The Front Porch: Why Celery Stalks Make for Cool Science

By Mark Gesner

Do you know what happens when you put a celery stalk in water that has blue food coloring?  How about if you put a celery stalk in a glass of Mountain Dew?  Do you think the celery stalk will continue to grow strong and green?

The students in Mrs. Laurie Nikolic’s third grade class at Gifford Elementary School in Racine can tell you about the growth of celery stalks and about how to understand complicated concepts like density.  That’s because the kids in Mrs. Nikolic’s class are learning a lot about science in some pretty nifty ways. According to third grader Luke Behrendt, “the coolest things are the experiments.  We learn while we’re having fun.   Mrs. Nikolic lets us do things like look at the inside of bulbs.  I like it.”  

It’s the experiments that have also captured the attention of Luke’s classmate, Paige Allen.  Paige explained that “not all the stuff you read in books is always true, but with experiments, you can really see what happens.”  Seeing is believing for Paige, and it is also exciting.  Her advice to other third graders is “to not think of science as being boring, it can be fun if you learn by doing experiments.”

Explore the topic of teaching science with Mrs. Nikolic a bit further and it quickly becomes clear that there is a method to her experimental madness.  She’s glad to hear that her students are having fun, because when they’re having fun making it through the science curriculum, she’s pretty sure that they’re also engaged and learning memorable concepts.  “We have built our curriculum on the principle of student inquiry,” explained Mrs. Nikolic.  “We now understand a lot more about how to help kids gain a love for science.”

The third grade teacher attributes much of her new understanding about science to lessons learned at the professional development training she received through her work with a Wisconsin Department of Public Instruction funded project called Preparing Outstanding Science Educators (POSE).  It was in this forum provided through a University of Wisconsin-Parkside partnership with the Racine Unified School District (RUSD), that Mrs. Nikolic gained a whole new perspective on science.  “The curriculum we learned about and now teach is all about instilling wonder.   I am able to adapt the curriculum and go with where the students have interest,” she said.  “If they want to know more about why a cheetah has spots, then we’ll explore that topic.  The learning is much more meaningful when the kids have input on what we explore.”

According to Mrs. Nikolic, experiencing the POSE training was an “awesome and invaluable experience that lit a fire under a lot of teachers in Racine.”   Her comments are music to the ears of people like  John Surendonk, RUSD Elementary School Science Coordinator, and Shannon McGuire, Education Outreach Director at UW-Parkside.  When an educator understands how to be comfortable shifting from teacher-led work to building off the wonder of student inquiry, it’s an amazing transformation, according to Mr. Surendonk.  Ms. McGuire agreed, and explained “seeing teachers be rejuvenated and prepared to help students learn in exciting new ways is an awesome thing to witness.”

Mr. Surendonk and Ms. McGuire have had the opportunity, thanks to a cadre of seasoned educators from the university and elsewhere, to provide continuing education to thousands of teachers through programs like POSE and The Chiwaukee  Academy.  The Chiwaukee Academy is a partnership effort between UW-Parkside, RUSD, the Kenosha Unified School District and Carthage College that provides professional development to about 200 teachers each summer on the UW-Parkside campus on topics ranging from Apple’s iLife Integration to Effective Middle School Science Teaching. 

“So many times partnerships end after a grant is over.  We have an example of a partnership that has been sustained and has grown,” said Mr. Surendonk.  In addition to the ongoing Chiwaukee partnership, he also pointed to a current collaboration supported by a National Science Foundation grant called Preparing Urban Lakeshore Science Educators (PULSE).  PULSE is a planning effort to help experienced teachers like Mrs. Nicolic, as well as new teacher education students, to more effectively teach science in urban settings in grades 3 – 8.

Of course, Luke and Paige may not care much about things like POSE, Chilwaukee and PULSE, but they do care a whole lot about how a celery stalk grows.  And while they’ll be glad to tell you that Mrs. Nikolic is a cool teacher who knows how to have fun, they may not tell you exactly what happens to that celery stalk that sat in Mountain Dew.  Hey, if you want to remember lessons about science, Luke and Paige recommend that you do the experiment yourself!

Front Porch Rockers

Good Company: Join the award-winning University of Wisconsin-Parkside Theatre Arts department for Stephen Sondheim’s Company (The Musical). Directed by Jamie Cheatham, Artistic Director and Head of the Acting Program at UW-Parkside, Company is the story of Bobby's 35th birthday and the five married couples, who are his best friends, and his three girlfriends, who are waiting to see if he's ready to take the plunge.  Performances will be in the Communication Arts Theatre on February 18, 19, 24, 25 & 26 at 7:30 p.m.; February 20 at 2:00 p.m.; and February 25 at 10:00 a.m. For ticket information, please visit the UW-Parkside Theatre Arts Box Office website.

A Teach-In about Homophobia and Bullying will take place on Thursday, February 24, 2011 from 4:30 PM to 8:00 PM at Gateway Technical College Racine Campus Conference Center, Michigan Room (101 S. Main St., Racine). Organized by the UW-Parkside Center for Community Partnerships Diversity Programs and UW-Parkside LGBTQ Resource Center, this is an opportunity to help administrators, teachers, and counselors create safer school environments for all students, not just those who are gay and lesbian. For more information or to register, visit the UW-Parkside Continuing Education website, or call Emily Battisti at 262-595-2018.

Saturday Information Sessions and Experience Days: Join UW-Parkside Admissions for upcoming Saturday Information Sessions and Experience Days. Held on February 26, April 2, and May 7 from 9 a.m. - 12 noon in the UW-Parkside Student Center, Saturday Information Sessions are open houses that include a campus tour and an admissions presentation.  Held on March 25^th and April 15^th Experience Days include a brief admissions overview, Q&A sessions, campus tour and an actual “UW-Parkside experience” provided by faculty.  For more information or to register for either event, please visit the UW-Parkside Admissions website.

 Mark Gesner is the Director of Community Development at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside.   Contact him directly at mark.gesner@uwp.edu.

