Last month’s release of e-mails between the Pennsylvania Attorney General’s office and Louis Freeh’s investigators was a partial victory in the hunt for the truth. They showed a clear bias toward creating a final report that matched the narrative originally established by prosecutors in November 2011. But the disclosure didn’t go far enough. The AG’s Right-to-Know … Read more »

The Corbett administration announced yesterday that state records of Penn State trustees should be subject to Pennsylvania’s open records law. Conceding a key issue in a dispute over whether trustee records of Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis are public, an administration spokesman told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that a ruling by the Office of Open Records improperly … Read more »

The Corbett administration is fighting to conceal state documents that show what a handful of public officials did while serving on Penn State’s Board of Trustees. Calling it “ridiculous” to have to release records of so-called “ex-officio” board members, Corbett attorneys last month asked the Commonwealth Court to let it keep records of the governor … Read more »

PS4RS is out with their top-six picks. Anthony Lubrano has endorsed his favorite three. The 2013 trustee race is getting some clarity. After last year’s election, my wife, who’s a statistics wizard, plugged some number into her computer and came up with the following observations: the alumni preferred candidates who were older than me (I’m … Read more »

The 12 emails between state prosecutors and Freeh investigators I released today don’t prove a thing. They don’t indicate that Paterno, Spanier, Curley or Schultz are innocent, and they won’t convince the world that anybody that has anything to do with Penn State isn’t scum. What they do suggest, if not confirm, is that the … Read more »

It was billed as an independent investigation that would serve as the definitive narrative on what happened at Penn State. But a series of internal emails released by the Pennsylvania Attorney General last week suggest investigators for Louis J. Freeh didn’t arrive at their conclusions on their own. After working with state prosecutors to convict … Read more »

In your opinion, is there an appropriate time to honor Joe Paterno’s 61 years of service to Penn State? Why/why not? -MJ Neumann Thanks for the question about when/if to honor Joe. A year after his death, it tops the list of alumni complaints. It is also one of the most polarizing issues Penn State … Read more »

As a participant of many PSU “groups”, I have noticed many alumni saying that they are withholding donations to the university. I am a parent of a current senior who has benefited greatly from scholarship funds and is very appreciative to the donors who have made her education at PSU a possibility. My concern for … Read more »

Since the Office of Open Records ordered the Department of Education last month to release contracts with Louis J. Freeh, I’d been wondering how it was going to respond. Surely it wouldn’t just hand over the contracts after blocking three previous requests. Somehow it would try to weasel out of doing what it should do. … Read more »

It’s been more than a year since Penn State found itself facing a crisis of historic proportions. We watched for a week as the university’s leaders failed us over and over again. Many expected that the Board of Trustees would quickly change its practices to end the culture of secrecy and cronyism that has prevailed … Read more »

The Pennsylvania Office of Open Records has ordered  the Department of Education to release copies of contracts that involve Louis Freeh’s law firm. The Dec. 28 order by Appeals Officer Audrey Buglione also said the department can’t claim that it’s allowed to withhold the records under other exceptions listed in the state’s Right-to-Know Law. “The … Read more »

Tom Corbett became Pennsylvania’s favorite politician for a day. In a bizarre move that many are still struggling to completely understand, the embattled governor and Penn State trustee suddenly decided to fight the university’s unfair and unprecedented sanctions by filing an antitrust lawsuit against the NCAA. It came six months after the sanctions were imposed, and went forward without … Read more »

Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis has one thing to say about whether he has a copy of Penn State’s contract with Louis Freeh: “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” That was essentially his department’s response to my latest request for a copy of the contract - the third time my request was deemed so unclear that … Read more »

Ever hear of a guy named Carl Schaffer? Neither have I. Until yesterday, that is, when the Centre Daily Times said the trustee “scoffed” at recommendations to raise transparency and accountability at Penn State. In response to a plan for reform released by state Auditor General Jack Wagner on Wednesday, Shaffer, who’s also the president … Read more »

For the last few months, I’ve been trying to get a copy of Penn State’s agreement with Freeh Sporkin & Sullivan that governed the conduct of its investigation. Ron Tomalis, the Penn State trustee and Secretary of Education, was also second in command of the board committee that hired Freeh. So you’d think he, of … Read more »

