Penn State Could Lose Accreditation Due To Scandal

The actions of Jerry Sandusky followed by the lack of actions from Joe Paterno and several other high ranking officials at Penn State may soon cause the school to lose its accreditation status.

The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, an organization responsible for accrediting universities in the Mid-Atlantic region, recently told Penn State that its accreditation status was in jeapordy.

The accrediting organization said that it put Penn State “on warning” after the release of the Freeh Report, which detailed how Paterno and other Penn State officials tried to cover-up the Jerry Sandusky scandal. The Middle States Commission has asked Penn State to provide a report showing what chances it has made to ensure that a similar situation does not happen again. The Commission also asked for a report on how the University plans to handle any settlements related to the scandal.

Blannie Bowen, vice provost for academic affairs, wrote on the University’s website that Penn State’s academics were not under scrutiny by the commission.

Bowen told the Huffington Post:

“This action has nothing to do with the quality of education our students receive…. Middle States is focusing on governance, integrity, and financial issues related to information in the Freeh report and other items related to our current situation.”

Bowen said that Penn State has taken several steps to comply with the commission’s standards on leadership and governance and was confident that Penn State would keep its accreditation.

Penn State has already received large penalties from the NCAA in regard to its football program. Do you think the school should lose its accreditation, too?