Penn State University Still Needs to Continue its Reputation Management Campaign
Even months later, Penn State continues its mission of reputation management after the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Jerry Sandusky was an assistant coach for the Nittany Lions’ football team that was accused of several counts of sexually abusing young boys. Needless to say, this has formed quite the controversy surrounding the institution and how it runs. Various individuals and groups have publicly criticized the university on the internet and in the press.
Part of the reputation management campaign is dealing with the university’s decision to relieve long-time football head coach Joe Paterno from his job. Penn State received a lot of flak from alumni, former players, current students, and fans after the decision to dismiss Joe-Pa, as he is affectionately known. As what can only be seen as part of a PR campaign to satisfy fans, students, and alumni the university has also announced that it will be paying Joe Paterno as if he had retired and not been let go by the university. For fans of Joe-Pa this does not seem to be enough, they feel he shouldn’t have been dismissed in the first place.
While many on the connected to Penn State in some fashion disliked the dismissal, many on the outside saw it as a necessary step. Many people believed that Joe-Pa did not handle the situation properly; they believed that he should have done more than simply pass the initial accusations on to his superiors. Paterno believes that he did the right thing by passing the basic information he was given to the proper channels, but does admit that he could have done more.
As a result of Sandusky’s actions, and even some of their own, or lack thereof, the scandal has affected the jobs of a few different employees of the university. Including the release of Sandusky and Paterno, the university fired the Athletic director at the time, Tim Curley, and former university vice president, Gary Schultz. As part of his duties, Schultz was in charge of directing campus police. Both men now face perjury and failure to report sexual abuse allegations.
In a recent town hall style assembly with alumni, current Penn State University President Rodney Erickson addressed the situation. He stated his belief that these allegations were not a university scandal, but only a Sandusky issue. While the folks involved in this scandal have been let go by the university, it does continue to be a university issue. Jerry Sandusky will forever be linked to Penn State since he was a coach at the institution while these acts were allegedly committed, so it will never be seen as only a “Sandusky Scandal”. The fact that other members of the university had a hand in sweeping the allegations under the rug and not reporting the initial accusations keep the scandal from being only a “Sandusky Scandal” also. Dealing with these issues and renewing a positive reputation will drag on for Penn State for several years.
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