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Students Earn Awards at UW-Parkside King Celebration

From Racine Unified:

Several students from Racine received awards during the 12th annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside. Working with the theme "The Significance of His Actions," students were honored for their art and essays during a ceremony held in the university's Communication Arts Theatre on Jan. 21.

In the middle-school essay contest, Zachary Atkins of the REAL School was the first place winner and A'Jehanna Gaston of Starbuck Middle School was runner-up. At the high-school level, Park High School's Sedaria Wallace won the ninth and 10th-grade essay competition. Park studentsMiranda Langdon (first place) and Jazlyn Collins (runner-up) completed a school sweep of the 11th and 12th grade contest. In the college essay contest, UW-Parkside student Luis Tesillos of Racine received first-place honors. Each award recipient was honored with a commemorative medallion during the ceremony.

Students from Case High School earned the Community Outreach Project Award for the Minority Visionary Program, a group whose intent is to get new high school students thinking about their educational options beyond high school.

The university's 2011 Dr. King Community Service Awards were presented to Racine residents Latasha Collins and Tuanquilla (Tessa) McKinney.

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63-month prison term ends Felner Chronicle

Finally, the Robert Felner Chronicle comes to an end -- with a 63-month prison term.

Almost two years after he was offered the post of chancellor at UW-Parkside, Felner was formally sentenced to prison today, when a Louisville judge accepted a plea agreement tentatively made in January. Besides prison, Felner was ordered to make restitution of $510,000 to the University of Louisville, where he was dean of the College of Education, $1.64 million to the University of Rhode Island and $88,750 to the Rock Island County Council on Addiction in Illinois.

Offered the position of chancellor at Parkside in the Spring of 2008, Felner withdrew shortly before he was due to take office in August -- after it was revealed that he was being investigated on charges of mishandling federal grants.The incident was a major embarrassment for UW-Parkside, and led to a review of UW system candidate search procedures.

Lane Earns then served for a year as Parkside's interim chancellor, until Deborah Ford assumed the post last August.

PageOneKentucky has a complete chronology here.

Our own chronology is here.

UW-Parkside Chancellor asks to expel teacher-ed program

The University of Wisconsin-Parkside's teacher education program -- threatened with a loss of its state accreditation last May, but reprieved with provisional approval last September -- is flunking out after all.

UW-P Chancellor Deborah Ford will ask to expel it next week, at the Faculty Senate meeting on Friday, May 14.

In a letter Ford, right, released today, she writes: "I am forwarding a resolution to the Faculty Senate today to suspend new admissions to the UW-Parkside Teacher Certification program and to dissolve the UW-Parkside Teacher Education department as it is now structured." She notes that her plan calls for "extraordinary action."

Ford proposes to halt new admissions to the program immediately, while giving those already enrolled 24 months to complete the program. She would create a new program to begin in Fall 2013.

The program ran into trouble early in 2009, when several charges were made about its record-keeping practices, and against then-director of teacher preparation Kelly McFatter. Some students reportedly were allowed to student-teach despite not having completed coursework; others did not have required documentation, or had not completed required exams. McFatter, who came to Parkside in 2006 from Louisiana State University, resigned in March 2009 and left the university. UW-P's internal investigation showed no intentional wrong-doing, blaming sloppy record-keeping. Ford became UW-P's sixth  chancellor in August 2009.

In September, when the state granted its provisional approval, State Supt. Tony Evers said full approval could be granted when UW-P's plan for bringing the program back into compliance with state rules was completed. The deadline for that was May 30, 2010.

Chancellor Ford's letter states:

A letter from Chancellor Ford on Teacher Education

Dear Campus Community,

I am writing today to address a very difficult topic and a decision we must make about one of UW-Parkside's core educational offerings.

After extensive analysis and consultation, I have come to believe that the Teacher Education program at UW-Parkside must be redesigned and restructured to ensure that future graduates enjoy a first-class educational experience. Recognizing that the quality of teacher preparation has a direct impact on the quality of K-12 education offered to Wisconsin children, I am convinced that UW-Parkside must take bold action to create the kind of teacher preparation program that meets the 21st century needs of students and communities we serve.

Provost Terry Brown and I have studied this issue closely, engaging in difficult conversations with faculty governance leaders, faculty and staff colleagues in Teacher Education, UW System administration, and Department of Public Instruction colleagues. Based on that consultation, and our shared concern for Wisconsin schoolchildren, I am forwarding a resolution to the Faculty Senate today to suspend new admissions to the UW-Parkside Teacher Certification program and to dissolve the UW-Parkside Teacher Education department as it is now structured. At my request the Chair of the Faculty Senate, Lisa Kornetsky, has agreed to call a special Faculty Senate Meeting scheduled for Friday, May 14, 1:00 p.m. and Dr. Gary Wood, Secretary of the Faculty, will post the agenda for the May 14 Faculty Senate meeting later today.

In advance of that meeting, I want to address a few important questions.

First, we must recognize that today's problems with teacher education at UW-Parkside are the byproduct of longstanding challenges which pre-date the faculty and staff members who now work in the department. As you know, this past year our colleagues in Teacher Education have worked diligently to address the corrective actions noted by the Department of Public Instruction (DPI) in May 2009. We have completed the corrective actions and I want to thank those faculty and staff colleagues for their work to implement all the remedial measures mandated by DPI. Looking beyond the near-term requirements that we have successfully met, I believe that we must hold ourselves to a higher standard and build a foundation for future improvement.

Second, I invite all members of the UW-Parkside community to share ownership of this challenge and opportunity. Faculty senators representing all academic departments will be part of this important deliberation next week. After that meeting, I hope that we can come together as a united campus community to focus on one vital goal: Creating a first-rate teacher preparation program and PK-12 professional development that prepares UW-Parkside graduates to meet the needs of communities and schoolchildren statewide. Teacher candidates enroll in courses all across our academic departments, and they are supported by a wide range of student services. This means that we all contribute to their success.

