West Virginia: Up to 80 Degrees at WVU May Be Suspect

Inside Higher Ed: Up to 80 Degrees at WVU May Be Suspect

It turns out that you don’t need to be the governor’s daughter to get an unearned M.B.A. from West Virginia University.

The institution has endured considerable controversy since December over allegations — first reported by The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and since acknowledged as correct — that Heather Bresch, a business executive and the daughter of West Virginia’s governor, received an M.B.A. without earning it. The scandal has already resulted in several resignations, including that of the president at WVU.

Kentucky: Former Faculty Send Letter to Board of Trustees Detailing Misconduct by Former Dean Robert Felner

PageOneKentucky.com: 21 Former Faculty Send Letter to Board of Trustees

In what could only be considered an explosive development, twenty-one former University of Louisville faculty members who served under infamous Dean Robert Felner have penned a letter to the UofL Board of Trustees. The letter, which is in response to perceived inaction and mismanagement by President Jim Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willihnganz, addresses a number of issues that have not been appropriately addressed by the University.

Kentucky: Students react to investigation into former dean

The Louisville Cardinal: Students react to investigation into former dean

The University of Louisville College of Education and Human Development has garnered a lot of attention lately, but it’s not the latest U.S. News & World Report’s rankings people are talking about.

Former Dean Robert Felner is under investigation for misuse of grant money, specifically a $694,000 No Child Left Behind grant, secured in 2005. On June 20, armed federal agents loaded boxes and computers from the dean’s office at CED into black SUVs.

Wisconsin/Kentucky: Robert Felner and the dark side of Parkside

The Badger Herald: The dark side of Parkside

by Badger Herald Editorial Board
Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Behind the tumultuous fanfare associated with the nomination of Biddy Martin as University of Wisconsin-Madison’s new chancellor, another chancellor search process taking place revealed a number of disastrous inadequacies in the screening of UW System chancellor candidates. The system, scrambling to find a replacement for outgoing Chancellor Jack Keating, settled on a Robert Felner to take the helm at Parkside starting in the fall.

Fourth International Conference on Education, Labor and Emancipation: MANIFESTO FOR NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: EQUITY, ACCESS, & EMPOWERMENT

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Fourth International Conference on Education, Labor and Emancipation

MANIFESTO FOR NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: EQUITY, ACCESS, & EMPOWERMENT

Fourth International Conference on Education, Labor and Emancipation

MANIFESTO FOR NEW SOCIAL MOVEMENTS: EQUITY, ACCESS, & EMPOWERMENT

June 16-19, 2009
Hotel Othon, Salvador, Bahia (Brazil)

We are currently witnessing the emergence of a new context for education, labor, and emancipatory social movements. Global flows of people, capital, and energy increasingly define the world we live in. The multinational corporation, with its pursuit of ever-cheaper sources of labor and materials and its disregard for human life, is replacing the nation-state as the dominant form of economic organization. Faced with intensifying environmental pressures and depletion of essential resources, economic elites have responded with increased militarism and restriction of civil liberties.

At the same time, masses of displaced workers, peasants, and indigenous peoples are situating their struggles in a global context. Labor activists can no longer ignore the concomitant struggles of Indigenous peoples, African diasporic populations, other marginalized ethnic groups, immigrants, women, GLBT people, children and youth. Concern for democracy and human rights is moving in from the margins to challenge capitalist priorities of “efficiency” and exploitation. In some places, the representatives of popular movements are actually taking the reins of state power. Everywhere we look, new progressive movements are emerging to bridge national identities and boundaries, in solidarity with transnational class, gender, and ethnic struggles.

At this juncture, educators have a key role to play. The ideology of market competition has become more entrenched in schools, even as opportunities for skilled employment diminish. We must rethink the relationship between schooling and the labor market, developing transnational pedagogies that draw upon the myriad social struggles shaping students’ lives and communities. Critical educators need to connect with other social movements to put a radically democratic agenda, based on principles of equity, access, and emancipation, at the center of a transnational pedagogical praxis.

Distinguished scholars from numerous fields and various countries will convene in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil) to compare and contribute to theoretical perspectives, share pedagogical experiences, and work toward developing a global movement of enlightning activism. Issues related to education, labor, and emancipation will be addressed from a range of theoretical perspectives, including but not limited to the following:

* Critical Pedagogy

* Critical Race Theory

* Postcolonial Studies

* Marxist and Neo-Marxist Perspectives

* Social Constructivism

* Comparative/International Education

* Postmodernism

* Indigenous Perspectives

* Feminist Theory

* Queer Theory

* Poststructuralism

* Critical Environmental Studies

* Critiques of Globalization and Neoliberalism

* Liberation Theology

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Proposals may be offered as panel presentations or individual papers. Please indicate type of proposal with the submission.

