Category Archives: Administration

Kentucky: U of L to appoint auditor to review grant oversight

Courier-Journal: U of L to appoint auditor to review grant oversight

Amid a federal investigation, University of Louisville President James Ramsey plans to appoint an independent auditor to review how grants are monitored, he told faculty and staff in an e-mail this morning.

The investigation is centered on former College of Education and Human Development dean Robert Felner and includes a $694,000 federal grant that was intended to fund a center to help secondary schools.

Kentucky: Living large, but lying low on the dole

Courier-Journal: Living large, but lying low on the dole

My first thought upon reading that the bulk of a $694,000 federal grant being overseen by a former University of Louisville employee was paid to a nonprofit Illinois center that was dissolved a year before U of L became involved was this:
Advertisement

Man, I just haven’t been thinking large enough.

For years I’ve been living on an annual salary, some decent benefits, and a nice vacation package. Here’s the federal government chucking $694,000 to a program administered by Robert Felner, former dean of U of L’s College of Education and Human Development — that no local or state education officials had ever heard of.

Ohio: Dean Out at Toledo

Inside Higher Ed: Dean Out at Toledo

Nearly three months after the president and provost of the University of Toledo considered throwing an unpopular dean “under the bus,” Yueh-Ting Lee has resigned as head of the College of Arts and Sciences, the university announced. Lee, who just wrapped up his first year as dean, will “laterally transition” into a newly created administrative position within the Department of Human Resources, according to an e-mail Provost Rosemary Haggett sent to the faculty. Lee had been criticized for his management style, and faculty voted no-confidence in him in April. After the faculty vote, Haggett and Lloyd Jacobs, president of Toledo, had a frank e-mail exchange about the dean’s future. In this exchange, which was made public through a student-issued records request, Jacobs notes that “For several days I thought the best thing to do was to throw [Lee] under the bus and get on with our agenda.” Both Jacobs and Haggett, however, worried that removing Lee would reward the “bad behavior” exhibited by faculty who voted no confidence in Lee. Matt Lockwood, director of public relations, said Tuesday that “it was the dean’s free decision to resign.”

New York: Former insider seeks SUNY post

Albany Times-Union: Former insider seeks post
Ex-Spitzer aide interviewed for SUNY chancellor; IBM executive also in running

By MARC PARRY, Staff writer
First published: Thursday, July 17, 2008

ALBANY — Lloyd Constantine, an antitrust lawyer who was a senior adviser to former Gov. Eliot Spitzer and remains one of his closest friends, has interviewed for the job of SUNY chancellor, according to a person with knowledge of the search.

Arkansas: Hardin bonus in ’07 broke law

Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Hardin bonus in ’07 broke law

Trustee gives $100,000 to UCA Foundation as correction

LITTLE ROCK — The University of Central Arkansas Foundation sent the college $100,000 Friday afternoon after UCA administrators realized that a bonus paid to the university’s president one year ago was illegally funded with taxpayer dollars.

The payment came as the Arkansas attorney general’s office researches the legality of another bonus, this one $300,000, approved for UCA President LuHardin in May.

Wisconsin: Just How Large Of A Bullet Did UW-Parkside Dodge?

The Badger Herald: Just How Large Of A Bullet Did UW-Parkside Dodge?
Posted Tuesday, July 15, 2008 at 2:45:30 PM

Amidst a series of desperate gestures to restore some semblance of leadership to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, allegations continue to swirl around Robert Felner, the almost-Chancellor of that campus. Felner gently laid his candidacy to rest amidst the graveyard of fraudulent intentions after it became known that he was under investigation by the Federal Government for some shady accounting practices during his time at both the University of Louisville and Rhode Island.

New documents released by U of L show concern surrounding Felner since he arrived at the University

WHAS11.com: Louisville, Ky. (WHAS11) – New documents released by U of L show concern surrounding Felner since he arrived at the University

The University of Louisville is releasing more records we requested in connection with the Robert Felner investigation.

