Was the Price of a Ph.D. at the U. of Louisville 9 Credits and a $375,000 Grant?

This from the Chronicle of Higher Ed:

A high-school superintendent earned a Ph.D. from the University of Louisville in only one semester after awarding a $375,000 grant to a university center run by Robert Felner, Louisville’s former education dean, Louisville’s Courier-Journal reported today.

The explosive news came amid a federal investigation of Mr. Felner over allegations that he misused a $694,000 grant. Among other reviews, the university is auditing
finances at its education school, while the University of Rhode Island is inspecting a research center Mr. Felner founded while serving as that institution’s dean of education.

Mr. Felner stepped down from his Louisville post in August, when he was named chancellor of the University of Wisconsin at Parkside. Days later, after reports of the Louisville investigation emerged, Wisconsin officials asked for Mr. Felner’s resignation. Today’s development is certain to intensify the firestorm around Mr. Felner’s rocky run through higher education.

In 2002, John E. Deasy, then superintendent of the Santa Monica-Malibu school district, in California, secured a $375,000 grant for Mr. Felner’s National Center on Public Education and Social Policy to conduct surveys of the school district. Two years later, Mr. Deasy was awarded a Ph.D. in education from the university, after being enrolled for only one semester of nine credit hours, the newspaper reported, citing university records.

The chairman of Mr. Deasy’s dissertation committee was Mr. Felner, who supervised no other doctoral students during his five years at the university. Now the superintendent of the Prince Georges County public schools, in Maryland, Mr. Deasy lists the degree on his Web bio.

And this from 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...

“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.” ...

But, didn't I hear Felner also got perks at Wisconson-Parkside? If so - those allowances would boost the value of his total compensation - to whatever degree - and diminish Dr. Willihnganz's claim.

Of course, to compare apples to apples one would also have to know if Felner received any allowances beyond salary while at Louisville.

The worst kept secret outside the Administration building is there's a problem with the grievance process.

“I think the salient question is how does a dean get so thoroughly, completely
out of control for five years and get away with it?” says Bryant Stamford, a
former faculty member who served under Felner at Louisville.

Faculty within the College of Education and Human Development voted “no confidence” in Felner in March 2006. But Felner retained his position more than two years later, and Louisville President James Ramsey said he was “deeply indebted” to Felner in an e-mail sent June 2, after he was appointed chancellor at Parkside. In the e-mail sent to Felner, Ramsey added that he was worried about “letting the Indians get back in control of the reservation” after Felner’s resignation.

And don't forget,

Felner, whom the university provided with legal counsel, always fared well in the faculty grievance process.

The latest alleged Felner misdeed - the revelation that Prince Georges County Schools (MD) Superintendent John Deasy, had been nearly gifted a doctorate - one he needed for personal advancement - was compounded by Ramsey's own hand. Deasy was presented for public acclaim by Ramsey and was presented to the community as a representative of what the University of Louisville is all about.

Ramsey backed the wrong horses. One supposes he mistook bravado for scholarship.

Felner's tax problems and the federal investigation clearly caught Ramsey off guard. He got haughty and dismissive in front of WHAS TV's Mark Hebert regarding legitimate faculty concerns. Only then did he learn he was behind on the story, and had less information than the media. Ramsey seems to have chosen damage control over a Deasy-esque falling upon one's sword.

Now, it seems too late to recoup.

The Deasy's Easy Degree threatens the university's accreditation. Ramsey hinted that official-sounding "investigators" uncovered the diploma.

But it sure seems like Ramsey is trying to take credit for an investigation actually done by Adam Walser at WHAS TV.

This thing's about over for some folks.

Hat tip to Page One.