What’s Happening @ UofL

A weekly look at what's going on at UofL

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Update on federal investigation

We continue to receive questions about the six committees or reviews that were formed in response to the federal investigation into misuse of grant money that recently led to the indictment of former Dean Robert Felner.

Here's a status report on how each is progressing.

An internal audit of the finances of the College: The auditors have completed their field work and will meet with the CEHD administration after the Thanksgiving holiday to present their findings. CEHD then will have a chance to respond to those findings.

An external audit of the university’s grants management and contracts practices:

-- External auditors Cotton and Allen presented a list of findings at the November Board of Trustees meeting.

-- President Ramsey appointed a campus-wide task force to review the findings and recommend next steps. That task force met last week and has scheduled additional meetings in December.

-- We have copies of the findings available, as well as a list of task force members.

A Faculty Senate review of our Faculty Grievance procedure:

The Grievance Process Review Committee has taken the following actions:

-- interviewed administrators and others with an official role in our grievance procedures, e.g. Chair of the Grievance Committee and the current and past Faculty Grievance Officers

-- surveyed faculty for their observations about the grievance process.

-- Yesterday, the committee completed a series of interviews with faculty who have knowledge of how our grievance procedures work

-- The committee hopes to complete its report by Dec. 5.

A review, requested by our Faculty, Staff and Student senates, on managerial and administrative practices: This committee has produced a report that will be shared with the provost in the next few days.

A review of the conflict of interest policy and proposal of a values statement: This committee continues to meet. No timeline has been established for its work to be completed.

And finally, a review of circumstances surrounding a PhD awarded by the CEHD during Felner’s tenure as dean: This committee’s work continues. Since its work is confidential, I have no new information to share about these proceedings. I will share information with you once I am able to do so.

Ombuds Office: As you know, we also announced the creation of an Ombuds Office. We continue to work through a number of logistical issues necessary before we can make any further announcements.

We will update you on that office as soon as we are able to share more information.

University offices to close at noon today for Thanksgiving holiday

Most UofL offices will close at noon today for the Thanksgiving holiday. Offices will reopen and classes will resume on Monday, Dec. 1.

UofL to name Grawemeyer Award winners

UofL will name the 2009 winners of its five $200,000 Grawemeyer Awards next week. Each year, the international prizes are given for outstanding works in music, political science, psychology, education and religion. UofL gives the religion award jointly with Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary.

Here's the announcement schedule:

-- Music Composition, Dec. 1

-- Ideas Improving World Order, Dec. 2

-- Psychology, Dec. 3

-- Education, Dec. 4

-- Religion, Dec. 5.

For more details, call Denise Fitzpatrick, 502-852-6171 or see the Grawemeyer Awards website.

Student-produced video may become ad

A video created by students as part of the weROCK iMovie Fest is so compelling that the university's marketing department has decided to transform parts of the video into a recruitment advertisement for 2009. Learn more about the video

Learn more about caregivers during Alzheimer's Awareness Month

Those who suffer with Alzheimer's disease don't deal with the disease alone. Usually, at least one other person cares for them along with a host of healthcare and social workers. Nursing professor Karen Robinson recently completed a yearlong joint fellowship of the AARP and American Academy of Nursing where she worked on public policy to support family caregivers. Read Robinson's blog about her efforts in Washington, D.C. Learn more about the Volunteer Caregivers Program designed by Robinson and offered through the School of Nursing. For more information, contact Julie Heflin at (502) 852-7987 or julie.heflin@louisville.edu

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ASK THE EXPERTS

Faculty experts at UofL can offer insight on the issues of the day and are usually willing to do news interviews. They include:

Holiday movie time: Why “It’s a Wonderful Life” and others are classics:

• Tom Byers, English professor, film buff and Commonwealth Center for the Humanities and Society director, 502-852-6770, or e-mail Tom Byers

Children's books and their messages: a shopper's guide to choosing culturally appropriate books:

• Karen Chandler, English associate professor, 502-852-5568

A complete listing of UofL experts is available in The Expert Source.

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