Pending Faculty Senate approval, I hope to move ahead in three phases.

The first step is to suspend admission to the current licensure program, ensuring that current licensure students have the resources and personal attention they need to complete their certification requirements over the next 24 months. The Teacher Education staff will be prepared to answer questions and develop course sequence plans for students enrolled in the current licensure program. We will also work in partnership with area UW institutions to assist students who have not yet been admitted to the licensure program.

In addition to ensuring the quality of the educational experience for current UW-Parkside Teacher Licensure students, Provost Brown will establish a new leadership position, reporting directly to her, to oversee this transition, ensure continued service for current students, and lead in the development of a new program.

The second phase is the creation of entirely new degree programs at the undergraduate and graduate levels, developed in partnership with UW-Parkside faculty and staff, area school districts and community leaders.

The third step will be to implement the new program and reopen admissions. We hope that this could be accomplished by Fall 2013.

I realize that you will have many other questions about this decision, and how it might affect faculty, staff, and students. Many of those questions will be addressed at next week's Faculty Senate meeting.

The decision to eliminate a program is one we neither make lightly nor alone. This extraordinary action, I believe, is necessary in this case and I ask for your support as we look ahead to creating a teacher preparation program that is the first choice of students and PK-12 partners in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Please feel free to contact me, Provost Brown, or members of the University Committee if you have questions. I look forward to our discussion next week at the Faculty Meeting and appreciate our work together as we look to the future in serving students and families in Southeastern Wisconsin.

Sincerely,

Deborah L. Ford
Chancellor

UW-Parkside seeks Americorp*VISTA applications

Looking for a job? UW-Parkside's Americorps*VISTA program may be a good fit.

The university's Center for Community Partnerships has a number of AmeriCorps*VISTA positions available. The one-year appointments involve working with existing programs in the environment, mentoring, working with nonprofit organizations, and in community relations. Applications for these positions are now being accepted.

AmeriCorps*VISTA participants spend a year collaborating with local students, faculty, staff, and community partners to support community service and service-learning programs, developing strong campus-community partnerships focusing on anti-poverty outcomes, and improving access to college for low-income people. The positions available include working for Mentor Kenosha & Racine, for the Nonprofit Development Program’s “CAN Works” project, for Peace Learning Circles, and with the Environmental Center’s programs.

AmeriCorps*VISTA employees are paid approximately $891 per month. Satisfactory completion of a full year of service makes members eligible for a $5,350 education award paid in the form of a voucher to offset expenses or a $1,500 cash stipend. AmeriCorps*VISTAs are eligible to receive forbearance on most federal student loans along with health care coverage and child care.

Applications are now being accepted for these positions and interviews will continue through early May. Selection of this year’s AmeriCorps*VISTA employees will be announced in May 2010. Each position begins with paid national training scheduled in summer 2010.

For more information on each program or to apply, visit http://www.uwp.edu/departments/community.partnerships/employment.cfm, call Ruth Tylock at (262) 595-2637, or access ruth.tylock@uwp.edu by email.

The Front Porch: Transitional Living Center Gets a Hand in Helping Homeless People

By Debra Karp

When Melissa Eitel first stepped foot in the Guest House at Burlington’s Transitional Living Center (TLC), little did she know that she would someday serve on the staff of the nonprofit organization that helps people who are homeless find their way back to independence. Now working toward an Associate Degree in Human Resources at Gateway Technical College, Eitel recently accepted a permanent staff position at TLC.

“Back in 2007, when I was released from prison, I was accepted into the TLC program. It was a very powerful sixty days. I felt an abundance of love and acceptance,” Eitel said. While living at the temporary shelter, Eitel utilized every referral she was given including agencies that helped her with counseling, career coaching and clothes for job interviews.

“I wanted a better life than before I went to prison,” Eitel said, emphatically. After 60 days, Eitel had a job and was able to afford her own apartment; but she missed the warmth and companionship she felt at TLC and continued to go back, soon volunteering to provide rides for the women and children. In her new role at TLC, she continues to act as a role model for the other women in the shelter. “I tell them my story to give them hope---let them know there is life after homelessness.”

Those other homeless women Eitel refers to almost did not have a place to go at all. In the fall of 2008, TLC was facing a serious financial crisis and the board of directors considered closing its doors. But with support from University of Wisconsin-Parkside’s CAN (Capacity-building Assistance for Nonprofits) Program and a committed group of donors, TLC is now financially stable and serving more people than ever before.

“A year and a half ago, the direction that UW-Parkside gave as far as where to go was huge for us,” said Dr. David Taylor, President of the TLC Board of Directors. “The knowledge base and information was critical to the survival of our organization.”

UW-Parkside’s CAN Program is one of the many provided by its Center for Community Partnerships (CCP). Funded by a $1.5 million three year Compassion Capital Demonstration Fund grant from the US Department of Health and Human Services, the CAN program provides free training, technical and financial assistance to build capacity in nonprofit organizations in Racine and Kenosha Counties.

In 2008, CCP staff conducted a comprehensive organizational assessment. Subsequently, in 2009, TLC received a grant from the CAN program to hire a consultant to help them create a Fund Development plan and train the board and staff in implementing it.

“The organizational assessment gave us a map and proved to be a great steering tool as we pulled ourselves out of the immediate chaos of a grassroots organization,” said Carol Marefka, a TLC volunteer who served on the board until 2009. “The CAN Program came at just the right time for TLC. We had successfully built a shelter, but needed to figure out how to run it.”

According to Marefka, TLC is now a stable organization with six months operating cash in the bank and a small capital reserve fund. They received funding from the United Way of Racine County for the first time in 2009 and have the capacity to work with twice as many as people as they could in 2006.

Though the guidance of the CAN program contributed to their success, it was also the hard work of the TLC board and staff as well as the generosity of the Burlington community businesses and individuals that ultimately allowed the organization to continue in its mission, according to Taylor.

