Penn State Prepared for the Release of the Freeh Group Report

In a press release notable for its subtle reminder of the connection made by some between the former employment roles one of the principals in the Freeh Group, the firm hired to investigate the events surrounding the indictment of Mr. Sandusky, and the legitimacy of the content of the report of that investigaiton, Penn State transmitted the following message to its internal and external stakeholders via its Press Release portal, Penn State Live:

Louis Freeh, the former FBI director and federal judge who has led an independent, external investigation into all aspects of the University's actions related to child abuse allegations against former assistant coach Jerry Sandusky, has just announced he will release the findings of his investigation at 9 a.m. Thursday, July 12, at http://www.TheFreehReportonPSU.com online.

We look forward to seeing the report on July 12 and reviewing Freeh's recommendations. The Board of Trustees will be holding a regular meeting this week at Penn State Worthington Scranton, and the University will provide a response on Thursday in Scranton at a time and location to be announced. (Results of Freeh investigation to be released July 12, Penn State Live, July 10, 2012).

This post considers briefly some of the ramifications of this report, and especially the potential role of the University Faculty Senate once the Freeh Report is made available. 

Penn State's Cultures of Silence: A View From Outside In and Inside Out

The Sandusky scandal has produced a number of distinct stories about Penn State.  For some, Sandusky represents the story of a predator that betrayed a trust; for others it is the story of administrative arrogance in the face of bad conduct by a protected inferior, for still others it is a story of managerial indifference.  Like an accordion, the reality of the Sandusky story can be expanded or contracted to suit the needs and objectives of the speaker.

(Pix of Frank Noonan, from Dennis Owen, State police head stands by criticism of Paterno, Penn State, ABC 27 News, July 3-4, 2012)

Each of these versions of the Sandusky story produces a different focus and reaction.  For some, it requires focus on education and training respecting pedophiles and the management of children on campus, for others it is an indictment of the cultures of administration, for still others it is a conformation of the collusion between administrators and boards.  For many, the trial and conviction of Mr. Sandusky, coupled with an emphasis on training in the management of children on campus is sufficient and that, now resolved, should permit Penn State to resume its pre scandal operations as if little has changed.  For Pennsylvania State Police Commissioner Frank Noonan, the problem runs both deeper and in another direction--in the cultivation of cultures of reprisal and silence that remains a troubling part of university life.  This is story related in a recent news story.  Dennis Owen, State police head stands by criticism of Paterno, Penn State, ABC 27 News, July 3-4, 2012.

This post considers that story and its implications for Penn State in general and the Penn State University Faculty Senate in particular. 

A Tale of Two Senates: "Faculty Discipline Makes All the Difference"

One of my colleagues brought to my attention Siva Vaidhyanathan's excellent commentary published to the Chronicle of Higher Education:  What We Learned at UVa, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 27, 2012. The assessment is well worth considering in its entirety.  It captures well an awakening to the realities of great changes now roiling around the university.

(From New U.Va. head delays transition until Sullivan's fate settled, June 21, 2012)

His assessment of the long term results of the ouster and reinstatement of President Sullivan may be contested.  He correctly posits that the Sullivan affair was about "who gets to guide the future of a great research university." (Ibid.). But in his defense of the old order he misunderstands the forces that are moving us away from the old model--even at great research universities--reducing them to "a small cabal of market- and techno-fundamentalists [who present] as a clear danger to not only the traditions of their alma mater but to the very value of the degrees they have earned" (Ibid.).  But see this blog: Charting the Passing of an Age or Counter-Reformation?: The University of Virginia Saga Continues on of the Future of Board-Administration Relationships, June 22, 2012).

On the other hand, his comments on the role of the Virgina Faculty Senate are valuable and worth serious consideration.  They suggest, to some extent, a reminder of the simple insight that the quality quality and commitment of representation on a Senate may translate into the quality and influence of the Senate as an institution. At the same time, to the extent it suggests management of faculty representation on the Senate by administrators, it raises issues as troubling as those about the division of authority between president and board of trustees.

