Andrew Wolfson of the Courier-Journal has already reported on Wednesday’s meeting of UofL’s Faculty Senate. I was there to as a member of the Executive Faculty and want to add my comments. The Faculty Senate has elected members from every school and college and is the faculty body of highest jurisdiction. I represented the School of Medicine on the Senate for a number of years.

The principal item on the agenda of interest to me was a discussion item labeled “Foundation compensation.” Although the intention of the Senate Chairperson was to limit discussion to the deferred compensation of the President, Provost, and the President’s Chief of Staff; subsequent discussion by the faculty expanded that focus to include the separation payments made last year to at least three other senior University officers and vice-presidents that were accompanied by controversial agreements of nondisclosure. The discussion opened an obvious can of worms. Mr. Wolfson by no means overstated the degree of faculty concern. Not a single faculty member expressed support for what the University and the University of Louisville Foundation were doing. Continue reading “UofL Faculty Senate Voices Harsh Criticism of Executive Bonuses.”

There is no longer any doubt in my mind that the unscheduled executive session tacked on at the end of the February University of Louisville Board meeting was called to deal with the matters of the firing of Vice President for Human Relations Sam Connally and the allegations he brought to the attention of the Board members. As reported earlier today by Insider Louisville, the Courier Journal, and the Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting, Mr. Connally filed a not-unexpected lawsuit yesterday against the Board of Trustees as agents of the University. A quick trip downtown yielded a copy of the complaint. It makes for interesting reading and provides more detail than a previous letter by Connally to the Courier Journal published elsewhere and which found its way to the UofL Trustees before their meeting.

Somewhere in this article I need to make the appropriate comment that any such complaint tells only one side of the story– a fact readily acknowledged by Mr. Connally. However, in this case, we have a pretty good idea what the University will say in the form of the investigation prepared on its behalf by its outside attorney. I read that report and also the 100 pages of supporting documents.  It covers the same basic set of events as Connally’s complaint with a different spin indeed. There are obviously matters of fact and interpretation to be worked through. Win or lose, in my opinion and based on documents I have seen, UofL is not going to come out of this looking very good. Continue reading “Former UofL Vice-President Files Whistleblower Complaint Against UofL.”

Felner Redux?

Last December I wrote a follow-up story about the firing of UofL Vice President for Human Resources, Sam Connally, allegedly over his complaint of misconduct against Provost Shirley Willihnganz. These related to manipulation of the state Request For Proposal (RFP) purchasing process seeking a new health-plan manager for the University’s self-funded employee heath insurance benefit with a goal of obtaining a possible additional multi-million dollar gift from Humana, and also inappropriate Equal Employment Opportunity Commission filings. The University hired an outside attorney to investigate who determined that there was no merit to Mr. Connally’s claims.

In my mind, when you hire a lawyer, the expectation is that the best argument in favor of your position will result. A truly independent investigation would be paid for by someone else. I was reminded of UofL President Ramsey’s default response when confronted by numerous accusations of misconduct against former School of Education Dean Robert Felner by characterizing them as “anonymous c**p.” (Dr. Feller subsequently went to jail.) In my first article, I asked for a truly independent outside audit perhaps by State Auditor Edelen, and also asked the Board of Trustees to do their duty. On the basis of the investigation and the recommendation of University administration, the Board approved the firing of Connally. Continue reading “UofL Firing of Vice President Sam Connally. Will The Truth Emerge?”

No Centers designated in Kentucky.

Earlier this week, the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) announced that 35 U.S. hospitals have been designated as Ebola Treatment Centers. More are said to be announced soon. These hospitals were designated by state or local public health officials as having both the physical and staffing capability to care for these very ill patients. The CDC has published interim guidance outlining the capabilities every Ebola treatment center should have. They are pretty rigorous. Certainly not every hospital is up to the clinical demands, including the many Medicare Critical Access Hospitals in rural or small population centers that must by regulation transfer their sicker patients elsewhere. [The CDC website provides an excellent source of information about Ebola virus disease for professionals and laypeople alike.]

Continue reading “Ebola Treatment Centers Established Nationally.”