Emmert Says Penn State Child Abuse Scandal, a ‘Cautionary Tale,’
An article by Libby Sander in the Chronicle of Higher Education quotes liberally from UW recent ex-President about the situation at Penn State.
“It certainly didn’t help Penn State’s reputation,” Emmert said. “This isn’t about who’s going to be the coach on Saturday. This is about the eight or more young people whose lives have been irreparably harmed by despicable behavior. ”
All fine and good and, I presume, heart-felt but Emmert’s UW career suggests a lack of insight into the real issues. Perhaps the most obvious example was the President’s decision to exempt Nike’s deal with Provost, Phyllis Wise, from the ethical rules that govern such interactions for all other faculty.
This same President unilaterally rejected a Faculty Council finding in regard to an ethical issue, asserting that the faculty was “arbitrary and capricious.”
Mark Emmert now asks, “Can we structure organizational cultures where we love and revere and enjoy our athletic teams but at the same time keep them in proper perspective?”
I think Emmert already answered that question during his tenure here.