Penn State President Rodney Erickson has granted a number of interviews in recent weeks as media outlets across the country began marking the one-year anniversary of the Jerry Sandusky scandal. One story, published on Tuesday by Bill Schackner of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, particularly raised my eyebrows. When asked about his grand jury testimony in September, … Read more »

PennLive.com has a story today about a another billboard with anti-trustee messages. But this one is a little farther from State College, where other critical billboards have emerged in recent months. Harrisburg motorists are being targeted this time with a series of questions about Penn State’s reaction to the Sandusky scandal. One asks, “If Penn … Read more »

Today I filed a lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Office of Open Records, challenging its decision to allow state officials to withhold public documents about Penn State. My suit stems from an information request in June, which sought emails and other documents received by Secretary of Education Ron Tomalis in his capacity as Penn State trustee. … Read more »

Penn State trustees held a secret “retreat” earlier this year, and had at least casual contact with consultants who were investigating the Sandusky scandal, according recently released state documents. The idea of a June gathering was talked about during the trustee’s public meeting in May, according to an e-mail from Paula R.  Ammerman, the board’s … Read more »

After Penn State leaders agreed to a fierce beating from the NCAA last week, alumni, angered by the sanctions’ depth, looked for somebody – anybody – to stop the State College train that keeps wrecking itself. For many, their search ended at Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, the grass-roots, Facebook-centered group whose membership rose by … Read more »

A few days ago, a friend was kind enough to dig up a heated Facebook discussion that emerged in the wake of the Sandusky charges in November. I’m sure you can guess how it went, because you went through many similar discussions yourself, but here’s a summary: Friend: I would like for you to complete … Read more »

Hey. Did you hear that? Steve Garban, the embattled Penn State trustee, finally resigned tonight. He knew about the Sandusky charges a week before they were announced, but apparently did nothing to stop the train wreck from unfolding. What? You didn’t hear anything? Oh, right. That’s because his resignation barely made a whisper. There was … Read more »

Penn State trustees will allow a handful of citizens to speak at their meetings, but only if it’s about a topic board members allow. Under changes approved to the board’s bylaws Friday, up to 10 people will be allowed to speak for three minutes each until a 30-minute clock runs out. But the 10 will … Read more »

Penn State trustees approved shorter term limits today that won’t apply to themselves. The new 12-year limits will take effect on July 1 and apply to those elected starting in 2013.  Existing trustees will still be able to serve five three-year terms, for a total of 15 years. The proposal will also apply to board members … Read more »

I’m still reading, but here are some things we should take note of: 1. Wendell Courtney is an f’in liar Penn State’s former lawyer-in-chief told the New York times in November that he would have been “duty bound to report to law enforcement officials any allegations of inappropriate conduct toward children by Sandusky” in 2001. Since … Read more »

In February, she led a closed-door meeting to talk about how trustees should restructure their group, a clear violation of the law. Once a week, her executive committee meets by phone to talk about whatever she deems necessary. And last night, as Penn Staters everywhere braced for the release of the Freeh report tomorrow, trustees … Read more »

In a sign that public support for Penn State remains strong, the number of donors that gave money to Pennsylvania’s flagship university increased modestly last year, officials reported yesterday. Fundraisers managed to reel in 8,000 more contributors during the 2012 fiscal year, netting $208 million for the quasi-public university from 191,000 donors. It was the second-best … Read more »

In the wake of the Sandusky scandal, state Rep. Eugene DePasquale wanted to pry open Penn State’s doors and make its records open to the public. But even with the unprecedented exposure of the university’s secrecy, the York Democrat’s bill never made it out of committee When legislators return to Harrisburg in the fall, DePasquale will … Read more »

I’m don’t agree with Anthony Lubrano on everything. The trustee-elect’s insistence on making trustees apologize for firing Joe Paterno is misguided. He often talks about greater “transparency” among trustees, but hasn’t proposed specific plans to improve it. And he’s still teaming up with Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, whose most vocal members have often made … Read more »

