Accreditor Lifts Warning Placed on Penn State for Handling of Sex-Abuse Scandal

The Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Higher Education has lifted a warning it had given to Pennsylvania State University over its handling of the Jerry Sandusky sex-abuse scandal, according to a notice posted on the accreditor’s Web site. The agency placed Penn State on warning status in August and told campus officials to submit a report documenting that the university’s finances and governance complied with the accreditor’s standards. In its report, the accreditation team said it was “impressed by the degree to which Penn State has risen, as a strong campus community, to recognize and respond to the sad events” that led to its being placed on warning status. In lifting its warning, the agency also reaffirmed Penn State’s accreditation.