Inside Higher Ed: Turning a Blind Eye
Amid a wave of complaints about Robert Felner, a former University of Louisville dean who is now under federal investigation, administrators supported the embattled dean and even bankrolled a lawyer to defend him from faculty critics. While the university’s president and provost have recently apologized for backing Felner for so long, details emerging from the controversy show a broken grievance process at Louisville that many say favors administrators and leaves professors unprotected from retaliation.
Felner left Louisville in June to become chancellor at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, only to back out of that position when news of the federal investigation into allegations of misappropriated grant money became public. Asked about Felner’s departure, Louisville’s provost let linger the possibility that he was ultimately pressured to leave, even though Felner retained public support from the president throughout the saga.
“Things that are personnel-related we don’t talk about, and anything we might have done [can’t be discussed],” says Shirley Willihnganz, the provost. “Dean Felner did leave, taking a job at a much smaller place with a $50,000 less salary.”
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