Non-Tenure Track (Contingent or Fixed Term) Faculty and Shared Governance, A Report From the AAUP

Among the most important changes in the nature of the university is the character is the composition of the faculty.  Though many cling to the ideal of a university composed of faculty-administrators and tenured faculty (and the ideology of education that follows), the reality is much different.  Administrators are increasingly disconnected from the faculties they manage and faculties are no longer composed primarily of tenured members. Universities are now grappling with the consequences even as they cling to the old ideology. (E.g. on this blog, Is it Possible for a University to Abandon a Passive and Defensive Attitude in the Face of a Weak Economy and Lack of Government Support--The Price of "Yes";  and Coalition on the Academic Workforce and AAUP: Publication of Results of Its Survey of Contingent Faculty).

(Pix from AAUP Contingent Faculty Website))

Most attention on contingent or fixed term faculty focuses on their working conditions and their effect on the ideal of a tenured faculty as in threat to the tenure system, a weakening of academic freedom, the corporatization of the university and the development of a class system in education and research). There has been little focus on the role of fixed term or contingent faculty in governance. Now comes the AAUP with a Report, "The Inclusion in Governance of Faculty Members Holding Contingent Appoints," June 28, 2012, that seeks to fill that void,

Attendance by Faculty Senators at Senate Functions and Meetings

One of the problems of shared governance is that both the benefits and burdens of duty are shared. For some, sharing provides an opportunity to leverage the work of others, the free rider problem well known to students of economics, political science, collective bargaining and psychology.  For faculty Senates, a principal problem touches on attendance of its members.  It has become a standing joke, for example, that many Senators traditionally leave the meeting of the full Senate either after the President has stood for questions or after consideration of legislative matters of notoriety.

(Pix (c) Larry Catá Backer 2012)

Recent scholarship suggests that an emphasis on the strengthening of social norms, rather than more efficient mechanics of command and punishment, tend to reduce the problems of free riding in larger organizations. Ostrom, Elinor (2000). "Collective Action and the Evolution of Social Norms,"Journal of Economic Perspectives 14 (3): 137-158. Retrieved 23 May 2012. Her central finding is that "the world contains multiple types of individuals, some more willing than others to initiate reciprocity to achieve the benefits of collective action.  Thus, a core question is how potential cooperators signal one another and design institutions that reinforce rather than destroy conditional cooperation."  (Ibid., 138). She suggested that rather than focusing on external changes in payoff structures, development of collective social norms--shared understandings about actions that are obligatory, permitted or forbidden--might better enhance cooperative behavior.    Ibid., 154.

This post describes the Penn State Faculty Senate's approach to attendance. 

Online Education and Educational Hubs--The Search for More Markets

Online Universities.com is in the business of providing resources in online education to help interested persons maximize their distance learning experience. Their staff writers have recently posted to their blog a post entitled:  8 Nations Leading the Way in Online Education, June 26, 2012)

(Pix from OnlineUniversities.com, 8 Nations Leading the Way in Online Education, June 26, 2012)

 

 The post focuses on the spread of online education by country.  The writers note:

Online education is quickly becoming a major phenomenon around the world. The ease and convenience it offers learners appeal to people just about everywhere, especially those who are trying to balance work, family, and other obligations with completing a degree or certification program. Yet certain nations have embraced online education more than others, leading the way both in terms of the number and variety of programs and new innovations to online learning itself. Here, we’ve highlighted some of the nations that are really stepping up the game when it comes to online education, though with the proliferation of high-speed Internet connections and a growing need for highly educated candidates in technical positions around the world, other nations likely aren’t far behind. (Ibid.).

