Sara Ganim’s article published yesterday about Joe and Sue Paterno’s donation of $100,000 dollars to Penn State just a month after he had been fired created quite a buzz in the Penn State community. Who had heard of a terminated employee given back to his former employer just weeks after being released?

After four decades of service, maybe Paterno’s contribution isn’t surprising. Many individuals have said that Paterno’s football program put Penn State on the map; however, he has always preferred to talk about how his impact brought Penn State national recognition in terms of being an academic and research institution. Paterno and his wife are well known for their philanthropic efforts, championing Liberal Arts and University Libraries while simultaneously serving as the icon and chief fundraising asset of an extremely lucrative college football program. Jack Selzer, director of the Paterno Fellows program, a joint program with the Schreyer Honors College founded in 2008 for Liberal Arts students, confirmed to Ganim that half of the gift had gone to the program with the other half going to the Paterno Library.

Joe Paterno’s actions and lifelong commitment to the university should continue to be acknowledged now, unlike those who would prefer that he continue to be crucified and not offered an opportunity for the full story to be told. $100,000 a month after being fired… It’s impressive but, really, did you expect anything different from Joe Paterno?

Picture is from last year’s Paterno Fellows Awards Ceremony. Check out what he had to say below.