Since 2008, over seventy nonprofit organizations in the CAN program have received free training and technical assistance provided by CCP staff or through community-based learning projects completed by students and faculty at UW-Parkside. In addition, the university has awarded over $600,000 for capacity building projects to nonprofit organizations in Kenosha and Racine Counties.

UWP does not do this work alone. Seven community partners collaborate to implement the program including the UW Cooperative Extension of Racine and Kenosha Counties, United Ways of Kenosha and Racine Counties, Kenosha County Department of Human Services, Racine County Department Human Services, and the Volunteer Center of Racine.

Front Porch Rockers


1) Attend Mentor Training: Mentor Kenosha & Racine presents “Gang Diversion 101” on Wednesday, April 14th from 4:30-6:00 in Tallent Hall 281. Community representatives will discuss why kids join gangs and what can be done to change their path. Learn more at www.mentorkr.org or 262-595-2652.

2) Register for Camp at UW-Parkside: Join us for a week filled with Rockets, Robots, Astronauts, Scientists, and Space Flight Simulations at Space Camp Exploration for 6th thru 12th Grade Students! July 19-23, 2010

3) View a Film: UWP hosts a four-film Kente Film Festival continuing through May. Each of the featured movies were created and directed by African American women filmmakers. Admission is free and open to everyone.

Debra Karp is the Director of Community-Based Scholarship and Nonprofit Development at the University of Wisconsin – Parkside. Contact her directly at debra.karp@uwp.edu.

Wanted: Mentors to work with Racine Unified sixth-graders

This is the first of several posts in the next two weeks about an exciting new program at UW-Parkside with the potential to radically change community involvement in the Racine Unified School District.

Parkside's Center for Community Partnerships is organizing an ambitious community-wide mentoring program for students entering sixth grade. Organizers from local nonprofits, including Big Brothers Big Sisters in Racine, plan to recruit 120 mentors in Racine over the next three years to help sixth-graders make the transition from elementary to middle school. Research has found this is a critical age for at-risk students, and a positive influence at this age can lead them to finishing high school and going on to further education.

More to come on this program, called Mentor Kenosha & Racine, but the important date to know is Jan. 28. Organizers are holding a New Mentor Orientation in the UW-Parkside Student Center Ballroom from 5:30-7:30 p.m. All are invited, but should know it's a big commitment. They're looking for volunteer mentors to go through training and work with students for an entire school year. Mentors will work with one student, once per week.

If you're interested, plan on attending the New Mentor Orientation on Jan. 28. A second orientation is planned for Feb. 17. If you know someone who is interested, spread the word. Local officials have talked for years about increasing public participation in our school district. Here's a chance to actually follow through on all that talk.

For more on the program, visit here.

Green jobs program for young adults gets started with stimulus money

UW-Parkside student Joshua Bradley, second from left, explains rain garden planting techniques to Kara Hamilton while Jesse Perry, Gino Falbo, and Sean Austin work nearby. The Racine students are working this summer in the E3 jobs program.

Two hundred people attended a kickoff this week that will train young adults in "green jobs." The program, started with federal stimulus money, employs 14 to 24-year-olds from low and middle-income families. The program will combine work experience with mentoring and work-skills training to assist youth primarily from low- and middle-income backgrounds, according to a press release from UW-Parkside.

The program's 30 worksites include private sector companies like Kranz, Inc., an industrial packaging and cleaning supply company that wants to install more energy efficient lighting at its DeKoven Ave. location. Other companies include Lavelle Industries, a rubber and plastics manufacturer in Burlington, and Wisconsin Aquaponics.

Nonprofits involvoced include: Habitat Restore, Wheaton Franciscan-All Saints and the Racine/Kenosha Community Action Agency, where youth will conduct home energy audits and weatherization work. Public work sites include UW-Parkside, Gateway, and both the Racine Unified School District and the Burlington Area School District where employees will create and market in-school recycling programs.

The program is called E3, which is short for: "Employing Youth, Engaging Racine, Enriching the Earth."

UW-Parkside is among the 15 community partners involved in the program development. The partners also include Gateway Technical College, the City of Racine, United Way of Racine County, Racine Unified School District, Burlington Area School District, Racine County Cooperative Extension Office, Racine Area Manufacturers and Commerce, the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, Kenosha/Racine Community Action Agency, the Racine County Human Services Department, and the Racine YMCA.

Manpower, Inc., serves as the youths’ employer of record and administers the payroll, while Professional Services Group provides case management services as needed.

Felner: Thank Goodness he's not our problem!

We shouldn't care about Robert Felner any more.

After all, the University of Louisville Dean of the College of Education is not our problem. He came thisclose to becoming Chancellor of UW-Parkside, (at a $50,000 cut in pay from the UofL) but an unexpected FBI investigation spared us barely a week before his investiture here.

Still, as the revelations pile up, it's hard to turn away. Like watching the Titanic hit the iceberg. The good news is that while Felner may have been the iceberg, we are not the Titanic, thanks to dumb luck and serendipitously wonderful timing. The Titanic role is being played by the University of Louisville.

So what's the latest?

-- Once given credit by UofL President James Ramsey for bringing "more than $40 million" in grants to the university, a review of public records by the Louisville Eccentric Observer shows that Felner "was only personally involved ... in bringing in about $1 million in total grants during his tenure." And $694,000 of that is the No Child Left Behind grant "funneled to a defunct nonprofit headed by a longtime friend and former associate of Felner," and the subject of that first FBI investigation.

But mostly it's the emails ... hundreds of emails that prove two things: UW-Parkside didn't look very carefull into the background of its presumptive chancellor. They also show that an awful lot of administrators at the UofL didn't realize that emails are forever. What's there?

-- Emails that show the University trying to cover its butt as things started to unravel, and failing at first even to preview materials first released to the media.

-- Emails showing Felner and the University finding ways to disguise travel funds to and from his estranged wife in Rhode Island.

-- Emails detailing what Felner called "creative solutions" that crafted his pay package.