Felner is the former Dean of the College of Education and Human Development who is under investigation for allegedly mishandling federal grants.

The new documents paint a picture that shows plenty of concern surrounding Felner and the way his department was run almost from the time he arrived at U of L.

An e-mail merely listing the grievances either filed against Felner or involving the School of Education and Human Development while he was there is five pages long.

There are 33 different items included and one was even filed last week after Felner left.

When a complaint came into the U of L grievance department, chances were pretty good it involved the College of Education and Human Development.

Although the college only has a small portion of total faculty and students at U of L, during the past three years, under Dean Robert Felner’s leadership, more than 40 percent of total complaints involved the school.

Keep in mind, a grievance is simply a complaint or an allegation and not proof of wrongdoing.

Sexual harassment was the first grievance on the list; a case we’ve been told involved Dr. Felner asking out a graduate student, then retaliating against her when she refused his advances.

The university found no policy had been violated.

Other complaints involved improper hiring decisions, biased annual reviews, intimidation of faculty members by Felner and eventually, a vote of “no confidence” in Felner’s leadership by the Education and Human Development faculty senate.

During that March 2006 meeting, Felner was accused of publically humiliating faculty, workplace harassment and unethical behavior.

Documents sent to us by the university show that the College of Education and Human Development responded to the “no confidence vote” by hiring a mediation firm called Just Solutions five months later.

The department allegedly spent tens of thousands of dollars on the study, but apparently didn’t share results with all faculty members and students at the school.

In 2007, an anonymous letter sent to the Provost’s office asked about that study and went on to say that the dean “likes to taunt people about how nothing came from any of the faculty members’ complaints”.

The letter describes Felner as a “mentally ill man in charge.”

While there is evidence that university officials followed up on many of the grievances, Dean Felner was never disciplined by the university before his departure last month.

For the past few days, we’ve been learning more details about a grant for 694-thousand dollars that was supposed to go for a study on student testing through the no child left behind program.

In new documents WHAS11 News received Monday morning, we learned that there had been questions about the very same grant that reached the highest level of administration at the University of Louisville more than 2 years before federal investigators became involved.

Grievances summarized:

1. U of L is in possession of records of a sexual harassment grievance filed by a CEHD graduate student against CEHD Dean Robert Felner in 2005. The U of L affirmative action/employee relations office in the human resources department “found insufficient evidence to conclude the university*s policy on sexual harassment was violated.”

2. U of L is in possession of records of a faculty grievance filed by a CEHD faculty member against Karen Karp, chair, CEHD department of teaching & learning, and Dean Felner. On 6/6/05 the U of L faculty grievance committee recommended the provost “affirm the 2003 Merit Review” of the grievant. It found that “the unsatisfactory ratings in service and research in the 2003 Merit Review of [the grievant] were not a result of improper bias which influenced the decision-maker’s judgment.”

3. U of L is in possession of records of an administrator grievance filed by a CEHD department chair against Dean Felner. On 5/31/06 Provost Shirley Willihnganz found Dean Felner’s 9/1/05 letter of annual review of the grievant “to be unbiased despite the fact that Dean Felner raised some issues regarding [the grievant’s] administrative performance as acting chair that he believed to be problematic. However, in an attempt to have this grievance resolved informally, Dean Felner has said that he will re-issue a revised letter with the problematic sentences removed by June 6.” She also found that the grievant’s salary history over the last three years was appropriate and that he had been appropriately reimbursed for travel expenses. The provost wrote to the grievant that when Dean Felner issued the revised letter, “please let me know and we shall assume then that this grievance is settled via informal resolution.”

4. U of L is in possession of records of a faculty grievance filed by a CEHD faculty member against Dean Felner and Karen Karp. On 7/17/07 Provost Willihnganz concurred with the faculty grievance panel’s action “in finding no grievable action regarding [the grievant’s] 2006 Work Plan; and . . . affirmed “the action of Dr. Karp and Dean Felner in assigning [the grievant] a rating of Not Satisfactory in [the grievant’s] 2005 Annual Review.”

