College of DuPage – If not Kartje, who?

I was a colleague of Dr. Kartje’s at the College of Lake County during the entire time she worked there. We were both deans and worked closely with our fellow deans, faculty and other academic leaders. I will say without hesitation that I have the strongest confidence in Dr. Kartje’s integrity and honesty. She is a champion and advocate for the mission of community colleges and for student success. I don’t know the particulars of the faculty member’s lawsuit but I do know that Dr. Kartje always had the best interests of the students at heart. For example, despite the demands of leading the largest academic division at the College, she made it a point to attend almost every student performance in music, theatre, and art, often working 12 hours before her day would end.
Dr. Kartje is someone that I looked to as an ethical and conscientious leader. She consistently demonstrated a commitment to high standards that sometimes resulted in disagreement; however, I believe she always acted in good faith, committed to the College and to the students it serves.

I am commenting on your article, “College of DuPage – if Not Kartje, who?” I found your remark in this article about being responsible applies not only to Dr. Kartje but also to you, the author of the article. How can you expect the educated public to accept your version of the situation regarding Dr. Kartje when you never contacted her to confirm your conclusions? You do not have all the facts and cannot expect to be respected as a viable source when you present partial quotes and highlight alleged conduct while Dr. Kartje was at the College of Lake County. As noted in the article, the case was dismissed as Ms. Easton failed to provide evidence to support her claim. For you to use accusations to support your statement that she has, “failed to fulfill the duties and responsibilities of her position as pitiable decision-making and judgement have been as inextricable part of Kartje’s professional history” is absurd. Dr. Kartje is a true professional. She wants the best for the students, faculty, and college as a whole and works tirelessly to that end.

I was a colleague of Jean Kartje at the College of Lake County from the time that she served as Dean of the Communication Arts Division until she resigned to accept a Vice President position at another institution. Throughout this period Dr. Kartje demonstrated the highest level of integrity and accountability, and was well respected by the college community. In the opinion of most employees, the lawsuit that was filed was not credible, given that the allegations made were inconsistent with the behavior of Dr. Kartje toward other faculty and staff. As noted, the plaintiff later walked away from the lawsuit. Throughout my professional association with her, Dr. Kartje demonstrated an exceptional level of competence, commitment and dedication, and it is unfortunate to see her efforts and effectiveness undercut by articles such as this. I am not sure who will benefit from this article, but it certainly won’t be the students of COD.

This article boarders on libel. Introducing a frivolous lawsuit that is ten years old is clearly intended to malign. If the authors had checked their facts, they would know that Ms. Easton is an African-American lesbian and a member of multiple protected classes. The fact that after two depositions–neither with Judge Darrah (see The Robing Room)–the suit was not taken further speaks volumes to its lack of validity. Unfortunately, not everything that people say is true. This is also true of written words. I believe that this post needs to be removed and a retraction made.
With regard to SLEA, Schiff Hardin LLP has paperwork in hand indicating my understanding that faculty were involved in the review of the learning objectives and that I had consulted ICCB prior to making the decision–a decision that I have always owned. I made the best decision I could based on the facts at hand. It was not made to for nefarious ends, but to help our students succeed. It is said that if you never make any mistakes you are likely not doing anything. In hindsight, maybe I should have asked again about faculty involved. Hindsight is always 20-20.The College has not received any funding from the State and the number of students/credits involved did not change the College’s statistics significantly. At this point, the decision has been reversed and participants in SLEA are not receiving any credit for their work.
I will not be posting on this website again.

