It is somewhat ironic that Penn State's new president should come from the most recent winner of the BCS national championship trophy, Florida State, given that the school's emphasis on football over everything was a main point of criticism during the Sandusky trial of three years ago. By most reports, however, Eric Barron, 62, now FSU's former president, is a strong hire.
"This is an outstanding pick for Penn State," Michael Poliakoff, vice president of policy at the American Council of Trustees and Alumni in Washington, told the Wall Street Journal. "He was well regarded at Florida State and is known as a bold innovator."
Much of his flair for innovation comes from his scientific background, a rare trait (perhaps) for a school president. His professional career of note began in 1981 as a scientist in the climate section of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder. From 1986 to 2006, he was professor of geoscience, among several other titles, at Penn State. He then became the dean of the geoscience department at the University of Texas for two years, after which he was the Director of the National Center for Atmospheric Research in Boulder for two more years before becoming FSU's president, according to the Washington Post. As a man of science, it comes as no surprise that he has strong opinions on global warming, maybe his only area of controversy.
Given the 20 years he spent at Penn State, it makes sense that he'd leave the same position at Florida State to return to the school that first cultivated his love for higher education.
At Florida State, Barron was known as an "aggressive advocate for increased state funding and academic recognition for the university," according to the Washington Post. Members of the board were surprised to hear his plans for leaving earlier in the year.
Many news sites as well as people connected to the school have mentioned the Sandusky incident and Barron's ability to overcome it. Yet, even as that continues to haunt the school -- the PSU president at the time was forced out for attempting to cover it up -- there's nothing he can do directly against it. All he can do is what he'd do if the event never happened: raise the school's profile.
Hopefully for the Nittany Lions, Barron is as good a hire as their first football coach after Joe Paterno, Bill O'Brien. Except O'Brien was almost too good, and left this year to coach the Houston Texans.