-- Emails denigrating his critics ("...Sam is, between us, the purest B.S.r I have ever met.") and trying to hand-pick his successor.

-- Emails showing that UofL administrators knew Felner was a problem more than a year before he appeared willing to leave.

And on, and on, it goes. PageOneKentucky.com has sorted through hundreds of them, and posted scores online. (And they have 158,000 more emails to go through!) At the very least, everyone who had a part in recommending Felner for the Parkside post ought to be forced to read them all... and then write a 10-page essay: "Why I will never again serve on a search committee."

For links to all the older revelations, go to our listing of The Felner Chronicles in the Schools section of RacinePost.com.

UW Regents honor departing Keating, Wiley

Jack Keating and Regent Eileen Connolly-Keesler

The University of Wisconsin Board of Regents recognized two departing Chancellors -- Jack Keating of UW-Parkside and John Wiley of UW-Madison -- with resolutions of appreciation at its meeting today:

After being presented with a resolution from Regent Eileen Connolly-Keesler, Keating commended the Board for recognizing and respecting the various UW campuses as unique entities.

“The campuses are, if you will, semi-autonomous,” Keating said. “We’re liberated to do what we do best, because we know what is best for our campuses – most of the time. And you trust that. That trust is critical for the proper functioning of any System.”

Regent David Walsh credited Wiley with starting a public dialogue about the future of higher education in Wisconsin and the role universities can play in developing a strong economy. (See Wiley's scorching valedictory message.)

In his last appearance before the Board as chancellor, Wiley urged Regents to not treat tuition and state support separately.

“How much is it worth to the state of Wisconsin to produce that one degree in terms of future tax revenues, reduced impact on the healthcare system, reduced impact on the prison system, and all the other benefits that are disproportionately flowing to people who hold degrees beyond high school?” Wiley asked.

“How much is it worth to the state, how much is it worth to the individual and who should pay which fraction? That’s the real question. That’s the debate we should be having.”

University of Wisconsin System President Kevin Reilly added that both Keating and Wiley have “led their campuses with real integrity and intelligence. The positive influence of their leadership will be felt for decades to come, most directly on their own campuses but also in the way we operate as a System.”

Summary of Regents actions: Day 1; Day 2.

Scorched earth valedictory from UW chancellor

WHOA! See that mushroom cloud rising over Madison?

It's the bomb set off by outgoing University of Wisconsin Chancellor John D. Wiley. In a farewell message in Madison Magazine -- From Crossroads to Crisis -- Wiley has scorched some Wisconsin institutions. Like the Legislature. And especially Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, the state's largest business organization, which he calls "the single biggest obstacle to the recovery of Wisconsin's economy."

"The business community and our university are stuck in a swamp," Wiley writes, in his 3,000-word valedictory.

Regarding legislators, Wiley -- who leaves office at the end of August -- says:

"A depressingly large number of meetings (with legislators) began with a monologue about how all the state's problems were caused by the policies and positions of the other party, and how things would get better quickly if we just came out publicly in support of their own party's position.

"Too often, the tirades were accompanied by a warning of dire consequences if I spoke in public opposition to measures I felt would harm the university, or a sharp rebuke if I had recently committed the sin of thanking a member of the opposite party for helping the university with some issue.

"Until a couple of years ago, I was also frequently warned or threatened about the need for "the university" to get more involved in providing campaign contributions if we expected any sympathetic reactions, as if I had any role in telling university employees whom to support. That practice, at least, seems to have stopped, probably because of a number of felony convictions for similar behavior."

Wiley aims most of his firepower at Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce, which directs its 4,000 member companies to support its goal of making Wisconsin "the most competitive state in the nation."

Wiley writes:

"Over the years, I've had the opportunity to closely examine the strategies -- both the public rhetoric and actions -- WMC employs to pursue that goal. Apparently, the organization's definition of being competitive is being among those states with the lowest taxes, lowest wages, and least regulation in the nation.

"According to 2007 U.S. Census Bureau numbers, Wisconsin currently has the eleventh-highest per capita state tax revenues in the nation, and WMC cites the statistic as evidence that Wisconsin is a "tax hell." But look at the ten states with higher per capita taxes than Wisconsin: Hawaii, Wyoming, Connecticut, Minnesota, Delaware, Vermont, Massachusetts, New Jersey, California and New York. Nine of the ten have higher per capita income than Wisconsin. In particular, Minnesota, our demographic twin, has the fourth-highest per capita taxation, and they're knocking our socks off economically."

Wiley makes the case that states with higher per capita tax rates also have higher per capita income, "and lower taxation hasn't made the economies of Tennessee and Alabama any better in ways that benefit the citizens of those states."

When it comes to wages, Wiley writes:

"WMC routinely opposes most measures favored by labor unions, and most measures aimed at improving the lot of entry-level and low-income workers who are essential to our economy. But this opposition is not a business or an economic position; it is a political position based on an era and an economy that no longer exist. The high-tech companies that are the future of Wisconsin's economy couldn't care less about hypothetical "minimum-wage" jobs: They don't have any such jobs." Wiley says the state needs more high-paying jobs, and asks, "Where in WMC's political agenda is there any acknowledgment of the singular importance of creating more high-income jobs, or any support for the things it takes to do that? Automatic WMC opposition to any proposed state regulation is also both outdated and contrary to the common-sense views of most citizens and business leaders."

There's more. Wiley raps WMC for its "unconscionably scurrilous personal attacks on Justice Louis Butler" and says, "If this isn't a wake-up call for WMC members to get control of the political extremists on their staff, I don't know what would qualify... It pains me greatly to say this, but I believe (and many former WMC board members agree) that WMC has, somehow, passively allowed itself to be hijacked by highly partisan, ideologically driven staff. WMC has evolved from being a strategically focused business organization to being a partisan political lobbying organization. This, combined with WMC's wealth and undeniable political influence and effectiveness, has made WMC the single biggest driver of our toxic political environment and, thus, the single biggest obstacle to the recovery of Wisconsin's economy."

