To paraphrase Mark Twain: The reports of higher education's death have been an exaggeration. American universities produce more research and relevant knowledge for the world at large than any other institutions I know of. Tuition may be too damn high, but over the long-run, undergraduate degrees are definitely worth the cost. But Penn State could be so much more. It used to be, I think.
It would have been too easy to acknowledge the events of this year with a brief sentence buried in an an otherwise self-indulgent senior column.
News of the child sexual abuse scandal broke with more force in State College than anywhere else in the country. There were certain obvious ways in which this happened. The aftershocks from this fall continue to reverberate around Happy Valley, however, and the worst may be yet to come.
Here's what I think we need to remember now more than ever.
As a college student, one of the questions I've gotten used to is, "What's your major?" For me, this has always been a conversation-starter.
Dear Chairwoman Peetz,
It was with sadness that I read yet another story by Sara Ganim today. Each update from the Patriot News has added yet another disheartening dimension to this profound tragedy. And today, Chairwoman, the story was about you.
Last night was one of the worst moments of my entire life. But before I can explain what happened, you need to know a bit about Onward State.
This afternoon, the Washington Post will publish a story that many of us have been waiting months to read. Joe Paterno has been virtually silent since his firing this fall. What the interview covers remains to be seen, but the questions that should be asked are numerous. Read more after the jump.