1. Penn State University Change Initiatives Presented By: Matthew Bell Anjaih Clemons Obie Evans Bruce Kastner

2. Freeh Report - Initiated by Penn State Board of Trustees
Sought to investigate Penn State University role
in allegations of child sex abuse
Headed by former FBI director Louis Freeh
Total of 119 recommendations for change
After former Penn State University Football Defensive Coordinator, Jerry Sandusky, was accused of child sex abuse, Penn State University Board of Trustees hired former FBI director Louis Freeh to head an independent investigation of the University’s role in the allegations. Freeh was hired to specifically look at how the culture, policies, and practices of the university and its administration could have allowed the alleged sexual abuse to happen on campus without being reported for many years (Curry, 2011). There were a total of 119 recommendations made to the University.
Freeh was to report his findings and Penn State University was to improve all recommendations made by Freeh in his report.
Reference
Curry, C. (2011, November 21). Penn State Hires Former FBI Director Louis Freeh to Investigate - ABC News. ABCNews.com - Breaking News, Latest News & Top Video News - ABC News. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from

3. Freeh Report Recommendations
Culture Changes
Penn State led effort
- Administration & General Counsel: Structure,
Policies, & Procedures Changes
- Board of Trustees: Responsibilities &
Operations
Changes in Athletics
Clearly defined lines of authority, responsibilities and
reporting
Culture-Freeh recommended that Penn State organize a Penn State-led effort to vigorously examine and understand their current culture in order to: 1) reinforce the commitment of all University members to protect children; 2) create a stronger sense of accountability among leadership; 3)establish values and ethics-based decision making and adhere to the University’s Principles as the standard for all members; 4) promote an environment of increased transparency into the management of the University; and 5) ensure a sustained integration of the intercollegiate Athletics program into the broader Penn State community.
The overall recommendation that Freeh had for Penn State regarding the structure policies, and procedures for the administration and general counsel was to review organizational structures and make adjustments for greater efficiency and effectiveness.
The Board of Trustees were advised to review their administrative and governance issues in regards to the structure, composition, eligibility requirements and term limits of the Board. They also had to determine the need to include more members who are not associated with the University. Outside help from members not associated with the University was also recommended.
Finally, the Athletic Department was advised to revise the organizational structure of the athletic department to clearly define lines of authority, responsibilities, and reporting relationships.
Reference
The Freeh Report on Pennsylvania State University | Progress. (2012, July 12). Home | Progress. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from

4. Results of Changes
- Continuous Improvement - Transparency - Human Resource Office Expansion - Job Descriptions - Background Checks and Audits - Employee Access Revocation - Hiring of General Counsel - Board of Trustees Restructuring/Orientation - Board of Trustees Executive Session - Media Reporting - Improved Communication - Improved Athletics Organizational Structure - Compliance Education & Training
As of Jan 31, 2013, Penn State officials have complied with multiple recommendations listed in the Freeh Report. One of the first changes made was continuous improvement of the culture. Penn State is currently benchmarking practices and policies and making changes where appropriate. Along with culture, transparency is being improved. Efforts have been continuous and made and the Board has created more opportunities for public attendance at Board and committee meetings. They established a forum for public comment, instituted monthly communications from the Board Chair with respect to University matters, and created a website to provide relevant information to the public and University Stakeholders.
Administration & General Counsel has also implemented changes. The Human Resource Office at Penn State has expanded and separated from the University’s Finance and Business organization. Some representatives will constitute a review group to ensure engagement and ownership of HR policy changes and revisions. Job descriptions for newly assigned positions at the University have also been created and as new positions open up, job descriptions will be immediately created. The overall structure of HR has also been mirrored to that of other schools in the conference and the Vice President will conduct reviews to ensure that established standards, guidelines, and policies are being followed and reported to senior leadership. Administrations has also started performing more in-depth background checks on future employees and the program will be audited periodically. One of the ways that Jerry Sandusky was able to sexually abuse children was by having keys to the facility where he no longer worked. The administration has developed a plan to communicate to all units the mandate to retrieve keys and access cards from unauthorized past employees. Penn State has also started a General Counsel to help with legal matters and policies for the University.
The Board of Trustees have to make significant changes as well. All new members have to complete an orientation session with the General Counsel that will focus on ethics and oversight responsibilities. This will ensure that they are trained on ethics and make ethical decisions in the future. They have also went through a restructuring to create a committee on risk, compliance, legal, and audit matters. The Board now holds bi-weekly meetings among the President, the Board chair, and the Board Vice Chair. This is an open dialogue that’s purpose is to facilitate sound decision-making. Media reporting also changed at the University. Every day, the University issues daily news updates. The University also offers subscriptions to several periodicals along with communicating, on a monthly basis, to the Chairman about updates at the University and within the local area. Several “listening sessions” with the Chair and Vice Chair have been held with faculty members, students, staff, alumni, and other University stakeholders to discuss anything that is needed to be communicated.
Changes have also made the Athletic Department stronger. The first change revised the organizational structure of the department to clearly define lines of authority, responsibilities, and reporting relationships to prevent another incident like the Jerry Sandusky scandal. Now there is no confusion as to what to do when an inappropriate or wrong act occurs. The other change was ensuring that all members of the athletic department had compliance education and training. The Intercollegiate Athletics compliance staff has conducted in-person training on an on-going basis and the University now ensures that all employees comply with the University-wide training mandates.
References
The Freeh Report on Pennsylvania State University | Progress. (2012, July 12). Home | Progress. Retrieved March 12, 2013, from