5. There is in progress currently an open investigation of a sexual harassment grievance filed by one U of L employee against another U of L employee, both of whom are in CEHD. Neither of these employees is Dean Felner.

Other complaints summarized:

6. A 5/13/04 letter from a CEHD faculty member to associate provost David Howarth complaining, first, that “Felner has been reprimanding and patronizing me or my work and copying it to many others. . . . This has been embarrassing and hurtful to my reputation and career. . . . Second . . . Felner has recently thwarted a proposed project of mine without having read the proposal. . . . I think it is morally wrong for a dean to thwart the projects of faculty members, to pick on faculty he doesn’t like, to embarrass faculty through public reprimands, and to talk about faculty in negative ways behind closed doors.”

7. A 5/27/04 email to Provost Willihnganz from a CEHD faculty member complaining her sabbatical request filed in September 2003 had not been acted on by Dean Felner.

8. A 6/9/04 letter to Provost Willihnganz from a CEHD faculty member who wrote, “I have felt disrespected, devalued, and, at times, demeaned in front of others by Dean Felner, and I am beginning to wonder if I will stay here.” The provost’s reply is attached.

9. A 6/30/04 email to Provost Willihnganz from a term faculty member applying for a tenure-track position in CEHD complaining about emails from Dean Felner “that contained unreasonable demands and a threat,” and the provost’s re sponse in part asking the faculty member to send the emails to her; and a “grievance submission form” dated 6/30/04 by the faculty member complaining Dean Felner failed to consider her application for a tenure-track position despite a positive recommendation from the search committee and asked for six months’

severance pay.

10. A 9/5/04 letter to U of L’s harassment/sexual harassment office from a CEHD faculty member summarizing the faculty member’s “interactions” with Dean Felner. “In my opinion, no one of these issues alone would have bothered me much. It’s the accumulation of all of them that has caused me to write this letter.” Among other things, this person complained that “he came into my office uninvited and immediately shut the door and began gossiping to me about a colleague . . . . I ran into him in the corridor and he stood really close to me and said in a baby talk, ‘How come you never come and see me?’ I was so taken aback that I literally stepped backwards and stammered, ‘Well, I’ve been working.’ And then he proceeded to explain that when he has criticized the faculty for not working hard enough, he wasn’t referring to me. . .

. My experiences add up to his being too familiar, and from the beginning his uninvited interactions made me uncomfortable. When I retreated, he gradually got more and more hostile with me (as I with him). . . . In my . . . years [at U of L] I have witnessed problems, embarrassing situations, and a few hostile people, but none as bad as [Dean Felner].”

11. A 3/8/05 email to Provost Willihnganz from a student in CEHD asking “about my options if I am devastated by the lack of professionalism displayed toward me by Dr. Felner.” In a follow-up email this student wrote, “Dr. Felner will continue to cross boundaries and attack those not in his favor . . . . My hope is that the CEHD’s image, as a representative of the University, does not decline as a result of Dr.

Felner’s temperament.” The provost suggested the student should begin by meeting with the student grievance officer.

12. A 5/3/05 email to Dean Felner from a CEHD faculty member, copied to Provost Willihnganz, complaining of Dean Felner’s “harassment” of the faculty member and his “attempts to interfere with my retirement and force me to resign instead and on a date of your choosing have become so extreme and irrational that I felt the need to pull it off the table for my own protection.”

13. A 6/26/05 email to Provost Willihnganz from a former CEHD faculty member describing “many unprofessional incidents by Dean Felner during my last year at the University of Louisville.” The provost’s 7/15/05 response is attached.

14. An unsigned letter received in 2005 by Provost Willihnganz alleging Dean Felner’s inaccurate listing of a grant in his resume and a relationship with a student, attached.