The Blog post considers each of these efforts in turn, basing their view on the unique number of IP addresses and suggesting that there may be a correlation between the potential for market penetration of online education and the growth of IP addresses. It then addresses the creation of an alternative to online education--educational hubs. Jason Lane and Kevin Kinser, Me Too, Me, Too!, Worldwise, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 26, 2012.

 

For more click HERE.

Is it Possible for a University to Abandon a Passive and Defensive Attitude in the Face of a Weak Economy and Lack of Government Support--The Price of "Yes"

I have been looking at some of the institutional effects of weakening economies on elite universities.  The University of Virginia provides a sad example of a likely pattern of response (e.g. Charting the Passing of an Age or Counter-Reformation?: The University of Virginia Saga Continues on of the Future of Board-Administration Relationships).  But it is not the only one. "Susan Herbst, president of the University of Connecticut, says she feels that academic institutions are generally heading in the wrong direction during the economic downturn. "Higher education and research are not broken," Ms. Herbst said. 'I do not think they need some fundamental and profound change.'" Beth Mole, Bucking the Bad Economy, a Few Universities Plan to Hire Hundreds of Faculty, Chronicle of Higher Education, June 25, 2012.

(Beth Mole, Bucking the Bad Economy, a Few Universities Plan to Hire Hundreds of Faculty, supra "Susan Herbt, president of the U. of Connecticut, delivers her first State of the University speech in April. Her plans include hiring nearly 300 new faculty members.")

This is the great insight of an article published recently in the Chronicle of Higher Education.  But it is not just attitude.  There is a price to be paid for optimism; while higher education is not broken, the traditional methods of administrative reaction to downturns--reductions, retrenchment, cost cutting in services and faculty--may make matters worse in the long term.  But is the alternative more savory?

Reflections on the Verdict in Commonwealth v. Sandusky

President Rodney Erickson has released a  Message from President Rodney Erickson on Sandusky trial verdict, Penn State Live, June 22, 2012, that I referenced in a prior post. The focus of the university has been, as it should, on the victims, the procedural fairness of the investigation and trial, the societal issue of child sexual abuse, and in the wake of the verdict, on making things right.  These are critically important areas of concern that ought to top the university's immediate agenda.  

But these events, and its lessons, also touch on broader themes that ought not to be lost. Speaking for myself, I briefly reflect on some of these broader institutional lessons and challenges that ought, as well, not be forgotten, as the university moves forward.

Sandusky Verdict In--Guilty of 45 of 48 Counts

(Pix from Kevin Johnson, Sandusky convicted on 45 of 48 charges in sex-abuse case, USA Today, June 22, 2012)

"Former Penn State assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky has been found guilty of 45 out of 48 counts of child sexual abuse involving 10 victims." (Kevin Johnson, Sandusky convicted on 45 of 48 charges in sex-abuse case, USA Today, June 22, 2012).

What follows is the statement the university released (Statement From Penn State, ESPN.com,  June 22, 2012).

Charting the Passing of an Age or Counter-Reformation?: The University of Virginia Saga Continues on of the Future of Board-Administration Relationships

The development of shared governance, and particularly its manifestation in the respective roles of board of trustees and senior university administrators, continues to play out, not at Penn State, but at the University of Virginia.  The stakes are fairly high--setting the template for board-administration relations, with both sides beginning to stake out their positions a little better.  "In her first extensive public statement since she was forced out of the University of Virginia presidency, Teresa A. Sullivan cast herself Monday as an "incrementalist" resistant to "corporate-style, top-down leadership."" Jack Stripling, Departing President Defends Her 'Incremental' Approach to Change at U. of Virginia, The Chronicle of Higher Education, June 18, 2012.

(Pix from Jack Stripling, Departing President Defends Her 'Incremental' Approach to Change at U. of Virginia, supra)

This post provides some additional perspectives, first from a person who wishes to remain anonymous, and then from a conversation among people interested in the consequences of these events.It also suggests the power of the old vision, as the movement toward reinstatement of the deposed president appears to gain some traction.