Penn State to Announce New President on Friday

A new face to shepherd the university through the post-Sandusky era.

The Centre Daily Times reports that Penn State will announce its new president on Friday.

The president will be tasked with guiding the continued growth of Penn State’s research and teaching endeavors, according to an online candidate profile developed for the search. The president will also have to deal with challenges such as decreased state funding and the future of the university’s branch campuses, some of which have seen declining enrollment.

And university officials hope the next president will be able restore trust with the people in the community who’ve been critical of the way the university handled the events of the Sandusky scandal, such as the firing of legendary coach Joe Paterno.

The president is one of the top-level administration positions that have turned over since the Sandusky scandal led to a shakeup in Old Main and elsewhere on campus.

The headhunter Isaacson Miller helped the university in its search.