THINKING OUT LOUD......
"It is in bending to lend a hand to help others up where we as a people stand tallest."--Hershey, PA 1/22/2016
On Defining a "Penn Stater"
"Penn Stater—someone sharing and living the values of Penn State: including but not limited to: Honesty, Integrity, Loyalty, Honor, Love of Penn State and Philanthropy. These are Penn State values forged over generations not a list created by a PR firm and focus group to be sent out in a press release. Also note that one need not have a degree from Penn State to be a Penn Stater and that holding a Penn State degree does not automatically make one a Penn Stater." --Hershey, PA 1/22/2016
On Penn State's Challenges:
"We live in a time when our sense of history, our attention span and our ability to understand complex and serious issues does not stretch much further than the 140 character limit on Twitter.
That is a sad state of affairs. The truth is that the real problems we face usually require subtlety and nuance to understand.
But the real root of what has and will always set us apart as a University has not changed." --Charleston, SC 4/9/2016
On Penn State's Past and Future:
In his book South Of Broad South Carolinian Pat Conroy wrote about a gathering of friends who were together in the same place 21 years earlier:
“We know better than anyone the immense, unanswerable powers of fate, and how one day can shift the course of ten thousand lives. Fate can catapult them into lives they were never meant to lead until they stumbled into that one immortal day.”
In many ways Penn Staters—no matter where we gather, no matter how much time passes—all of us who went through that one immortal day in November of 2011 understand the unanswerable powers of fate. One day did indeed shift the course of so many lives.
But if we look inside ourselves and into the truest soul of our Great University we will find that the things that will enable our university to endure is the Tradition of excellence that was created. --Charleston, SC 4/9/2016
On Adults Judging College Students Today:
"No generation ever held a monopoly on virtue—nor has any generation cornered the market on debauchery." --From a Column written 2/25/2010
On College Football's Roots:
“ It grew up before television and radio. Its gospel was spread by the printed word of talented scribes; its history and mythology written poetically forming the legends of the game. It became a uniquely American spectacle with a sporting pageantry unsurpassed in our nation.”--From a Column 10/6/2016
On Winning:
"You never win by following the trends. You never set yourself apart if you do what everyone else does, if you suppress that which makes you unique.
Without a differential you become like anyone else."--Erie, PA 8/6/2016
On Hope:
"Even in the darkest moments when doubts tear at the threads of my sanity, I cling to the truth that at the bottom of Pandora's Box was that one word HOPE."--From a letter written7/17/2012
On Leadership
"True leadership can only be achieved by seeing our own flaws and working to improve those places where we fall short. Real leadership is not achieved by pointing fingers at others. Great leaders spend time finding ways to unify us through our common humanity rather than try and divide us against each other while trying to gather a majority to your side so that you can be elected.
For all that makes us different there are certain things that almost all of us share. We want peace, we want to provide for our children and families. We hope that the dreams of the next generation become reality and that they will outlive us.
In our house we weren’t merely taught about tolerance—tolerance is a passive word –we can ignore others and tell ourselves that we are tolerant. What we were taught was to go beyond tolerance to acceptance. Acceptance is active, it is extending a hand to everyone regardless of our differences."---Williamsport, PA 5/6/2016
On Truth:
"We must not sacrifice Truth on the Altar of Expediency."--From The Book Paterno Legacy
The March Towards Truth:
“The march towards the truth is often a long and difficult one--rocky, uphill and into the wind. But the view from the mountaintop is worth the climb..... So we keep climbing.”--In an e-mail on 3/1/2016
On Twitter Trolls:
"There are ways to respond to small people but none do anything except make you smaller too."--Twitter 7/15/15
On Dealing With Difficult People
"Sometimes you can wade through people's BS with fishing waders...sometimes you need a full wet suit. Either way push through."--Twitter 7/14/2015
On Crisis & Throwing Others Under The Bus
“The Road to Hell is paved with good people who were thrown under buses so ineffective and dishonest leaders could continue on the path to disaster.”--Pittsburgh, PA 2/29/2016