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Penn State Reconsiders Football Program in Wake of Scandal

December 6, 2011, 3:13 pm

Pennsylvania State University is rethinking the place of its football program after a child-sex-abuse scandal engulfed its reputation and cost several top officials their jobs. The university’s new president, Rodney A. Erickson, told USA Today that he wanted to change Penn State’s identity “from a football factory to a ‘world-class research institution.’” The scandal, in which a longtime assistant football coach has been charged with 40 counts of child molestation and university officials stand accused of not taking action on allegations years ago, has prompted an “urgency for discussions about the role of big-time athletics and where they interact with higher education,” Mr. Erickson said. The president also said that students, taxpayers, and donors would not bear the university’s legal and other costs connected with the scandal but not covered by insurance; such money would be raised separately. Mr. Erickson said Penn State would use $2-million in football-bowl proceeds it will receive this year to help establish a Center for the Protection of Children, which would conduct research and offer treatment to victims of sexual abuse.

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  • goldstein_martin

    It’s about time.

    The corruption of higher ed by big-time athletics has been a national scandal for years, but it may take this horrible incident to finally get people to act.

    My kids played sports at college, in Division II, Division III, and club, and all benefited from it. I love sports and kids — but as an amateur healthy activity, not a quasi-professional tool of the fund-raising arm of the university.

    I’d do away with football altogether, if it were up to me — too many head injuries. How can causing brain damage be part of a university’s role in education? My kids did soccer and swimming and emerged healthier in all ways, not facing early dementia.

    Anyway, Penn State has a 100,000 seat stadium in the middle of nowhere, and I can’t imagine they are not going to try to keep filling it. How they can do that and clean up their program is something only time can tell.

     

  • http://twitter.com/LarryArbeiter Larry Arbeiter

    A first crack in the monolith? 

  • bnmoore

    Depends upon the new president and the currrent board’s actions, but more than all this, it depends upon the Pennsylvania governor–does he have the guts to take a stand with the sometimes/oftentimes recklessness attitude of big time university sports within his own state universities (little different than many other states), or will he just wave at it, afraid that some of that PSU soot might stick to his own clothes.  Governor Corbett is a former state attorney general; he knows what needs done, but will he do it?  Stand by.

  • benchgroup

    Oh come on.  Become something other than a football factory?  Will the alums, trustees, and state legislators be put to sleep first?

  • _perplexed_

    Were the trustees awake throughout the past decade when this entire mess played itself out?

  • jwgilley

    a 1000 years from now people will see all these stadi and wonder what in the world was going on? It will be the puzzle of the age…..Rutgers is trying to keep up but is out of credit so no more additiions to the stadia

  • ColoCoug

    There is often a knee-jerk reaction to bad events, and it’s usually over-reaction.  Penn State deserves the chance to correct what is wrong with its football program but continue to participate and enjoy the tradition and value to the university.  Just because some people screwed up doesn’t mean that the program needs to be abolished.

    They screwed up – they were caught – there will be corrective action.  Fix the program and move forward with it.

  • crixus

    Exactly right Martin…”amateur athletics” is an oxymoron with respect to big time college football programs.

    I’d like to add that for the ‘quasi-professional’ big name teams, the players should be paid. The universities, coaches and many others are making millions off of kids who get nothing but the hope of a professional career at the cost of serious injury. Many, perhaps a majority, of players at the schools with top Division I Programs never get degrees. And to add a little more ridiculousness to the cauldron of absurdity, consider that Jim Tressel was both fired and disgraced because he hid the fact that one of his players got a free tattoo!  You have to be kidding me!

  • akprof

    Actually, if they played soccer, they were at risk of head injuries that could lead to early dementia – just not as at risk as they would have been playing football – or basketball, which is a leading cause of concussion, particularly in female athletes.

  • 11159995

    Penn State is only a state-related institution, not part of the PA system of higher education, and therefore the governor has limited control over it.

  • 11113567

    PSU has always been a world class research institution, and Joe Paterno always made sure his football players graduated on time. I get tired of comments from people who generalize from other institutions that only exploited football players to make money for the university. This is a terrible scandal, but it has nothing to do with the situation at other universities, and I’m getting tired of ignorant generalizations about college football in general. If those other universities had to compete with the scholar athletes of Penn State they probably wouldn’t have football teams. 

  • _perplexed_

    Do you not worry that PSU’s sense of being different (and better) made it difficult to maintain the vigilance necessary to have confronted this scandal years ago?

