Penn State's Campaign to Reboot its Image
ByIt appears that Penn State is going all the way to reclaim its position as Pennsylvania's premiere university after its image was tarnished by the Sandusky episode.
The Penn State Board of Trustees has decided to make most of the media attention that it gets during the first game since the unprecedented NCAA sanctions was levied, to improve its image.
In a two-day retreat held Saturday and Sunday streamed live through Penn State's website, the board of trustees brain-stormed regarding everything they need to do to get the university back on its feet. Since the Jerry Sandusky sex scandal broke out, the university has been reacting to one disaster after another. Hence, university trustees have reportedly come up with many pro-active initiatives.
According to the Philadelphia Inquirer, these initiatives include the implementation of several recommendations as pointed out in the internal report regarding university's handling of the crisis and kick-starting a media campaign emphasizing Penn State's positive achievements including the academic success of the football team.
"We have been playing defense for the last five months. The Sandusky trial, the Freeh report, the NCAA sanctions have all kept us on the back foot," said Richard Edelman, the board's public relations consultant. "Now is the time to pivot."
Trustee Ken Frazier suggested exploiting the media frenzy surrounding the game against University of Ohio to make positive statements about the university, reports Penn live.
"We'll have a captive audience. We'll have an audience that's very concerned about our football team and the future. Hopefully, our team performs very well on the field, but I agree this is a great opportunity for us to lead with the academic aspects of our football program," he said.
According to the same report by Philadelphia Enquirer, when the trustees convened on Saturday for the retreat they appeared, 'deeply divided' as some trustees wanted to move past all the humiliation, while some were dissatisfied with the way the university as a whole was held responsible for the acts of the few. But, apparently, the Sunday's discussion was more 'constructive'.
Yet, the trouble isn't over for the university, as 'victim 1' in Sandusky trial filed a lawsuit against the university Friday, so will the 'victim 2' if his lawyers words are to be believed. But, the board is confident that it will get past all the hurdles.
The media campaign outlined in the retreat will initially comprise of on-campus posters, use of social media and spots at football games emphasizing Penn State's academic and service accomplishments.