Trustee John Surma Will Not Seek Re-Election

Penn State trustee John Surma, who was board vice chairman when the Jerry Sandusky child sexual abuse scandal broke, is not seeking re-election this year. 

Penn State Live announced Thursday Surma told board members informally in December of his decision to end his board service when his existing term ends in June, which he attributed to “new and continuing business commitments.” 

Surma was a business and industry appointee to the board. 

On Nov. 9, 2011, Surma announced former head coach Joe Paterno had been fired. 

Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship, also known as PS4RS, released a statement on Surma’s announcement Thursday. 

“Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship is pleased that John Surma, who was acting as [Vice] Chairman of the Penn State Board of Trustees in November 2011, will not be running for re-election as a trustee.

“We only wish he would have resigned sooner. We hope that the trustees will adopt a public and transparent process to select a new trustee to represent business and industry interests on the Penn State Board of Trustees, and we look forward to welcoming a trustee who is proud of the Penn State culture of success with honor.”