You can read Wiley's full screed here.

Be sure, also, to read the response quickly issued by Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce.

Addendum, 8/21: The Republican Party of Wisconsin issued a statement this afternoon decrying Wiley's focus on the WMC, while ignoring "the millions of dollars WEAC has poured into Wisconsin's legislative campaigns over the past thirty years in support of a job killing, big government agenda." WEAC is the Wisconsin Education Association Council, which represents 92,000 teachers in the state.

Said the GOP: "In what appears to be an effort to settle some political scores on his way out the door, Wiley this week complained of Wisconsin Manufacturers and Commerce’s third party spending in campaigns, but made no mention of the massive role WEAC has played during the past three decades, nor of the spending made by the Democrat front group Greater Wisconsin Committee."

Meanwhile, the Capital Times reports that Wiley's successor, incoming UW-Madison Chancellor Carolyn "Biddy" Martin "moved to town on Friday -- and her belongings finally arrived at Olin House, the official residence of the chancellor, on Monday."

UW-Parkside students from Racine receive Sentry Scholarships

Here's some good news for two Racine students at UW-Parkside:

University of Wisconsin-Parkside students Janell Topczewski, 706 Hialeah Dr., a sophomore; and incoming freshman Brian Sasaki, 530 Hayes Ave., have earned Sentry Insurance Student Leadership Scholarships. Given by the Sentry Insurance Foundation, Inc., the philanthropic arm of Sentry Insurance, headquartered in Steven Point, Wis., the scholarships are worth $2,500 each. Topczewski and Sasaki can renew them for up to four years.

The Student Leadership Scholarship helps provide educational opportunities for students majoring in business administration, computer science, accounting, finance, or mathematics (actuarial science). To renew her scholarship, Topczewski, who is majoring in business with a concentration in finance, maintained a grade point average of 3.3 or above on a 4.0 scale and continues to pursue a degree in business. Sasaki will major in business. To be considered for the scholarship, incoming freshmen must place in the top 15 percent of their high school graduating class. They also must have a significant record of involvement in extracurricular and community activities that indicate outstanding leadership potential.

"We are glad to be a partner with the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in providing an opportunity for young people to achieve their educational goals," said Peg Sullivan, Sentry Insurance Foundation Vice President and Executive Director.

UW-Parkside is one of a dozen universities whose students benefit from The Sentry Insurance Foundation’s generous support of higher education.

A modest proposal for Unified and Parkside...*

Let's switch search firms.

The contracts Racine Unified and UW-Parkside had with their search firms both offer a second search free (as long as we pay expenses, of course) in the event a search turns to sh-- ... um, fails the first time around, as has happened in both cases.

We've already spent upwards of $100,000 on the two searches. One brought Unified three top candidates paid to leave by their last school district employers (and one who'd written his own letters of recommendation, and more, to get a previous superintendency) and then a superintendent-designee who left us standing at the altar without even a farewell kiss or a personal phone call. The other search gave Parkside a chancellor-designee with an amazing amount of questionable history who turns up under federal investigation a week before his inauguration. Wouldn't that have been an investiture to remember if the feds had come just a week later!

Is it just us? Are we modern-day embodiments of Al Capp's poor ol' Joe Btfsplk, who walked around with a thundercloud over his head, trailed by disaster?

From what we saw at Unified, these search firms "work with" a group of job seekers, and keep proposing them to various paying clients. In Unified's case, for example, at least two of the three finalists winnowed down from the list ProAct provided had been presented by the search firm to at least one other district client -- Toledo. After a while, the search firms must feel they have something invested in the applicants, because it's clear they're less-than-forthright about the warts uncovered in their backgrounds.

So, it stands to reason that if ProAct is again hired to find Unified a superintendent, and if EFL Associates is again contracted to find Parkside a new chancellor, both will dip into their usual well of applicants, and propose to us more of the same old, same old. Environmentally, this kind of recycling is fine, but in the academic milieu it doesn't seem to be working.

Which brings us to the genius of our proposal (what's the point of false modesty, eh?). If we switch search firms -- ask EFL to find us a new superintendent and ProAct to find us a new chancellor -- then both will have to start from scratch. Maybe this way they will both come up with competent candidates who won't bolt at the last minute.

Or maybe not.

Aw, hell, let's just throw darts at the phone book and be done with it...

* With apologies to Jonathan Swift. Hey, I'm not suggesting we eat any babies...

Felner: The Neverending Story

Wish we could take credit even for the headline above, but it comes from the Page One Kentucky blog, which has been leading this story all week.

But wait, there's more!

People on the chancellor search committee at the University of Wisconsin-Parkside knew the man they recommended as a finalist got a no-confidence vote at the college where he was dean, but they didn’t tell the Board of Regents or the UW System president about it — raising more tough questions about the university system’s vetting process. --Journal-Sentinel

EFL Associates, the search firm responsible for finding Robert Felner for the University of Wisconsin-Parkside, charged $70,000 in fees and expenses. We’re pretty much certain at this time that UW-Parkside is convulsing on the floor of its local dive bar and/or trying to drink the pain away. Can you even imagine? $70,000 and EFL didn’t turn up a damn thing?

We have uncovered information that (more than) suggests Robert Felner hired his girlfriend in January 2005 at an annual salary $20K-$30K higher than many tenured faculty -- and she had no (still doesn’t) terminal degree. She was a former high school assistant principal who now serves as co-principal on several grants in which Felner is the primary. Nearly everyone we have spoken with at the University of Louisville brings the relationship up because they say it’s indicative of greater problems (i.e, everybody hired while Felner was in charge happened to be young and blonde.)

