview him? If so, he took a bigger offer elsewhere (it can be done, though one must look hard to find bigger suckers than UofL). I could go on, but you get the point.
14 Tirnstile // Apr 22, 2009 at 10:55 am
You guys beat me to the punch with the future overtures to the Gates Fdn. I’m sure Jim and Shirl will make the development visit themselves and take full credit with the major gift they secure. OMG.
15 tbrauch // Apr 22, 2009 at 4:18 pm
Re: Rant “the Dean of the Grad school? Where is he by the way? No word from him.”
That’s an interesting question. I’m sure if Jake pokes around enough he might have answer about that one.
16 wc // Apr 22, 2009 at 6:31 pm
This story definitely deserves more poking around. WHY did the former dean of the graduate school allow this to happen? What was said and is there a record of it? Was there any exchange of money? Or did Felner have something on the gradaute dean?
There is NO WAY any decent university would allow this PhD to stand. The guy did not do the work of a PhD here or anywhere. He took some classes at another university where he was NOT Felner’s student. This was a bought degree, without question. There has to be a story about why the grad dean allowed this.
They said there were 10 times that the rules were relaxed about standards. Let’s have a look at those ten cases–I bet they are apples, oranges, and bananas. My guess is there was nothing that came close to this.
Ramsey and Wihlinganz only came up with this finding for damage control purposes–they fear losing accreditation, and that is why the committee found what it did.
17 Novena // Apr 23, 2009 at 7:06 am
“Damage Control, Collateral Damage”
They tour the debris, washed away in gutters of their own making. Darkness over Belknap, dishes clanging in Sodexo. Minions called “personnel,” heads down as in depression days. Others walk upright, in bright blue suits, shielded by damage control, picking over the collateral damage they created. A yelping Felnerite still smiles out the window. A carefree Board member hurries to pick up basketball tickets. Dead cardinals in the mud, bodies bloodied on soiled dissertation papers. Before long, we are heading to a larger funeral, in a place once called “a university.”
18 wc // Apr 23, 2009 at 8:18 pm
When will UofL get a real president?
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