Individual paper proposals should contain a cover sheet with the paper title, contact information (e-mail, address, telephone number, and affiliation), a brief bio, for each presenter, and an abstract of no more than 250 words (not including references). Please indicate whether you will present in Portuguese, Spanish or English. Presenters who wish to present in Portuguese should nevertheless include an English or Spanish translation of the abstract with their submission.

Panel proposals must include a cover sheet with the panel title and organizers’ contact information (e-mail, address, telephone number, affiliation), as well as an abstract of the overall panel theme (no more than 400 words, not including references) and abstracts/bios for each paper included in the panel. Please indicate whether panel members will present in Portuguese, Spanish or English. Proposals submitted in Portuguese should include translations (either English or Spanish) of the panel theme with each individual abstract.

Please submit proposals by E-mail only to: confele@utep.edu. THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS IS March 1st, 2009.

Following the tradition of the last three conferences, a book will be produced comprising the most engaging papers from CONFELE 2009, as selected by an editorial board. Presenters wishing to be considered for this volume should submit full papers (in APA style) for review by August 1st, 2009.

June 16-19, 2009
Hotel Othon, Salvador, Bahia (Brazil)

We are currently witnessing the emergence of a new context for education, labor, and emancipatory social movements. Global flows of people, capital, and energy increasingly define the world we live in. The multinational corporation, with its pursuit of ever-cheaper sources of labor and materials and its disregard for human life, is replacing the nation-state as the dominant form of economic organization. Faced with intensifying environmental pressures and depletion of essential resources, economic elites have responded with increased militarism and restriction of civil liberties.

At the same time, masses of displaced workers, peasants, and indigenous peoples are situating their struggles in a global context. Labor activists can no longer ignore the concomitant struggles of Indigenous peoples, African diasporic populations, other marginalized ethnic groups, immigrants, women, GLBT people, children and youth. Concern for democracy and human rights is moving in from the margins to challenge capitalist priorities of “efficiency” and exploitation. In some places, the representatives of popular movements are actually taking the reins of state power. Everywhere we look, new progressive movements are emerging to bridge national identities and boundaries, in solidarity with transnational class, gender, and ethnic struggles.

At this juncture, educators have a key role to play. The ideology of market competition has become more entrenched in schools, even as opportunities for skilled employment diminish. We must rethink the relationship between schooling and the labor market, developing transnational pedagogies that draw upon the myriad social struggles shaping students’ lives and communities. Critical educators need to connect with other social movements to put a radically democratic agenda, based on principles of equity, access, and emancipation, at the center of a transnational pedagogical praxis.

Distinguished scholars from numerous fields and various countries will convene in Salvador, Bahia (Brazil) to compare and contribute to theoretical perspectives, share pedagogical experiences, and work toward developing a global movement of enlightning activism. Issues related to education, labor, and emancipation will be addressed from a range of theoretical perspectives, including but not limited to the following:

* Critical Pedagogy

* Critical Race Theory

* Postcolonial Studies

* Marxist and Neo-Marxist Perspectives

* Social Constructivism

* Comparative/International Education

* Postmodernism

* Indigenous Perspectives

* Feminist Theory

* Queer Theory

* Poststructuralism

* Critical Environmental Studies

* Critiques of Globalization and Neoliberalism

* Liberation Theology

CALL FOR PROPOSALS

Proposals may be offered as panel presentations or individual papers. Please indicate type of proposal with the submission.

Individual paper proposals should contain a cover sheet with the paper title, contact information (e-mail, address, telephone number, and affiliation), a brief bio, for each presenter, and an abstract of no more than 250 words (not including references). Please indicate whether you will present in Portuguese, Spanish or English. Presenters who wish to present in Portuguese should nevertheless include an English or Spanish translation of the abstract with their submission.

Panel proposals must include a cover sheet with the panel title and organizers’ contact information (e-mail, address, telephone number, affiliation), as well as an abstract of the overall panel theme (no more than 400 words, not including references) and abstracts/bios for each paper included in the panel. Please indicate whether panel members will present in Portuguese, Spanish or English. Proposals submitted in Portuguese should include translations (either English or Spanish) of the panel theme with each individual abstract.

Please submit proposals by E-mail only to: confele@utep.edu. THE DEADLINE FOR PROPOSALS IS March 1st, 2009.

Following the tradition of the last three conferences, a book will be produced comprising the most engaging papers from CONFELE 2009, as selected by an editorial board. Presenters wishing to be considered for this volume should submit full papers (in APA style) for review by August 1st, 2009.