We have also discovered that Felner threatened to leave the University of Louisville on several occasions and used written offers from other schools in order to obtain matching offers from the Provost. In 2006 Felner got an offer from Ohio State University that he claimed to be considering seriously. So seriously, in fact, that the University of Louisville gave him another raise and threw a giant party in his honor that included some interesting (to say the least) t-shirts sold to people who wanted to attend the event. --Page One Kentucky

Felner has been involved in at least one public flap involving research grants. In 2003 he resigned as dean of the University of Rhode Island's School of Education, blaming a state law for his departure. According to an account in The Providence Journal, Mr. Felner said he lost $15-million in research grants because of a cap on university staffing that prevented him from hiring enough employees to conduct the research. Calling the research a "missed opportunity," Mr. Felner told the newspaper: "Can you imagine Brown University turning down grant money?"

In the case of a failed search, consultants typically conduct a second search without charging a fee. (Jason) Meschke (president of EFL Associates) said his firm was contractually required to do so for the Parkside campus. "We are standing by the contract," he said. (Wisconsin University system spokesman David) Giroux said the system was considering the Parkside search a "teachable moment" -- Chronicle of Higher Education

The federal investigation into allegations of mishandled funds at the University of Louisville has led another university to review grant expenditures made by the dean at the center of the investigation. A spokeswoman at the University of Rhode Island, where Robert Felner worked from 1996 to 2003, confirmed today the school is reviewing his grant expenditures while he was employed there. --Louisville Courier-Journal

University of Wisconsin-Parkside officials knew as early as last Friday that there was a federal investigation into Robert Felner when agents showed up at the chancellor's office to take away boxes of paperwork he already sent here... David Giroux, a UW System spokesman, said officials weren't aware of the federal investigation until Felner informed the university in a phone call Sunday, two days after agents came to Parkside. Giroux said Parkside didn't inform UW officials of the investigation until Monday. --Kenosha News

UW-Parkside honors Dr. Herbert Roehrich

KENOSHA - The University of Wisconsin-Parkside recently honored Dr. Herbert Roehrich of Racine for his work in the community. Roehrich ('87, Biological Sciences), a psychiatrist, received the university's 2008 Distinguished Alumni Service Award.

It was while attending divinity school in Illinois that Dr. Roehrich was first called to return home.

"He decided he could better serve society as a medical practitioner than as a minister," said nominator Dr. Anna Maria Williams. "He chose the new and growing premedical program at UW-Parkside for his preparation."

After attending UW-Parkside, Dr. Roehrich was off again, to Madison for his doctorate and to Virginia, Michigan, and New Jersey for post doctoral training.

In 1987, while serving as the director of the National Cocaine Hotline, he visited UW-Parkside and local physicians convinced him to return home again. Since then, he has earned a legion of admirers.

"Dr. Roehrich is one of the best psychiatrists I have had the pleasure to work with," said UW-Parkside Clinical Professor Ed Conrad who is a licensed clinical psychologist. "He is the first person I think of when I need consultation regarding a psychiatric issue."

"He works with each person, even if they do not have the means to pay, and makes sure they receive the medications they need even when they cannot afford them," said another nominator.

He consults for the Public Defender offices in Racine and Kenosha counties, doing much of this work without pay due to limited budgets. Using the same pro bono arrangement, he consulted on UW-Parkside Professor Helen Rosenberg's research on geriatric alcohol abuse, providing "strong support...regarding older adult use of substances and the individual and community impact of this," Dr. Rosenberg said.

Since returning home again, Williams said Dr. Roehrich has "advanced his profession and made a significant difference in Racine and Kenosha."

The award was presented during commencement ceremonies in May at the Alfred and Bernice De Simone Gymnasium of the Sports and Activity Center on the UW-Parkside campus.

Robert Felner recommended as next UW-Parkside chancellor

UW-Parkside sent out this release on their likely next chancellor, Dr. Robert Felner:

FELNER RECOMMENDED AS NEXT UW-PARKSIDE CHANCELLOR

MADISON, Wis.— Dr. Robert Felner, dean of the College Education and Human Development at the University of Louisville, has been recommended as the next chancellor of the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.

UW System President Kevin P. Reilly and the Board of Regents’ Special Committee for the UW-Parkside Chancellor Search announced the recommendation today. The full board is expected to act on the appointment in June.

“Dr. Felner’s distinguished career and significant academic leadership experience will no doubt accelerate the forward momentum the institution has achieved over the past decade,” said Reilly. “He will be a strong leader in a part of the state where we expect the population to grow significantly in the coming years.”

Felner has been a dean at Louisville since 2003, and co-chaired that campus’ University-Community Partnership Board for two years. He previously served as professor and director of the School of Education at the University of Rhode Island for seven years. With more than 30 years of experience in higher education, Felner has held faculty appointments at the University of Illinois, Auburn University, and Yale University, in addition to those at Louisville and the University of Rhode Island.

“I was impressed with UW-Parkside in a number of ways,” said Felner. “I am particularly excited about the institution’s commitment to providing excellent educational experiences for all students, to its commitment to equity and social justice, to being deeply engaged in the community, and to creating partnerships with business, industry, the schools and government to enhance the lives of the people of the region. I also have a strong personal connection to the institution’s focus on first-generation college students and those from diverse backgrounds. If not for a strong, student-centered institution like Parkside, I would never have imagined myself in college, to say thinking of being a chancellor.”

“When I was younger, for family reasons, I had to leave high school, go to work, and finally get a GED. I was fortunate to find a university that allowed me to translate my GED into the opportunity for a quality college education. As are the faculty at UW-Parkside, my professors were strong scholars who were still deeply committed to offering me the personalized attention I needed to succeed, and I did because of them. I look forward to working with my new UW-Parkside colleagues who share those values of preparing generations of Wisconsin’s citizens for today’s global community and are committed to enhancing the economic and social well-being of our communities, the region, state and nation.”

Felner earned his master’s and doctoral degrees in psychology from the University of Rochester in New York. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of Connecticut.

“The campus is enthusiastic about the arrival of Dr. Felner,” said UW-Parkside Professor Chris Evans, chair of the UW-Parkside search and screen committee. “We are looking forward to the exciting, hard work ahead of us all.”

