More than 400 interviews have been conducted in the Freeh investigation to date, and the entire process could culminate by the beginning of the next academic year.
At the Penn State Board of Trustees meeting on Friday, Kenneth Frazier, of the Special Task Force, gave an update on the Louis Freeh investigation.
Freeh, a former FBI director, is leading a team of specialists to determine whether Penn State took any missteps or is guilty of any wrongdoing that may have allowed a sexual predator to roam free on campus.
Former Penn State football assistant coach Jerry Sandusky is charged with 52 counts in a child sex abuse case, and prosecutors have said several of the alleged incidents occurred on Penn State property.
‘Judge Freeh and his team continue to investigate this matter fully, fairly and completely,’ Frazier said. ‘They are well into the investigation, fully engaged in reviewing voluminous documents and electronic data, conducting numerous interviews and pursuing leads.’
Those interviewed include current and former employees from departments throughout the university, such as academic, administrative, and athletic departments, and current and past trustees and other in the community, Frazier said.
Freeh and his team are also exploring all of the policies, procedures and controls at Penn State to see what went wrong in not only properly identifying, but reporting sex crimes and misconduct.
Frazier said he expects more recommendations to come from Freeh in June, and the investigation in its entirety is expected to wrap at the beginning of the next academic year, which will start in late August.
The board was faced with a stark realization in November: ‘We found ourselves without a crisis management plan,’ member Mark Dambly said.
An official crisis management plan is expected to be ‘rolled out’ by July, he said, so that the board can act quickly and effectively should anything, whether it be to the magnitude of the Sandusky scandal or otherwise, come forward.
Penn State President Rodney Erickson did not offer any figures, but did say that he expects to be very busy as time winds down on finalizing a budget.
‘We will be very busy,’ Gov. Corbett said, taking the opportunity to give an idea of the state’s funds.
Corbett said no one should be fooled by several positive fiscal months. As the nation has to ‘tighten its belt,’ so does Pennsylvania.
It’s hard to project the budget, Corbett said, because revenues will be up one month, but that process can come to an abrupt halt, as it did last year.
‘All of a sudden, in May, they stop. In June, they stop,’ Corbett said.
There was even a swing taken at former Penn State President Graham Spanier, when Corbett said Erickson has proven much easier to work with than his predecessor.
‘His [Erickson’s] reaction to the budget wasn’t nearly as volatile as Graham Spanier’s reaction,’ he said.
The governor also shot down allegations that he is an enemy of education, despite the drastic budget cuts handed down to universities and K-12 school districts alike in 2011.
Other notable agenda items included:
- Holuba Hall will receive new artificial turf, and the field dimensions will be totally revamped, as a part of a $1.5 million project;
- Architects were appointed for renovation on the Burrowes Building, located on-campus, as the original design, constructed in 1940, needs updating;
- The approval of the sale of property near Whitehall Road for $13.5 million;
- The new members appointed to the Milton S. Hershey Medical Center, who will serve three-year terms, were named. They are David Joyner, Edward Junker, III, and Barry Robinson.