Many of us are hoping the Freeh report will be the definitive source about what happened in 2001. But there are indications it might provide more questions than answers. Take this paragraph from today’s Philadelphia Inquirer: According to sources familiar with the investigation – none of whom agreed to be identified by name because of … Read more »

Details of emails that reveal how top Penn State administrators handled the 2001 Sandusky allegation have finally leaked out. But many of us are having trouble getting our heads around what they really say. So I thought creating a timeline of how administrators handled the 2001 incident would be helpful. And in that context, I have two … Read more »

Trustee-elect Adam Taliaferro broke his silence today in a Philadelphia Magazine interview. He really didn’t say much during his campaign, so I was excited to read about all the awesome things he wants to do as a trustee. He didn’t disappoint. One really awesome thing is he wants to do is make sure nobody but board … Read more »

Jared S. (@ForeverJVP) tweeted the following: “SbB showed up on my TL. Someone is getting their RT’s turned off.” I don’t know about you, but I’m going to file this under “stuff I don’t understand.”

Dear Fellow Trustees, Look, I never wanted to be your vice president in the first place. But we screwed up so royally in November that Karen and I were the only people with enough credibility left to take these leadership roles, and that’s only because nobody knew anything about us. So here I am, doing … Read more »

Keith Masser emerged from relative anonymity in January when he became vice president of the Board of Trustees. By all accounts, he’s a mild-mannered farmer from east-central Pennsylvania who never seeks the spotlight. But that changed last weekend, when he became one of the first trustees to say something honest about the Sandusky scandal. After prosecutors announced … Read more »

A Father’s Day column by Mike Bianchi of the Orlando Sentinel raised the blood pressure of a lot of Penn Staters. Mine stayed closer to room temperature than others’, but what upset me was this paragraph: “If you haven’t already lost all respect for Penn State, its administration and its iconic former coach Joe Paterno, I suggest you read … Read more »

While the Penn State family has largely been captivated by the day-to-day events of the Sandusky trial this week, I’ve been focused on documents that confirm Penn State’s top administrators conspired to cover up the horrible allegations. To me, this is the only real news of the week, and it’s unfortunate it hasn’t gotten much attention … Read more »

It’s been a few weeks since my last missive. Since then I got married in Maryland, and with the wedding behind me, I’m enjoying some much-deserved time off from the insane workflow that defined my first five months of the year. Now I have some more time to devote to watching Penn State news, which … Read more »

I’m not a trustee today, but I’m definitely a Monday-morning quarterback. So after capturing a disappointing 482 votes, I tried to find a way  to put it all into perspective. Luckily I’m about to marry a Ph.D. candidate and statistics wizard. So I convinced Kristen M. Allison, M.A., CCC-SLP, to crunch the election results into … Read more »

At Joe’s January memorial service, Phil Knight ended his eulogy with a question few were able to answer. “Who is the real trustee at Penn State University?” he asked. Today, I’m disappointed to report that I am not the real trustee. Instead, the record 37,000 alumni voters elected Adam Taliaferro, Anthony Lubrano and Ryan McCombie … Read more »

You might have read today’s article in the Philadelphia Inquirer, which painted one of the leading board candidates in a highly negative light. His alleged behavior is concerning, and should give anyone who’s considering voting for him pause. But I’m more worried about a huge hit to the reputation of Penn State’s alumni if we … Read more »

I just got this election update from the Board of Trustees: —————— TO: Candidates for Election of Trustees by the Alumni As you are aware, balloting is underway for the election of trustees by the alumni. I thought it would be helpful to provide a status report on the process including the balloting results. Ballots … Read more »

It’s been a long campaign, but election season has finally arrived. The support I’ve received so far has been humbling, and I’m grateful to you for believing in my plans for Penn State. But I need your help one last time to begin the road to restoring trust in our alma mater. And only candidates … Read more »

Wow. That’s about all I can muster after a day of debate on the social media channels about my decision to release an e-mail errantly sent to me by Anthony Lubrano, the leading candidate in the race for the Board of Trustees. In that e-mail, he told a supporter to vote for people other than … Read more »

It’s been a while since my last campaign update, and a lot has happened since then. The trustees approved their plan to reorganize themselves into a system of committees and subcommittees unlike any public body I’ve seen. They did this after holding a secret weekend meeting in February, which was clearly illegal but creatively justified … Read more »

