Part 1: Image Over Integrity
College and university administrators are an educated lot. Based on their collective degree attainment, it would be natural to presume that they are learners at their very core, able to apply lessons from a multitude of sources. So when Graham Spanier was not only fired as president of Penn State but was also sentenced to jail after being convicted of child endangerment, one would think he would serve as a cautionary tale to higher education leaders to follow the path of integrity rather than image protection. In fact, in the sentencing recommendation filed in Spanier's case, the prosecuting attorneys wrote, "Spanier needs to be punished for choosing to protect his personal reputation and that of the university instead of the welfare of children."
Fast forward less than a year, but stay in the Big Ten conference and we find another example of horrific, long-term, wide-spread abuse that had been reported time and time again to people who should have but refused to take action to protect the innocent. Instead, the image of the institution, in this case Michigan State (and USA Gymnastics), was placed above the safety of more than 200 young athletes. And again, another president was complicit in ignoring the facts, presumably hoping they would simply go away. I've read incredibly stunning things with regard to Nassar and MSU, but as a member of the higher education community, President Lou Anna Simon's admission that "I was informed that a sports-medicine doctor was under investigation. I told people to play it straight up, and I did not receive a copy of the report. That's the truth," has left me angry and incredulous. How did she not ask for a copy of the report? Do people actually think that plausible deniability is still a valid response?
Sadly, based on recent conversations I've had with colleagues, there are indeed still those who do believe that the best defense is to be uninformed. People who believe that the image of the institution is far more important than acting with integrity. And we need not wonder if there are more stories just waiting to break out into the open, because 15 Michigan universities have asked the state legislature to delay votes on bills that would extend the statute of limitations on abuse cases, expand the list of mandated reporters, and remove immunity for governmental agencies. More evidence of a culture of putting the institution above all else.
Changes in demographics and state financial support have made higher education a competitive venture at a level perhaps never seen before. In the quest for more students, higher appropriations and larger donations, the image of an institution is a critical component for success. However, if that image comes at the cost of protecting the heart of education--our students--then it is nothing more than a facade, hiding the rot of corruption that will inevitably be revealed, and ignorance will not be accepted as an excuse.