Pennsylvania: Tuscarora teachers to strike

Herald-Mail: Tuscarora teachers to strike

MERCERSBURG, Pa. — The Tuscarora Education Association announced Saturday afternoon that teachers would strike on the first day of the 2008-09 school year, prompting the Tuscarora School District to cancel classes.

The school board and faculty union have been negotiating contracts since November 2007, and the threat of a strike loomed for the past several weeks leading up to Tuesday’s start of school.

California: College district, faculty union settle salary dispute

Union-Tribune: College district, faculty union settle salary dispute

A lengthy labor dispute ended last week at Grossmont and Cuyamaca colleges after the faculty union and the district reached a salary agreement.

Negotiations had stalled for more than a year.

In March, faculty members stopped volunteering for campus activities, including advising student clubs and serving on certain committees. The Grossmont-Cuyamaca Community College District responded by filing an unfair-labor-practice complaint with the state, which hasn’t been resolved.

India: 40% of SC/ST faculty posts in Central universities vacant

The Hindu: 40% of SC/ST faculty posts in Central universities vacant

Representation of SC/ST lecturers only 12.8%, way below 22.5% mark

Bureaucratic apathy, absence of clear deadlines

Mumbai: Even after four decades of reservation, over 40 per cent of SC/ST lecturer posts are still lying vacant in 19 Central universities. Out of the total number of 4,887 posts sanctioned by the University Grants Commission, there are only 629 SC/ST lecturers belonging to the Scheduled Castes/Scheduled Tribes. This leaves a backlog of 471 as per the 2007-08 data sourced from the UGC under the Right to Information Act.

Washington: Bellevue teachers union, district continue negotiations

KING5.com: Bellevue teachers union, district continue negotiations

BELLEVUE, Wash. – Negotiations between the teachers union and the district are continuing.

Both sides met Friday afternoon to iron out the contract sticking points such as curriculum and pay.

If an agreement isn’t reached by Monday, the teachers plan to go on strike.

Hamas rejects pro-Fatah general strikes as plot to isolate Gaza

www.chinaview.cn: Hamas rejects pro-Fatah general strikes as plot to isolate Gaza

GAZA, Aug. 31 (Xinhua) — Palestinian Islamic Hamas Movement on Sunday rejected general strikes in health and education sectors as a plot to announce the Hamas-controlled Gaza a rebel region.

The strikes precede a plan by the Fatah-dominated Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to declare Gaza a rebel region in preparation for holding early elections, “setting up a divided entity according to the American vision,” Hamas lawmaker Ismail al-Ashqar told the press.

The teacher union and the health workers union have called on their members and supporters to go on a general strike in the Gaza Strip. The teachers who are loyal to PNA President Mahmoud Abbas’ Fatah movement abided by the strike.

Pennsylvania: Scranton teachers plan Wednesday strike

Times-Tribune: Scranton teachers plan Wednesday strike

SCRANTON — Unable to reach an agreement after more than eight hours of negotiations Saturday, the Scranton School District teachers union announced that its members will go on strike Wednesday.

Australia: Schools to shut in teacher strike

The Daily Telegraph: Schools to shut in teacher strike

THE NSW Teachers Federation is urging 2240 principals to close their schools tomorrow in a strike over pay and staffing.

Teachers will walk out for two hours but the stoppage will force some schools to shut their gates as the federation has refused to authorise minimal supervision for 750,000 students.

The action will create widespread confusion for thousands of working parents who have not been able to arrange care for their children.

Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor now on Facebook!

Workplace: A Journal for Academic Labor is now on Facebook!

Join our Facebook page and look for the forthcoming issue on “Mental Labor” (guest edited by Steven Wexler).

Kentucky: Courier-Journal editorial board notes “shocking failure” of UofL Prez and Provost to take Felner’s “organizational and managerial debacle” seriously

Courier-Journal: The real surprise

August 29, 2008

As it turns out, the most surprising aspect of the Felner Affair at the University of Louisville is not the possibility that taxpayers’ money was squandered or pocketed. Waste and corruption are all too common.

What’s shocking is the failure of top university administrators to look seriously enough, and early enough, at evidence that Education Dean Robert Felner was leaving academic wreckage behind, as he stomped toward his goal of giving the college a bigger and better national profile.

It’s not as if feedback from the College of Education and Human Development was cheerful, as Mr. Felner was installed as a change agent. Indeed, informal complaints and formal grievances piled up.

