PSU president to discuss scandal with alums

Penn State University President Rodney Erickson will be in Pittsburgh next week to take questions from alumni concerned about the child sex abuse scandal during the first of three town hall-style meetings.

Next Wednesday's 7 p.m. session planned for the Doubletree by Hilton, One Bigelow Square, Downtown, is the first of three gatherings for alums scheduled for consecutive nights in Pittsburgh, Greater Philadelphia and New York City.

Mr. Erickson will be at the Radisson Hotel Valley Forge, 1160 First Ave., King of Prussia, on Jan. 12 and at the Marriott Downtown, 85 West St. at Albany St., in Manhattan on Jan. 13, university officials said Tuesday.

Those wishing to attend must register in advance given seating constraints, and walk-ins will be allowed only if space permits, the officials said. Each session is sponsored by the Penn State Alumni Association.

Mr. Erickson, in office for two months, has vowed open communication with faculty, staff, students and other university constituencies as Penn State attempts to repair its image. He and a panel of Penn State administrators attended an emotional town hall-style session with students on the main University Park campus on Nov. 30, nearly a month after the arrest of former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky on child sex abuse charges.

"Alumni have justifiable concerns and questions about the crisis that Penn State is facing," Roger L. Williams, executive director of the Penn State Alumni Association, said in a prepared statement. "While we have heard from and responded to thousands of alumni e-mails and phone calls, we thought alumni would welcome the opportunity to have their questions answered face-to-face by our new president. And President Erickson is eager to talk with alumni."

The scandal led to the firing of Penn State's famed football coach Joe Paterno and the resignation of the school's president Graham Spanier. Both faced criticism over the university's failure to report to law enforcement allegations that Mr. Sandusky sexually assaulted a boy in a campus shower in 2002.

In all, Mr. Sandusky faces 52 counts of sexual abuse involving 10 children over more than a decade.

Two other Penn State administrators were charged with perjury and failing to report allegations of child sex abuse.

Each of the 90-minute alumni sessions starts at 7 p.m. Penn State said those wishing to attend can register at www.alumni.psu.edu/events, and can have questions addressed by e-mail at alumni-events@psu.edu or by calling the Alumni Association at 800-548-LION (5466).

Bill Schackner:bschackner@post-gazette.com or 412-263-1977.

First published on January 4, 2012 at 12:00 am

Source: http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/12004/1201053-100.stm?cmpid=latest.xml

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