Anne's Arts & Activities Blog

Penn State’s board of trustees has picked a new president. 62-year-old Eric Barron will replace Rodney Erickson, who announced his plans to retire. Barron’s contract starts May 12 and runs through June 30, 2019. His salary will be $800,000 a year. Baron comes from Florida State, where he spent four years. But he had previously been at Penn State from 1986 to 2006 and headed the College of Earth and Mineral Sciences for four years. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Penn State President Rodney Erickson issued a statement early this morning announcing that the statue of former coach Joe Paterno would be removed from its spot in front of Beaver Stadium. Crews began working to remove the statue around 7 a.m., and pulled it out at around 8:20 a.m. The library will retain the Paterno name and the statue will be stored in a secure location, according to Erickson's statement. This decision comes after a recent investigation into what information Paterno and other head members of Penn State knew, involving former assistant coach, Jerry Sandusky's child sex abuse scandal. The news leader of the Twin Tiers ... since 1947

Representatives of the University of Pittsburgh, Penn State and Temple are asking the state House Appropriations Committee to reject Governor Tom Corbett's proposal to cut state aid for the universities. Corbett's $27.1 billion plan would cut state funding by about 30 per cent – about $150 million – from the three schools. State Representative Marty Causer, who is a member of the Appropriations Committee, asked Pitt Chancellor Mark Nordenberg today about what funding cuts would mean to the branch campuses. “There are going to be particular challenges attracting and supporting students who really need those educational programs on the campuses that are not located at the center of the university,” Nordenberg said. “I pledge to you that we’re not looking to do anything to those regional campuses,” he added. “We love all four of them.” Just moments before saying that, he jokingly indicated that he may love Pitt-Bradford just a little bit more than Titusville, Johnstown and Greensb...

HARRISBURG — At a meeting in the state Capitol, state Sen. Mike Stack on Tuesday discussed the financial implications of potential liability lawsuits from the sexual abuse scandal at Penn State with the university’s President Rodney Erickson. “I am very concerned about how these potential lawsuits would be handled and how the university will pay for its representation. As the Democratic chairman of the Senate Banking and Insurance Committee, I felt it was necessary to hold a serious discussion with President Erickson,” Stack said following the meeting. “The president assured me that no taxpayer funds, student tuition or donor dollars will be used, and he explained that the university’s liability policies are segregated from its general fund,” the senator said. Penn State will receive $214 million in funds from the 2011-12 state budget. The university’s budget for this Fiscal Year is $4.1 billion. “I made it very clear to the president that the investigations at Penn State and any acti...