Journal-Sentinel: School of future Parkside chancellor being probed
Louisville dean Felner told UW of investigation; target isn’t identified
Posted: June 24, 2008
A federal criminal investigation is under way at the school where newly appointed University of Wisconsin-Parkside Chancellor Robert Felner is dean — and UW officials are trying to figure out what the news means for the school’s future.
Felner, who is supposed to take the Parkside position July 1, told the UW System on Sunday that there is an ongoing investigation into the University of Louisville’s College of Education and Human Development, where he has served as dean since 2003, UW System Spokesman David Giroux said.
The U.S. attorney’s office in western Kentucky, based in Louisville, issued a short statement confirming the office was conducting a joint criminal investigation with the University of Louisville and federal law enforcement agencies. The U.S. attorney’s statement did not name the College of Education or Felner.
“(Felner) took the time to inform us of it. I’d just leave it at that,” Giroux said.
Felner is still an employee of the University of Louisville, where his retirement is effective June 30. UW System officials have not altered his contract, which was approved this month. In an e-mail to the Board of Regents, Giroux wrote: “We are working aggressively to gather more facts about this matter, and to determine what implications this might have for the UW System or our UW-Parkside campus. We will strive to keep you informed as more information becomes available.”
The statement from U.S. Attorney David L. Huber said the matter initially was brought to his office by University of Louisville officials, and “we have experienced nothing but the highest level of cooperation.” He said the criminal investigation is not a matter of public safety and is “fairly new.”
“We are months away from resolution,” he said.
His statement added: “Normally, our policy is to not comment on criminal investigations. However, in dealing with a public institution of higher learning, we must be sensitive to a different community need when the investigation enters a more public stage and is naturally discovered as a result of certain events.”
One media report out of Louisville said federal officials were spotted taking papers away from Louisville’s College of Education and Human Development late last week.
Felner could not be reached at his home or office for comment Monday. Giroux said he thinks Felner is still in the Louisville area and has not yet moved to Wisconsin.
A high school dropout from Brooklyn who later earned his GED and went on to climb the academic leadership ladder, Felner has been hailed for being a chancellor with a non-traditional background similar to that of many of UW-Parkside’s students. The school, in Kenosha, is the system’s most diverse and enrolls 5,000 students from 55 Wisconsin counties.
Felner earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut and a master’s and doctorate in psychology from the University of Rochester. Before becoming a dean at Louisville, he served as professor and director of the School of Education at the University of Rhode Island for seven years. He has been on the faculty at the University of Illinois, Auburn University and Yale University.
He bested three other candidates for the job after a 19-member search and screen committee along with a search firm conducted interviews and did background checks. His contract was approved at the June Board of Regents meeting.
An aide to Assembly Colleges and Universities Committee Chair Rep. Steve Nass (R-Whitewater) — a frequent UW critic — said the legislator is concerned about Felner’s impending start date.
“It raises questions as to whether the beginning date should be delayed,” Mike Mikalsen said.
Regents President Mark Bradley said candidates are supposed to disclose all material facts when an offer is made, but it’s unclear how much Felner knew.
“It gets to what did he know and when did he know it,” Bradley said.
Don Walker of the Journal Sentinel staff contributed to this report.
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