15. An 11/9/05 email from Dean Felner to Provost Willihnganz describing Felner’s meeting with an employee who “moved to threats about legal action and . . . clearly feels like he does not need to deal with this a[t] the College level but has Provost office ear so if he comes there I hope that it will be sent back here.”

16. An 11/10/05 email to Provost Willihnganz from a CEHD administrator who complained of a “hostile work environment” and “prejudicial and unfounded comments” made by Dean Felner. There is a follow-up email from Felner to Willihnganz disputing the administrator’s account. The provost advised the administrator to work with the dean to resolve issues of concern.

17. A 12/6/05 email from the faculty grievance officer to an associate provost, forwarded to Provost Willihnganz, asking if there had been any follow-up from a November conversation concerning the FGO’s belief that “there may be significant infringement of academic freedom, in addition to a major erosion of collegial academic governance in CEHD (in clear violation of the spirit of the position paper endorsed by our Board of Trustees in July 2001) . . . [and] systematic efforts to suppress dissent of all kinds in even the smallest matters, through reprimand, intimidation, and punishment. I believe that administrative tolerance of these conditions jeopardizes not only the faculty at CEHD, but also the integrity of our institution as a whole. Something needs to be done.”

18. A 2/20/06 email to Dean Felner from a CEHD faculty member “deeply disappointed in the way things have been done since you came. I see a irreconcilable discrepancy between what you say and what you do.

Everywhere I look, I see suffering and deep depression in the faculty and staff. Colleagues are fearful of speaking up even when they disapprove of what you have done. You have created a work environment where people cannot breathe, and you have missed your opportunity to correct it. I think that you should leave.” The faculty member then described “the only nonviolent choice I can think of,” to commence immediately. Felner forwarded the email to Provost Willihnganz, along with his response to the faculty member asking to meet with the faculty member.

19. The Minutes of a 3/8/06 CEHD faculty meeting describing/containing a vote of no confidence in Dean Felner, attached.

20. A 3/27/06 email from a CEHD faculty member to U of L’s harassment/sexual harassment office complaining of being “targeted-among others—because of my role, responsibilities/authority, and salary”

after “several faculty members distributed two pages of faculty/administrative salaries among most of the faculty (these were left in mailboxes and under office doors). . . . [T]he spurious tactics currently being used against the dean lead me to believe that I may be further targeted. My personal and professional conduct has been completely blameless, and any accusations made against me would be sheer calumny. But I have reason to suspect that one or more of these persons may attempt to defame, slander, or libel me.” The faculty member asked, “How would I go about filing a complaint on the grounds of discriminatory harassment and creating a hostile work environment against those faculty members who are making these threats and accusations against the dean, myself, and others . . . .”

21. Letter dated 8/31/2006 from “Just Solutions” to “Faculty, Staff, and Students of the CEHD,” attached. Also email dated 10/10/06 from a CEHD staff member to CEHD faculty transmitting Provost Willihnganz’s

9/25/06 letter to “Faculty, Staff, and Students of the CEHD,” attached.

22. A 10/25/06 email from Provost Willihnganz to Dean Felner about a note the president’s office received from a CEHD student, attached.

23. An undated unsigned letter received in the provost’s office c. 2007 noting “environmental work factors that make CEHD a miserable place to work,” attached.

24. A 5/18/07 letter from an administrator at the Institute of Government and Public Affairs, University of Illinois, to Provost Willihnganz “concerning very troubling and unprofessional behavior by Dean Robert Felner . . . at the recent annual meeting of the American Education al Research Association in Chicago” and referring to “Mr.

Felner’s departure from the University of Illinois in 1997” and “a substantial dispute regarding ownership and copyright status of a system of assessments for evaluating school improvement and school reform.”

The writer expressed “hope that you will work with Bob Felner to insure that this public harassment of our staff will not occur in the future.”

