STATE COLLEGE — In the aftermath of what he called a failure of leadership, Penn State University's new president said on Friday the school would "do the right thing" as trustees began the latest investigation into what went wrong.
"Never again should anyone at Penn State feel scared to do the right thing," Rodney Erickson said at a packed news conference, referring to the apparent failure to act on child sex-abuse allegations against a former assistant football coach that now involve federal and state investigations.
Erickson, 65, the former vice president and provost who trustees named on Wednesday to lead the university, vowed to hire an ethics officer to ensure everyone associated with Penn State adheres to high standards.
"I will reinforce to the entire Penn State community the moral imperative of doing the right thing -- the first time, every time," he said, noting that it appears from investigators' reports that some individuals were afraid to come forward with allegations that date back to at least 1998.
Prosecutors charged former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky with 40 counts involving child sex abuse. That led trustees to oust coaching legend Joe Paterno, university president Graham Spanier, athletic director Tim Curley and vice president Gary Schultz. Curley and Schultz also face charges, and all the departures are linked to failure to report to police what they knew about the case in 2002.
That's when assistant coach Mike McQueary reported to Paterno that he saw Sandusky involved in sex with a boy in a shower room, a grand jury report says. Paterno told Curley, but not police. Yesterday, the university placed McQueary on paid administrative leave, and he won't coach at the game against Nebraska today; he has not been charged or fired, and police say he has received death threats.
Also investigating the university or Sandusky are states where investigators say he brought young boys on football trips, and the Department of Education.
Paterno retained legal help yesterday, according to a statement his son, Scott Paterno, sent out. "On behalf of my father, I have retained Wick Sollers at the law firm of King & Spalding" of Washington. "My father's desire is for the truth to be uncovered, and he will work with his lawyers to that end."
Trustees named Merck pharmaceutical CEO Kenneth C. Frazier to chair an independent panel to investigate how the university handled the case. State Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis will serve as vice chairman of the panel. No other committee members, some of whom will be trustees, were identified.
Frazier demurred when asked to comment on the circumstances surrounding the board's first knowledge of the allegations. Others were reluctant to discuss the matter.
"This is a very difficult time. I just feel it's best if the board speaks with one voice," said trustee David Joyner, an orthopedist and health care business consultant.
Board member Barron Hetherington, a farmer and state agriculture adviser from Schuylkill County, suggested the search for a permanent replacement for Spanier may not be a top priority with Erickson in the president's office.
"We need to get a football coach, a financial officer and an athletic director," Hetherington said.
Trustees decided to remove "interim" from Erickson's title, as a show of support, spokeswoman Lisa Powers said.
Erickson said he's been involved strictly with academics for the past 12 1/2 years and cautioned that he has a lot to learn about athletics.
Penn State alum William Clarke, a retired high school principal from Marlton, N.J., said Erickson's comments were heartening.
"I thought he was solid and concise. He didn't go on and on and try to put a spin on things, and that's good. I loved Joe Paterno, but they've got to move quickly to right the ship," Clarke said.
Gov. Tom Corbett, who has been meeting with trustees the past three days, held an impromptu meeting with student leaders and urged them to go forward with efforts to protect children.
Prosecutors in Texas said they are investigating whether Sandusky should be charged with sexual assault of a boy there. Grand jury testimony indicated Sandusky sexually assaulted one of his young victims when Penn State was in San Antonio for the 1999 Alamo Bowl.
"We are looking into the possibility that an offense may have happened in San Antonio," police Sgt. Chris Benavides said.
Mary O'Connor, a spokeswoman for the Tampa (Fla.) Police Department, said police are looking into what might have happened during a Penn State trip to the Outback Bowl in Tampa, but haven't decided whether to open a criminal investigation. The grand jury report says the trip was in 1998, although Penn State actually was there in 1996. The department plans to make an announcement on Monday, she said.
"We are gathering research," O'Connor said.
Two Chosen to lead Investigative team
On Friday, the Penn State board of trustees announced who will lead its special investigation committee to look into the child sex-abuse case involving former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.
⢠Kenneth C. Frazier, chairman
Age: 56
Occupation: Frazier is president, chief executive officer and a member of the board of directors of Merck & Co. Inc.
PSU connection: Frazier graduated from Penn State in 1975 with a degree in political science and earned his law degree from Harvard Law School in 1978. He received the Alumni Fellow Award from Penn State in 2001 and the Distinguished Alumni Award in 2003. He was elected to the university's board of trustees for a three-year term beginning July 1, 2009.
Community: Frazier lives in Newtown, Bucks County.
⢠Ron Tomalis, vice chairman
Age: 49
Occupation: Tomalis is the Pennsylvania secretary of Education. From 1995 to 2001, he served as the department's executive deputy secretary under former Gov. Tom Ridge. From 2001 to 2004, he worked for the U.S. Department of Education in several positions, including counselor to the secretary and as acting assistant secretary of Education in the Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Connection to PSU: Penn State is a state-related school and receives funding from the state. By virtue of his position, Tomalis serves as a member of the Penn State board of trustees. He is a 1984 graduate of Dickinson College, where he majored in political science and American studies.
Community: Tomalis lives in Camp Hill, Cumberland County.
— Rachel Weaver
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Penn State Scandal
Coverage of the day and nights events at Penn State University.
Penn State candlelight vigil in support of abused children
Thousands of Penn State students gathered outside the Old Main administrative building on campus Friday night for a candlelight vigil in support of abused children. Former linebacker LaVar Arrington spoke during the gathering.
Other developments
⢠Someone tossed chunks of cinder block through a window of former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky's home in State College, according to borough police.
The incident occurred at about 10:20 p.m. on Thursday, police said. Sandusky, whose house is next door to an elementary school playground, was not at home at the time.
⢠Copies of Sandusky's autobiography 'Touched' were still available for sale in Penn State's bookstore as of Friday afternoon.
Several university alumni who were in State College for today's game against Nebraska told the Patriot-News newspaper that they believed it was an oversight that the book was still being sold.
⢠A major credit agency warns that Penn State's bond rating could be downgraded because of risks to its reputation and finances from the child sex abuse scandal.
Officials with Moody's Investors Service said on Friday that they are reviewing the university's Aa1 bond rating for a possible downgrade and will assess the potential financial impact on the university from possible lawsuits, a decline in applications, the loss of donations from philanthropies and changes in its relationship with the state.
⢠Steelers legend and Penn State great Franco Harris blasted Penn State's trustees for firing coach Joe Paterno and promised to support his former coach by visiting him today.
'I feel that the board made a bad decision in letting Joe Paterno go,' Harris said. 'I'm very disappointed in their decision. I thought they showed no courage, not to back someone who really needed it at the time. They were saying the football program under Joe was at fault.
'If I had to choose today between the moral integrity and character of Joe Paterno and the politicians and commentators criticizing him, I would pick Joe Paterno, hands down, no contest every time.'
⢠Penn State alumni have started a fundraising drive to help victims of sexual abuse and to show pride in the university in the wake of the child sex-abuse scandal.
The group is partnered with RAINN.org, an organization that combats sexual violence; the money will be used for sexual abuse prevention and treatment efforts.
The alumni group set a $500,000 goal, $1 for each of the more than the 557,000 alumni. It said it had raised more than $130,000 as of Friday afternoon.