As a former English professor who worked for Dr. Jean Kartje at the College of Lake County (CLC) in her capacity as Dean of Communication Arts, my firsthand experience makes me more qualified to describe her leadership abilities than the “watchdogs” who manage this site. I know and admire Dr. Kartje’s style of management; she does not micromanage and assumes those who work with her and for her exhibit the same honesty and integrity she does. I was also a colleague of Ms. Easton and am intimately familiar with her performance in the classroom and with her fellow teachers. I also have been an outspoken and knowledgeable advocate of disability rights, having served as advisor for the Disabled Student Alliance at CLC. Ms. Easton was not discriminated against on any of her charges; rather Dr. Kartje bravely attempted to hold her accountable to her institutional responsibilities. I wouldn’t characterize Ms. Easton’s lawsuit as frivolous, not because her charges were unfounded – they were – but because this suit is now being used as “evidence” to sully Dr. Kartje’s professional history. If your readers carefully review (past your judicious highlighting) the attached document, they will discover that most motions to dismiss by Dr. Kartje were granted.
It appears to me that the “watchdogs” of this site are casting about for more salacious stories connected to the COD saga, which has been thoroughly and accurately covered by the Chicago Tribune staff and other local news outlets. This site’s authors refer to themselves and their small team as having over 20 years of combined journalism experience. Journalists report the full story and allow their audience to draw their own conclusions. Journalists also proofread. Your site should be called what it is: a platform for muckraking and half-truths hiding behind the auspices of protecting the public from corrupt governance. How about a little truth and transparency, as your mission statement purports?
As Shakespeare wrote, “The fool doth think he is wise, but the wise man knows himself to be a fool.” Show yourself to be the wise “watchdogs” you presume to be and acknowledge you did not do your due diligence in your philippic regarding Jean Kartje. The wise man would remove this post and publish a retraction.
Mary Ann Bretzlauf, Professor Emeritus, College of Lake County

I am currently employed at College of Lake County (CLC) as a full-time instructor of music, Dr. Kartje was my Dean and direct report during my first two years at the college. When hired at CLC, I had already been teaching for ten years and had worked for many other administrators. I am very thankful to have had her as my Dean; she was very supportive and had a positive attitude when approaching concepts and strategies regarding teaching and learning. Dr. Kartje was instrumental in procuring funds for our first international trip to Italy with our jazz and wind ensembles. She discovered and wrote a grant that helped to defray the cost of the trip for all students who attended. She supported my ideas to improve the aging instrument inventory of the college and to raise the teaching standards for those who sought employment within the music department as faculty. Most importantly, Dr. Kartje made an effort to attend concerts, recitals, and other performances within my department. She was approachable, a good listener, and consistently put the interest of our students first when making decisions. Dr. Michael Flack

As professor emeritus, I was privileged to be teaching during Dr. Kartje’s tenure as Division Dean. I also once had a close friendship with Ms. Easton. We in Communication Arts supported her in virtual unanimity. (And anyone familiar with Communication Arts’ folks knows how rare it is for us to agree on anything). In fact, I can still recall the time I mentioned to our Vice President how much we all appreciated the job Kartje was doing only to be astonished to hear that her position was in jeopardy. Though it was years ago and my memory isn’t what it was, I remember going from one faculty office to another only to be met with shock and anxiety that we might lose such a wise and caring mentor and a courageous leader. And lose her we did.
On the other hand, my friendship with Ms. Easton quickly shattered. Having been an enthusiastic member of her hiring committee, I welcomed her warmly into my home and family. She, however,viciously turned against me in ways that never made any sense. Dr. Kartje was the only administrator brave enough to hold her accountable. And she (and the College of Lake County) paid the price.
You, Mr. Allen, should be ashamed of yourself for propagating this cruel and ugly misinformation.

I have been a full-time faculty member of the English Language Instruction department at CLC since 1999. During the time that Dr. Kartje was at CLC and dean of our Communication Arts division, I was also the chair of my department and therefore worked closely with her. I had the utmost respect for her and was very sad to see her leave our college, as were many of my colleagues. It was definitely our loss.
Dr. Kartje was very supportive of my program and students. Any problems or concerns I had, she would spend the necessary time to listen to me and get me the resources necessary to take care of them. She always had the welfare of my students in mind and I trusted her judgment for that reason. As one example, she was instrumental in resolving many of the problems that we encountered in launching our first language laboratory at the college.
As my dean, Dr. Kartje inspired me to be a better faculty member and I learned so much from her example of professionalism, honesty and hard work. I am sorry to read this very negative article that does not take into account the positive impact that she had on me, my students and department, and the College of Lake County.

She had a rough departure from her last job as well. LOL