The provost replied she had shared the writer’s letter with Dr. Felner “to make him aware of your concerns.”

25. A 7/12/07 email from a CEHD staff member to Provost Willihnganz describing an incident in which he witnessed what he saw as Dean Felner’s acting “in a temperamental, abusive, and aggressive manner in front of other faculty, staff, and students. . . . [H]is actions resulted in the faculty member being embarrassed, subsequent tears and others in the center looking on in disbelief at his unprofessional display of interaction.”

26. A 7/26/07 no

te forwarded to Provost Willihnganz from the provost’s office*s student advocate describing her concerns about two students’

losing their assistantships in CEHD. She referred the students to the student grievance officer.

27. An 8/8/07 email from Provost Willihnganz to Dean Felner about a

7/12/07 complaint sent to the president by the students in a CEHD class who objected to “being moved.” The letter signed by the students claimed Dean Felner “very, very rudely spoke to [their professor] about the room. He was loud and brazen as he yelled at [the professor] in public over her use of the room. [The professor] asked him to please calm down and speak in a quieter manner. . . . [W]e feel . . . Dr.

Felner “was very disrespectful to [the professor] and others around her and behaved very unprofessionally as an employee of the university. We feel that measures should be taken to address the Dean*s public display of unprofessionalism toward [the professor] as it reflects negatively toward the College of Education and the University of Louisville.”

28. An 11/28/07 letter from a former CEHD doctoral student expressing regret at the departure of three of the writer’s former professors in her department. “It seems both odd and suspicious to me that all three would depart within one semester.”

29. A 3/13/08 unsigned letter to President Ramsey from a self-described “long time financial supporter of the University of Louisville as well as an alumnus” who noted, “I have been invited to the President’s box area for UofL ball games. I have never ceased to be amazed by the rude and arrogant behavior of Robert Felner. He is always lacking in manners and exhibits unfriendly behavior. Is this something you want to portray to your donors and alumni? I request that he not be invited to the President’s box until he can exhibit socially acceptable behavior. . . .

I can’t, for the life of me, understand why this scourge of humanity would be allowed to continue . . . his reign of terror . . . .

Therefore, I can no longer support a University that doesn’t support its faculty and staff. . . . [P]lease remove this man from any position where he comes in contact with the public.”

30. A 5/12/08 unsigned letter to President Ramsey from the mother of a graduate complaining about “the College of Education graduation ceremony last Saturday. . . . The person in charge, Dean Felner, acted as though it was his chance to perform. He didn’t seem to take the ceremony seriously-he told jokes and also seemed to enjoy interacting with and almost flirting with some of the young female graduates. . . . We looked forward to a day of celebration, and instead, got chaos and disrespect. . . . How many families had their celebrations ruined by the College of Education’s disregard for its students? What a disgrace to the University of Louisville and what a disappointment to my child and all our family members who attended. I hope you will take some action that will prevent this from happening to other families in the future. Certainly students who have worked hard to earn their degrees deserve better than this.”

31. A 5/28/08 unsigned letter to Provost Willihnganz from “a friend of the Planetarium” referring to the termination of planetarium employees and complaining of “another negative legacy Robert Felner will leave.

His hiring practices again come into play. He is notorious for hiring attractive women for positions for which they are not qualified.”

32. A 6/3/08 unsigned letter to Provost Willihnganz referring to Dean Felner and complaining about hiring practices in the planetarium.

33. A 7/10/08 unsigned letter to Provost Willihnganz and John Ralston, director of human resources, complaining about personnel matters in the planetarium. “You let Felner wreak havoc on the University and the University is suffering the consequences. And you are continuing to

allow his empire to wreak havoc. . . . Please at least investigate

things at the planetarium with the support staff an d see things for
yourself.”

Kentucky: Report: Felner funneling money to fake company?

WHAS11.com (Louisville):

PageOneKentucky.com: Felner Funneling Money to Fake Company?

