AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar
In 2012, the former FBI director Louis J. Freeh released a damning report about the child sex-abuse scandal involving Jerry Sandusky, a former assistant coach for Pennsylvania State University’s football team. The report concluded that Penn State’s leaders, including Graham B. Spanier, its president at the time, had conspired to conceal Mr. Sandusky’s abuse.
The scandal rocked the university and carried major consequences: Mr. Sandusky was sent to prison for his crimes. Mr. Spanier was hit with criminal charges. And the NCAA imposed serious penalties on the university, some of which it later rescinded.
This selection of articles from The Chronicle‘s archives looks back on the scandal and its fallout.
Legal
A federal judge tosses the former Penn State chief’s conviction tied to Jerry Sandusky’s crimes.
Leadership
After Graham Spanier’s conviction last week, a Penn State trustee said he was “running out of sympathy” for Jerry Sandusky’s abuse victims. Those remarks and a furious statement by Louis Freeh suggest anything but calm.
The Scene in the Courtroom
The former Penn State president, charged in connection with Jerry Sandusky’s sexual abuse, was found guilty on one count of endangering the welfare of children, but not guilty on two other charges.
Reaction and Analysis
Higher-education experts said the scandal made clear that universities need to investigate serious allegations quickly and extensively.
News
After deliberating for more than 12 hours, the jury handed down the long-awaited split verdict.
Leadership
Prosecutors argued that the former Penn State chief might have spared some of Jerry Sandusky’s sexual-abuse victims, but instead conspired to preserve the university’s reputation.
Leadership
Tim Curley and Gary Schultz, both high-ranking former administrators at Penn State, were confronted in court with the fact that Jerry Sandusky kept abusing boys after they decided not to report that the coach was seen showering with a child.
Leadership
Testimony in a Pennsylvania courtroom, while familiar, was for the first time squarely aimed at the university’s former chief.
Leadership
The prosecution of Penn State’s former president, charged with covering up Jerry Sandusky’s abuse, will scrutinize administrative decision-making and feed on a growing culture of accountability.
Government
The Education Department penalized the university $2.4 million after an investigation sparked by the Sandusky scandal. Its findings in the case could hold lessons for other colleges.
Overview
The Freeh report paints an ugly picture of leaders’ turning a blind eye to abuse on their campus.
Failure in Leadership
Thus far Graham B. Spanier has not faced criminal liability for his role. That may soon change.
Inside the Report
The report paints a damning portrait of how they handled sex-abuse charges. We break down which administrators knew what—and why they failed to act.
News
Investigators working on a report about Penn State’s handling of the Jerry Sandusky scandal uncovered dozens of emails in which top university administrators discuss how to respond to allegations against the former coach.
News
A grand-jury report released in 2011 highlighted key events in the scandal’s history.
Penn State Fallout
The former Penn State president is accused of being part of a “conspiracy of silence.” He faces eight criminal counts, five of which are felonies.
Leadership
As Graham Spanier fights to clear his name, an eclectic group of defenders has coalesced around the former Penn State chief.
Penn State Scandal
Coping with public scorn, faculty members in State College also see a chance to shift the balance of power.
Facing the Fallout
The punishment is likely to hobble the university’s football team for years to come.
2012 Roundup
It was the Paterno Family Professorship in Literature. That’s all you need to know, right? No. In fact, much of what you think you know is wrong.
Commentary
Forget Penn State: The NCAA’s vengeful reaction obscures the resolve we’ll need to deal with the conflict between sports and academics.
The Review
Would the presence of a woman in authority in the athletic department have made a difference as the scandal unfolded?