  • realeducator09

    The real corruption is the old white male guard protecting the old white male guard.  The problem is much deeper and broader than mere football and transcends way beyond college campuses. For more info on the subject…ask the catholic church.

  • pianiste

    “Just because some people screwed up doesn’t mean that the program needs to be abolished.”

    Some people! The board of trustees, the president of the university, a vice-president of the university, the athletic director, the football coach (arguably the most powerful person on campus), an assistant football coach, a former long-time assistant football coach who had the run of the campus and football facilities.

    And why did they “screw up” (a euphemism for a huge coverup and obstruction of justice)? Because football is apparently a bigger deal than anything else at Penn State. The new president says he wants to change Penn State “from a football factory [which it already is] to a ‘world-class research institution.’ [which apparently it ain't].”

    Abolish football altogether at Penn State? Probably not possible. But the University of Chicago–definitely “a world-class research institution”–was once a member of the Big Ten and now plays DIII football. Could Penn State do that? Well, it could try.
     

  • 12080243

    This says it all: “Mr. Erickson said Penn State would use $2-million in football-bowl proceeds it will receive this year to help establish a Center for the Protection of Children, which would conduct research and offer treatment to victims of sexual abuse.”

    Erickson continues to rationalize football and is either incompetent–he doesn’t understand his own words (rethinking the place of football), or he’s simply putting a smiley face on a disgraceful tradition as is the habit of blathering public relations oriented administrators.

  • manoflamancha

    We get what we deserve respecting “the blathering, public relations oriented administrators”. The professoriat is largly responsible for the sad state of affairs in academe. We allowed the Corporatization of the institution to take place without protest and with it, the happy, incompetent, blathering leaders we now have. There was a time not too long ago when the brightest and best rose through the ranks to lead the academy. We have strayed from our principles, becoming cozy and weak in our fur-lined rut. It is time to reoccupy the Academy! And the first to go will be million dollar coaches!

  • 11301218

    Where was Pres. Erickson all this time?  Penn State IS a world-class research
    university and has been for decades. 
    The hype over football eclipsed the scholarship. Unfortunately, people
    pay good money to watch students bang their heads, but not a dime for students
    and faculty working together in laboratories, libraries, or studios.

  • fallenchemist

    I agree with you as far as your main point about the magnitude of the problem and how much the way ColoCoug stated things trivializes it, but please quote people precisely.  You wrote that they said:  “The new president says he wants to change Penn State ‘from a football
    factory [which it already is] to a ‘world-class research institution.’ [which apparently it ain't].’ “.  You left out the key word identity, that he wants to change its identity from a football factory to a world-class research institution.  That is a statement about public perception, not what he thinks the reality at Penn State actually is.  In fact, a large number of the articles that have been written about this scandal have made a very specific point that the change of Penn State from a sleepy land-grant school to a world-class research institution has been made on the back of football.

  • 12080243

    You are absolutely right. I couldn’t have said it better. Keep in mind, with our view, administrators will get rid of us one at a time. They have, for all practical purposes, unlimited resources. Individuals are outgunned. I’m looking for ways to do something about miscreant administrators. We at least need a level playing field to take them on. See, usmnews.net

  • gasten

    Wow.  Generalize much realeducator09?  Substitute any other race/gender/group for “white male” and you would correctly be ostracized, but you believe it’s ok to make statements about a specific race and gender in this manner?

    You are apparently comfortable as a racist and sexist.  I hope your name is not an indication that you have sway with children/students.

  • http://chronicle.com/blognetwork/castingoutnines Robert Talbert

    Penn State might look to Vanderbilt University (my PhD alma mater) for a positive model of how an institution might be both a world-class research university and have excellent athletics at the same time (and mutually supportive): http://vanderbilt.rivals.com/content.asp?SID=1087&CID=247065

    This restructuring took place a few years after I graduated. I’ve seen nothing but improvement in the athletics programs since then (the football team is actually competitive these days). 

  • cwinton

    Interesting point.  We seem to have reached agreement that “sports” like boxing that emphasize bashing one’s head are not a good idea, but don’t seem to have gotten there with football or soccer (every time I see a soccer player doing a header I wince).  It’s somehow ironic that to develop minds, we have to provide the opportunity to damage them.  One has to wonder about any sport for which participants need to wear helmets.  Makes team sports like baseball and volley ball look pretty good, even basketball if you go back to emphasizing it’s non-contact intent.