Think of all the things you could do with $33,000. A vacation in Bora Bora. A new car. Maybe even start a new Penn State scholarship to help temper the high cost of tuition. David Joyner gets to do those things 12 times a year, because that’s how much Penn State pays him every month … Read more »

Penn State Board of Trustees Chairwoman Karen Peetz made some some odd comments to the university Faculty Senate recently. She said trustees are looking toward Cornell University for guidance in how best to become a private university. That puzzled me, because, as a nonprofit corporation registered in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, I always thought of Penn State as a … Read more »

It’s a few years old, but I still can’t get enough of this Penn State football pump-up video. It inspires me every time. There’s about two and a half weeks left before the election. But for the three winners of the alumni trustee race, the war for change hasn’t even started. We must elect people … Read more »

Lanny Davis’ defense of last month’s Board of Trustees’ closed-door retreat  stumped me. He took issue with the conclusions of some experts who question the meeting’s legality. I wrote about his defense last week. But even with my vast knowledge of, and experience with, open meetings and open records laws, I just couldn’t understand his … Read more »

It was disturbing enough to read that  some angry Penn Staters have lobbed death threats to members of the Board of Trustees. But I was even more upset to read  many remarks posted on social media sites that agreed with their tactics. I’m as angry at the board as anyone out there. But threats of … Read more »

In a letter to the editor published earlier this week, Board of Trustees attorney Lanny Davis continued to argue that the trustee’s secret retreat held last month wasn’t subject to Pennsylvania’s Open Meetings Law. That’s because official decisions weren’t made, “nor did any deliberations of university business take place at the retreat for the purpose of … Read more »

After the trustees’ abysmal performance in the wake of the Sandusky scandal, I never thought they could do any worse. Surprise. They just did. In a story today about a series of illegal meetings held last month, newly minted board President Karen Peetz today revealed her fundamental misunderstanding of Pennsylvania’s open meetings law. The Sunshine … Read more »

Today a supporter asked me to weigh in on Adam Taliferro, the former Penn State football player who was paralyzed in a horrific on-the-field incident during his freshman year in 2000. He has since made a full recovery, graduated from law school, and is now making a bid for the Board of Trustees. A bit of controversy … Read more »

Tonight we learned that somebody affiliated with the Board of Trustees has declared that candidates’ website addresses cannot be included in their official bios and position statements. The reason? According to well-placed sources on Facebook, the board wants voters to choose candidates based solely on those statements. I haven’t been officially notified of this new … Read more »

It’s here, it’s here: Ballot Position Press Release 2012

The Penn State trustee race has seen some concerning developments over the past few weeks. An alumni group that rose to prominence endorsed three people who embody the status quo. Before that, a fake, anonymous endorsement email was sent to hundreds of alumni urging them to nominate three other candidates. None of this is helpful … Read more »

This afternoon, I got word that the location of Wednesday’s ballot position drawing has been changed. Apparently there’s a lot of interest in this year’s alumni trustee election. It looks like we’ll know who’s officially running sooner than we thought. ———— TO:         All Candidates for the Election as a Trustee by the Alumni Thank you … Read more »

Last weekend, board President Karen Peetz and Vice President Keith Masser decided it would be a good idea to host a board “retreat”  in State College. And like any leaders who are committed to transparency, they decided to keep their gathering under wraps and deny its stakeholders a chance to be a part of one … Read more »

Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship today announced their top six endorsement picks. Unfortunately, the group’s choices look like more of the same. Instead of choosing candidates with a record of fighting for transparency, most of their picks came straight from Wall Street. That’s not the kind of leadership the Penn State family needs. It’s disappointing. … Read more »

Wow. What did they put in the water yesterday at University Park? Truth serum? A billion gallons of Starbucks? Whatever it was, it spurred every member of the Board of Trustees to abruptly abandon their vow to not talk about the Sandusky crisis. No matter how you feel about this group and what they’ve put the Penn … Read more »