Looking back, 21 former faculty who just sent a blistering letter to the U of L board about their experiences with Felner are hurt and outraged by the slow and insubstantial response. And they should be.

President James Ramsey and Provost Shirley Willihnganz should have admitted much, much sooner that Felner’s tenure was collapsing into an organizational and managerial debacle. And they should have reacted accordingly.

Instead, even in the backwash of a federal investigation into the way Mr. Felner handled a $694,000 federal grant, Dr. Ramsey was still dismissing some faculty complaints and grievances as “anonymous crap.” And, just this week, board chairman J. Chester Porter pronounced himself “satisfied” with the way the administration handled faculty criticism and charges. He did this without serious investigation of the letter’s specifics and before a proposed Faculty Senate review produced any findings. All of which calls into question the university’s good faith in dealing with allegations that people and careers were being abused.

This is no way to recruit the best and brightest professors and researchers, or to become a top 20 metropolitan research campus.

Kentucky: Ramsey: U of L took steps to fix Felner problems:

Courier-Journal: Ramsey: U of L took steps to fix Felner problems
But recent e-mails show praise of ex-dean by school leaders

University of Louisville administrators knew that problems existed with former education dean Robert Felner’s leadership and tried “to improve the situation,” President James Ramsey said in a recent letter to board members, donors and alumni.

Felner is now the focus of a federal investigation into alleged misappropriation of grant money at U of L. No charges have been filed.

In his Aug. 22 letter, Ramsey said: “While we can’t talk about personnel actions, we did take steps to improve the situation. Rightfully so, we have faculty who are hurt and disappointed by events of the recent years.”

But e-mails that Ramsey and U of L Provost Shirley Willihnganz sent as recently as June to Felner praise him for his work, according to records obtained from the school by The Courier-Journal.

Kentucky: U of L president’s letter acknowledges Felner problems

Courier-Journal: U of L president’s letter acknowledges Felner problems

In a letter to University of Louisville alumni, donors and boards, President James Ramsey acknowledged the administration knew there were problems with former education dean Robert Felner’s leadership and management style.

“While we can’t talk about personnel actions, we did take steps to improve the situation,” Ramsey said in the letter dated last Friday. “Rightfully so, we have faculty who are hurt and disappointed by events of the recent years.”

Felner, who is the focus of a federal investigation into alleged misappropriation of funds, resigned from the university June 30 to take a chancellor position at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. He backed out of that job in late June after the investigation became public.

Iowa: Keg photo ends presidency

Des Moines Register: Iowa Central president receives $400K for resignation

Iowa Central Community College President Robert Paxton will collect $400,000 from the school in return for his resignation.

After 13 years as president of the Fort Dodge school, Paxton resigned Wednesday, one day before the school’s board of trustees was scheduled to discuss an undisclosed “personnel matter.”

The special meeting was called after The Des Moines Register published a July 4 photograph of Paxton aboard a boat with a group of young people, holding the spigot of a small beer keg suspended over a young woman’s open mouth.

Politics, Equity and Meeting Boycotts

Inside Higher Ed: Politics, Equity and Meeting Boycotts

To those who favor gay marriage rights, the site of the American Political Science Association’s meeting this year couldn’t have been better. The association is meeting this week in Boston, where gay marriage is permitted.

But for many gay academics, the association’s plan to hold its 2012 meeting in New Orleans couldn’t be worse. That’s because Louisiana has passed one of the most restrictive bans on gay marriage in the country — a measure that prohibits not only gay marriage, but recognition of any equivalent relationship. As a result, gay academics say that in event of illness or accident in New Orleans, their partners could be denied access to them in hospitals. And that means some gay academics will skip the meeting.

Judge Overturns Florida’s Ban on Academic Travel to Cuba

The Chronicle News Blog: Judge Overturns Florida’s Ban on Academic Travel to Cuba
A federal judge has struck down a Florida law that restricts students, faculty members, and researchers at the state’s public colleges and universities from traveling to Cuba and four other countries that the U.S. government considers terrorist states.

U. of Central Arkansas President Resigns Amid Furor Over Secret Bonus; Takes $700K buyout package

The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette: Hardin resigns as president of UCA

CONWAY — Lu Hardin is resigning as president of the University of Central Arkansas effective Sept. 16 after an executive session with the Board of Trustees Thursday.

Tom Courtway, the university’s general counsel and director of governmental relations, will serve as interim president.

Hardin will be given a paid sabbatical until the end of the university’s fiscal year June 30 for health reasons and receive his public and private salary. On July 1, 2009 he will be paid his public salary either per month according to the terms of his contract or be given a lump-sum payment for the next three fiscal years totaling $670,162.35.