Robert Felner set up a $200,000 contract with his organization, National Center on Public Education and Prevention, located in Rock Island, IL a year after it was dissolved.

UW-Oshkosh Provost Likely To Lead UW-Parkside Temporarily

The Capital Times: New interim UW-Parkside chancellor endorsed

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly announced Wednesday that he will recommend Lane Earns as the interim chancellor for UW-Parkside.

Earns has spent 21 years at UW-Oshkosh in a range of leadership positions.

University of Louisville Dean Robert Felner was hired in June to be UW-Parkside’s next chancellor, but then resigned the appointment after his lawyer disclosed he is at the center of an investigation into whether $500,000 in federal grant money was mishandled.

WISN.com: UW-Oshkosh Provost Likely To Lead UW-Parkside Temporarily

MADISON, Wis. — University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh provost Lane Earns will likely be UW-Parkside’s interim chancellor while the school conducts a second search for a leader.

UW System President Kevin Reilly said Earns will start leading the school in Kenosha in late August if approved by the Board of Regents.

Chancellor Jack Keating was supposed to retire Aug. 1 but agreed to extend his tenure by one month to aid the transition.

The first search for Keating’s replacement ended with the hiring of University of Louisville dean Robert Felner.

He resigned the appointment after notifying Reilly he was facing a federal criminal investigation. He has denied wrongdoing through his lawyer, who said the probe is looking into the use of grant money.

Kentucky/Rhode Island/Wisconsin: Felner Investigation Expanded In Rhode Island and Feds Now Examining Felner’s Non-Profit Org

Front Page Kentucky: Felner Investigation Expanded In Rhode Island and Feds Now Examining Felner’s Non-Profit Org

The latest from Kenosha News’ Gary Kunich reveals new information in the ongoing saga of the federal investigation involving Robert Felner at the University of Louisville. And it affirms much of what this website has reported for weeks.

Kunich’s latest story … reveals that Federal agents returned to the University of Rhode Island for the second time to conduct interviews and review paperwork:

Independent consultant to review UW-Parkside chancellor screening process: Chosen candidate resigns amid investigation at former school

Journal-Sentinel: Independent consultant to review UW-Parkside chancellor screening process

Chosen candidate resigns amid investigation at former school

Posted: July 1, 2008

The University of Wisconsin System will hire an independent consultant to review the search-and-screen process used to choose their top pick to lead UW-Parkside — a man who resigned from the post last week in the midst of a federal investigation involving his use of funds at his college in Louisville.

Robert Felner, who was supposed to start at Parkside on Tuesday, declined the job last week because he is at the center of an investigation into allegations that he may have mishandled $500,000 in federal grant money as dean of the University of Louisville’s College of Education and Human Development. The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of Kentucky is conducting the investigation along with the University of Louisville, the U.S. Secret Service and the U.S. Postal Service.

Wisconsin: UW System to review UW-Parkside chancellor search

The Journal Times: UW System to review UW-Parkside chancellor search

Wednesday, July 2, 2008 1:12 PM CDT

MADISON — University of Wisconsin system officials will review the process used to recruit and screen candidates for the UW-Parkside chancellor, following the resignation of Robert Felner, system President Kevin Reilly announced today.

Findings from that review will be used to improve future searches, including those at UW-Green Bay and UW-River Falls.

“We’re certainly cooperating in any way that we can with the UW system,” said Dave Buchanan, a spokesman for Parkside. “I’m sure there will be a new set of guidelines. I don’t think we’re going to reinvent the wheel. The process has worked at other campuses. It didn’t work here unfortunately.”

Felner informed UW system leaders on Sunday, June 22, of an investigation at the University of Louisville that involved the College of Education and Human Development, where he served as dean.

On Monday, June 23, UW system officials learned that federal agents had visited UW-Parkside on Friday, June 20 to examine papers belonging to Felner.