  • 11274304

    Actually, when I was coaching soccer the 4-5 yr olds, I reminded the parents & the kids that the neck muscles are not developed enough to “head” the ball until at least 10 years of age. To do so earlier risked spinal injuries as well as brain injuries.  Kids, however, thought that heading the ball was the coolest move…

  • awegweiser

    I continue to be amazed as to why Pennsylvania has (1) 14 State Universities (formerly Normal Schools, then Teachers Colleges, then State Colleges), (2) the huge Pennsylvania State University and its many branched system (oops, THE PSU), ( 3) several State Related (whatever that means except funding) and (4) a number of Community Colleges and perhaps some funding to the truly elite such THE University of Pennsylvania.

  • 22079340

    Riiiiggghht!

  • crixus

    So we can have an educated population?….Nah!

  • http://profiles.google.com/greatcollegeplanning Susie Watts

    As a private college counselor, I think that Penn State is wise to rethink their football program and concentrate on some of the other outstanding opportunities for which the university is known. I do  believe, however, that Penn State is not alone.  Many large universities that have put so much stock in their football programs need to rethink them also.  Division I college football is out of control and perhaps the Penn State scandal is a wake-up call for everyone.  I hope that Penn State is serious about these changes and will serve as a model for other programs. Higher education does not need any more hits like this.

  • awegweiser

    crixus: Of course! An educated population which then finally dumped Santorum and replaced him with Toomey and, of course, our great Governor.

  • manoflamancha

    I have heard much about your efforts, and wish you luck. Know that you will always be out lawyered and outnumbered, but maybe good deeds will out. Best you take care and watch your back. These are professional Machiavellians you are dealing with.

  • jsibelius

    How do you think I wandered in here? If I didn’t have to teach today…or get to that masterclass…or attend that other function tonig…whoa…”bundt cake!”

  • 11272784

    It’s just that almost anything is more attractive than doing a task which you aren’t enthused about – even if you know you have to do it.  Don’t ask how I know this.

    Kind of like a colleague who was going to stop my office one day but didn’t appear. The next day I got an email note from him saying “Honest, I was headed over to your office – but then I saw a squirrel…”

  • MarjoryMunson

    All my life I have required less sleep than most people but I went to sleep earlier than usual on nights before exams. My study rules:

    Read all materials assigned and make limited and only important notes.

    Attend all classes, pay attention during class, and again limited notes because taking too many actually distracts you from paying full attention. You won’t have time to read excessive notes for review anyway and your distracted recall may make it impossible to figure out what they even mean.

    On the night before an exam, review the notes just before going to sleep (I learned in elementary school that worked well to make the material available to memory the next day and in the future).

    Get enough sleep to be well rested.

    This was from the old days before the Internet, but I’ve taken online courses as well and the same principles apply.

  • johnstanton

    I suspect I am in the 99th percentile when it comes to surfing the internet. I think it fair to say I have used computers on an almost daily basis since 1975. Call it 35 years x 350 days/year x 4 hours/day = 49,000 hours. The majority of that has probably been in a fugue state ;-)

    First it was BBS & Compuserve, then Usenet, then the World Wide Web. I cant wait to see how much time I can waste with the Internet 2.0.

    In all seriousness though, I can conduct research 100 times faster that I could in 1982 and I can full well see how I could do it 100 times faster than now. But it is going to require a near instantaneous connection to information and a direct computer/brain interface.

    Viva la Singularity!

  • maxbini

    Have to say the cat picture is perfect (stopped myself from typing the obvious pun) for this post.  It not only represents tiredness, but think of the way a cat will play with a dead bird or mouse and then proudly show it to you.  Most internet surfing involves trawling through heaps of garbage to find one item and then exaggeratting its value.

    This may just be me rationalizing but I often feel that a bit of time wasting gives me extra energy, enthusiasm and insight (maybe due to a sense of guilt) when I switch back to work mode.  I wrote most of my Masters and PhD theses between the hours of midnight and 4 in the morning and always felt that (although tired) I was less distracted then.

  • mbelvadi

    Two comments: (1) there is an entire web service devoted to facilitating this kind of aimless wandering the web, called StumbleUpon, which helps you aimlessly wander stuff in categories you’ve told it you’re interested in.  And (2), I would like to see follow up research as to whether coffee consumption has any effect in either direction on the correlation observed in the study, I have a theory that widespread coffee addiction is a major factor in the decline of US dominance in the global economy.

  • http://twitter.com/lswatuk Larry Swatuk

    my wife sent me this link. i was NOT aimlessly surfing. the timing of this article was impeccable: looking out on my back row in class yesterday i saw an army of zombies staring into their laptop screens. were they making notes and following the posted powerpoint? i leave that for you to decide.

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