STATE COLLEGE — It has taken about one year, but Penn State University is poised to select a new president on Monday.
PSU’s Board of Trustees is expected to vote for a new leader, someone who will inherit a university still dealing with the fallout from the Jerry Sandusky sex abuse scandal.
Old Main is at the heart of Penn State’s main campus in Centre County, a large building with a lot of history.
Soon, someone new could be moving into the president’s office after a long-running scandal thrust the university into the national spotlight.
First, the arrest of Jerry Sandusky in 2011. The child sex abuse scandal widened, snaring top administrators at the school in an alleged cover-up.
Legendary football coach Joe Paterno was fired, and Graham Spanier, who had been president at the university for 16 years, was out as well.
Eventually, Spanier was charged in connection with the alleged cover-up and awaits trial.
The former PSU Provost was appointed by Penn State’s Board of Trustees, Rodney Erickson, took over but committed to leaving the post at the end of this academic year.
The search started in early 2013 for the person who would come to Happy Valley and handle the massive university system with nearly 100,000 students at campuses throughout the state.
News reports in the past few days point to Florida State’s president, Eric Barron. Barron is no stranger to PSU, a former professor and dean there. He’s regarded as the likely successor and 18th president at the university.
The Penn State Board of Trustees meets at noon Monday to vote. Then we should know officially who will take over the university in the heart of the state.