Within two days of the first notification, UW System requested and obtained Felner’s resignation in advance of his first day of employment in Wisconsin.

Wisconsin: Rush ruined executive searches

The Journal Times: Rush ruined executive searches

What are we to make of the recent recruiting problems in southeastern Wisconsin? The obvious lesson is that people weren’t doing what they ought. Fortunately there are easy solutions.

Until the U.S. attorney in Kentucky a couple of weeks ago announced a criminal probe, no one would have found a solid problem with Robert Felner, former chancellor-apparent for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Yet there were apparently clues to disenchantment with him which the local search committee knew of but didn’t think enough of to pass on to people at the UW System in Madison, clues which a system spokesman said would have been useful at least for further investigation.

Pennsylvania: Westmoreland college told to eliminate patronage

Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: Westmoreland college told to eliminate patronage

Westmoreland County Community College may face sanctions if it does not do away with political influences that impact hiring and daily operations.

U. of Evansville President Arrested for Drunk Driving

Inside Higher Ed: U. of Evansville President Arrested for Drunk Driving

Stephen G. Jennings, president of the University of Evansville, was arrested and jailed Wednesday night for driving while intoxicated. He has admitted guilt, was released from jail and agreed to participate in a program for first-time offenders.

North Carolina: NCSU defends Mary Easley’s big raise

The News & Observer: NCSU defends Mary Easley’s big raise

RALEIGH – N.C. State University’s top academic officer today defended a $79,700 raise awarded to Mary Easley this week.

Easley, wife of Gov. Mike Easley, is an executive in residence and senior lecturer in the provost’s office at NCSU. Her job duties have expanded and she will get more money for it.

Effective July 1, her salary went from $90,000 to $170,000, according to personnel records from N.C. State.

Wisconsin/Kentucky: UW System to review botched UW-Parkside search

Chicago Tribune: UW System to review botched UW-Parkside search

MADISON, Wis. – Insufficient reference checks and a compressed timeline may have hampered the process used to search for a new University of Wisconsin-Parkside chancellor, officials said Tuesday.

University of Louisville Dean Robert Felner was supposed to start leading UW-Parkside in Kenosha on Tuesday. He resigned the job last month after his lawyer disclosed he is at the center of a federal investigation into whether $500,000 in grant money was mishandled.

UW System officials said they received no information warning that Felner could be under investigation during the five weeks between when he was named a finalist in late April and was hired in early June.

Their first hint came when federal agents showed up at UW-Parkside on June 20 to review documents that Felner had shipped to the campus, Giroux said. News of that visit was not passed on to Reilly until June 23, a day after Felner informed him about the investigation. Reilly accepted Felner’s resignation on June 24.

Kentucky: Faculty voted no confidence in Felner in ’06

Herald-Leader: Faculty voted no confidence in Felner in ’06

KENOSHA, Wis. —
The educator who resigned before becoming University of Wisconsin-Parkside chancellor because of a pending criminal investigation received a “no confidence” vote from University of Louisville faculty members at a meeting in 2006, a newspaper reports.

Ohio: Throwing a Dean Under the Bus

Inside Higher Ed: Throwing a Dean Under the Bus

A recent faculty no-confidence vote at the University of Toledo was designed to oust an unpopular dean, but a subsequent student-led investigation is shifting criticism all the way to the top of the administration.

On April 15, a group representing faculty in the Toledo’s College of Arts and Sciences issued a vote of no confidence in Yueh-Ting Lee, a first-year dean who was criticized for his management style. While Lee has taken much of the heat, his bosses are now sharing the hot seat.

Botched Chancellor Hire in Wisconsin Raises Questions About Search Process

The Chronicle: Botched Chancellor Hire in Wisconsin Raises Questions About Search Process

The University of Wisconsin system proudly announced on June 5 that it had hired a new chancellor for its Parkside campus. But three weeks later, the system is back at the drawing board while its one-time appointee copes with a criminal investigation.