Penn State’s top trustees finally broke their silence today about their handling of the Saundusky crisis. On the eve of a public board meeting at which hundreds are expected to demand their resignations, 13 board members discussed their roles with the New York Times. Sadly, it’s too little, too late. Their recollections consisted of the … Read more »

I just spent the last five minutes making a combination of laughing/screaming sounds after reading a piece by Laura Goldman in the Philadelphia Business Insider. That’s because she happened to run into Penn State Trustee Ira Lubert, who said something that is laughable, outrageous and completely unbelieveable at the same time. “Naturally, I wondered why … Read more »

The past few months have seemed like an eternity. With a new president and a new slate of football coaches, the Penn State family is finally beginning the healing process. Joe Paterno finally spoke out in today’s Washington Post, putting to rest some of our remaining questions. But we have yet to hear anything substantive … Read more »

You might recall that I recently uncovered the trustees’ plan to reappoint most members of the executive committee. It was mentioned in  a copy of the board’s next meeting agenda that I recently obtained, which won’t be made public until Jan. 20. In yesterday’s paper, the Centre Daily Times agreed with my take on their plan, … Read more »

In today’s Philadelphia Inquirer story, I was pleased to see some movement in the right direction from Penn State President Rodney Erickson. Writing about public access to records, Reporter Susan Snyder wrote that Erickson promised to “provide anything not prevented by law, contract language, or privacy rights.” And Synder quoted Erickson as saying this: “The … Read more »

If you haven’t already seen Ben Novak’s take on the Penn State trustees’ power structure, I suggest you give it a read. The former trustee, who’s seeking to return to the board, definitely has some worthwhile insight into how most members are bullied into keeping their mouths shut. But some of the reasons he gives for board … Read more »

This group has been in the news a lot lately, and many people have asked if I applied for its support. Indeed I have. And I’m happy to share my application with you.

Last week I told you about my road map for transparency to help restore Penn State’s reputation. Since then, I’m sad to report that we’ve only seen more of the same from the Board of Trustees. But we can’t let their determination to defend the status quo keep us from working toward making the university … Read more »

In the course of researching Penn State’s ethics rules, I came across its wistleblower policy, whose aim is to  ”encourage and protect from Retaliation those who desire to report potential violations” of university standards. It was implemented in June last year. The policy is broadly worded to protect anyone who reports any potential violations to Penn State … Read more »

Wanted to share this missive from a Tennessean with no ties to Penn State, who questioned the attorney general’s role in the turmoil that rocked our family recently. I agree with her sentiment. And I think the attorney general knew her office went too far when it wrote the grand jury report. The day after … Read more »

Some Facebook members had some comments about my stance on Joe’s treatment. Here’s what they had to say: Sharon Goldberg Overkamp wrote: “Will NOT vote for Ryan. He seems to be just as unfair on the Paterno firing as the existing board. Paterno was fired without cause and due process. It seems Ryan’s stand is identical … Read more »

When I announced my campaign for trustee last month, I promised to propose changes that would promote transparency at Penn State. Some Pennsylvania legislators argue that fully applying the state’s Right To Know Law to the university is best way to bring about such change. They’ve introduced bills to make that a reality. I believe … Read more »

Just read a letter to the editor tonight that sums up my sentiment toward the board of trustees: Most alumni are appalled by the actions of the board relative to coach Joe Paterno. They are appalled by the university’s inability to handle a crisis. They are appalled by a university that insults its most loyal … Read more »

I just noticed some of the comments posted on newspaper stories about my candidacy. So let me try to answer them here: Centre Daily Times reader Bill_Levinson made this comment, as well as on other web sites: “Ryan would have to commit to putting forward a motion for the Board to hand-deliver an apology to … Read more »

Sending a big thank you to Wisconsin State Journal columnist Doug Moe for his piece about me and my candidacy today. Read it here: http://bit.ly/sNyF84

Thanks to #PennState’s Katie Murt and the Daily Collegian for today’s story about my campaign. Read it here: bit.ly/v3sixd.

Thanks to Bill Schackner and the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for this week’s story about my campaign. Forget for a moment that I appreciate the publicity, and let me compliment Bill for his wordsmith ability, particularly in regard to this line: “His insurgent bid could portend a push for a wider board shake-up at the hands of … Read more »