“Building on the campus’ longstanding commitment to equity and social justice, and its strong connections to the community, we must work together to make UW-Parkside a truly spectacular place—a destination of choice for students across the state,” said Felner. “This campus will have a transformational impact on the lives of our students and all our community neighbors, offering educational opportunities that are equal in quality to that which they might find anywhere else in the world.”

Felner was one of four finalists for the UW-Parkside chancellor position recommended by the campus committee. The other finalists were: Dr. T.J. Bryan, Fayetteville State University; Dr. Gloria J. Gibson, Arkansas State University-Jonesboro; and Dr. Maurice C. Taylor, Morgan State University.

“It was clear that Dr. Felner emerged from this competitive national search with broad support from our local community and the campus,” said Michael J. Falbo, chair of the Board of Regents Special Committee and a UW-Parkside alumnus. “It’s equally clear that he has the right skills to help this campus play its part in the growth and development of a vibrant Southeastern Wisconsin. To boost our economy, we must help more Wisconsin residents from all walks of life attain their college degree. The campus must work in partnership with local businesses to create more high-paying jobs. Dr. Felner is the person to lead us in that direction.”

Serving with Falbo on the Regents’ Special Committee were fellow regents: Jeffrey B. Bartell of Madison, Eileen Connolly-Keesler of Oshkosh and Judith V. Crain of Green Bay.

Felner will succeed Chancellor John P. (Jack) Keating as the UW-Parkside’s chief executive. Keating announced in January that he would step down in August 2008 after leading the campus for more than a decade.

As one of 11 comprehensive universities within the UW System, the UW-Parkside campus enrolls more than 5,000 students from 55 Wisconsin counties – the most diverse student body in the system. Leading approximately 500 faculty, academic staff and classified staff members, the UW-Parkside chancellor is responsible for operation and leadership of the campus.

Fraud at the gas pump? ... with UW-Parkside implications

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has a story today about possible gasoline fraud, of interest to all motorists.

But it is of even more concern to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside because the man at the center of the investigation, Darshan Dhaliwal, is a major donor -- with a $4.5 million pledge at stake.

The headline says:

Suit alleges dishonesty at the pump: Oil giant accuses Mequon man of selling unbranded gas under BP name, prices at stations

A Mequon gas station magnate with deep political ties is being sued in federal court on allegations of swindling customers out of brand-name gas at as many as 120 stations nationwide, including a handful in Wisconsin.

Oil giant BP alleges that Darshan Dhaliwal, a longtime friend of former Wisconsin Gov. Tommy Thompson and owner of Bulk Petroleum, knowingly sold - and continues to sell - unbranded gasoline out of BP stations, charging brand-name prices and sticking unsuspecting customers with gas not formulated with the promised protectants and detergents designed to extend the life of your car.

Read the entire story HERE.

Bulk Petroleum Corp. owns 65 gas stations in Wisconsin. Here are the only ones in this area:

Marathon, 3024 Rapids Dr., Racine
Marathon, 9001 Durand Ave., Sturtevant
BP, 224 E. Washington St., Burlington
Marathon, 704 75th St., Kenosha

And now back to Parkside. The penultimate graf of the Journal Sentinel's story says:

In 2006, Dhaliwal pledged $4.5 million to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside to expand its communication arts building...

Darshan Dhaliwal, right, with President Bush

Lenny Klaver, UW-P vice chancellor, university relations and advancement, said this afternoon that Dhaliwal's pledge "is on track under its schedule to be paid," but he wouldn't disclose how much has been received or how many years the pledge involves. ("As a private foundation we don't disclose...")

Although he said, "When I saw this story this morning, I knew I would get a call today," he didn't express concern about the pledge, which is in its second year of payment. "It wasn't a pledge made by his business, it was a personal pledge made by him."

The money is for an expansion and renovation of UW-Parkside's Communication Arts Building; planning is under way with architects. The project's total cost is estimated at $34.5 million; groundbreaking is expected in 2009.

A few years ago Dhaliwal contributed $200,000 toward UW-Parkside's modern language lab.

His connection to UW-Parkside goes back several years, according to Klaver, "when he steered some potential students Parkside's way, several international students from India who have received degrees from Parkside."

A biography of Dhaliwal, says he grew up the eldest son of a successful farmer in India. He met a Peace Corps volunteer and decided to come to the U.S. for college in North Dakota, where he was the only Indian and felt out of place. But he took a bus trip that stopped in Milwaukee. Someone he knew gave him a tour and Dhaliwal decided he was in "God's country."

He married a Wisconsin girl in 1974, leased his first gas station -- for $300 a month -- in 1977, and bought his first station, for $30,000 in 1979. Today he owns nearly 1,000 gas stations, according to the NRI International website. (NRI stands for non-resident Indian)

NRI says of Dhaliwal: "He's one of the quietest human beings. He does not like to talk in public. He won't give a speech."

UW-Parkside chancellor retiring in August

UW-Parkside Chancellor John Keating announced Thursday he would retire in August.

Keating has led the campus in Somers for the past 10 years. He made the announcement at UW-Parkside's Spring Convocation breakfast.

"I am very confident in retiring because I know how well positioned this campus is to achieve the next step," Keating said. "And whoever comes here to take the leadership reins, I know you will support that person as you supported me."

UW System Regent and UW-Parkside alumnus Mike Falbo will chair a special committee of regents who will work with Reilly to select the new UW-Parkside chancellor.

“Our challenge is to identify a new campus CEO with the right skills, experience, and drive to keep alive the positive momentum established here during Chancellor Keating’s tenure,” said Falbo.

Since joining UW-Parkside as its fifth chancellor on July 1, 1998, Keating said he developed a strong attachment to the campus and its people.

"I love Parkside. I've worked hard for 10 years here but it's been worth it, every day has been worth it. Not every day has been terrific," he said to appreciative laughter, "but some of the less terrific days have led to even greater expectations and greater success."

Keating added he would devote the remainder of his tenure here to increasing scholarship funding to help the neediest students.