Auditor General Jack Wagner today released his final report of recommendations to reform governance at Penn State University in the wake of the Sandusky scandal. Saying the university’s Board of Trustees has shown little appetite for enhancing governance, improving transparency and restoring the university’s tattered reputation, he called on the Governor and the General Assembly to follow through on his proposals as his eight-year term comes to an end.
The Auditor General released a preliminary report this summer. He recommended then the university president be removed as a member of the Board of Trustees. He said the Governor should remain on the board but be stripped of his voting powers. Also, as it relates to the board , he said it should be reduced in size. And that a quorum should be a majority of the members not the current 13 needed to transact business.
The 124-page report was delivered this morning to Penn State administrators, the Governor and select members of the General Assembly. His new ideas include prohibiting insiders from moving back and forth between board and staff. He says the university should be required to observe the state’s right-to-know-law and trustees, administrators and other university staff should be subject to the state’s ethics act, specifically the financial disclosure provisions. He would set term limits for board members and limit the availability of the board to grant emeritus status.
He reiterated the most important change is removing the president from the board of trustees. And he says that’s the one receiving the most “push back” from the university.
“The way the situation exists today and it hasn’t changed, the president of the university is the secretary of the board, is on the executive committee of the board. Is more powerful than any other board member except for the chair of the board, and that simply should not exist at a public university.”
Wagner says the reason for the university opposition is that it could impede getting the best new president. The implication being that the “power” is what will attract the next president.
Wagner is completing his last year as Auditor General, he called this the most important audit of his eight-year term. He now must rely of the board of trustees at Penn State, the Governor and the General Assembly to act on his recommendations.
The Auditor General released a preliminary report this summer. He recommended then the university president be removed as a member of the Board of Trustees. He said the Governor should remain on the board but be stripped of his voting powers. Also, as it relates to the board , he said it should be reduced in size. And that a quorum should be a majority of the members not the current 13 needed to transact business.
The 124-page report was delivered this morning to Penn State administrators, the Governor and select members of the General Assembly. His new ideas include prohibiting insiders from moving back and forth between board and staff. He says the university should be required to observe the state’s right-to-know-law and trustees, administrators and other university staff should be subject to the state’s ethics act, specifically the financial disclosure provisions. He would set term limits for board members and limit the availability of the board to grant emeritus status.
He reiterated the most important change is removing the president from the board of trustees. And he says that’s the one receiving the most “push back” from the university.
“The way the situation exists today and it hasn’t changed, the president of the university is the secretary of the board, is on the executive committee of the board. Is more powerful than any other board member except for the chair of the board, and that simply should not exist at a public university.”
Wagner says the reason for the university opposition is that it could impede getting the best new president. The implication being that the “power” is what will attract the next president.
Wagner is completing his last year as Auditor General, he called this the most important audit of his eight-year term. He now must rely of the board of trustees at Penn State, the Governor and the General Assembly to act on his recommendations.