One affected by its commonwealth campus closures says the university has misplaced its priorities
By Maddie Aiken, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Fired Penn State football coach James Franklin’s nearly $50 million buyout is equivalent to about six years of budget at the university’s New Kensington campus, said English professor Andrea Adolph.
That stings, as Ms. Adolph and many of her branch campus colleagues brace for the upcoming closure of seven commonwealth campuses, including the New Kensington, Fayette, and Shenango locations in Western Pennsylvania, which were announced earlier this year as the university looks for ways to cut costs amid enrollment shifts.
To Ms. Adolph, Sunday’s firing of the football coach — and the hefty pay he is now owed — are evidence that Penn State leaders have misplaced priorities.
“That kind of payout is just ridiculous,” she said. “It’s another wild, ‘let them eat cake’ [m
On Sunday, university leaders fired Mr. Franklin after three consecutive losses, including two to unranked UCLA and Northwestern. During his 12-year tenure in Happy Valley, the coach had an overall record of 104-45, but went 4-21 against teams ranked in the top 10.
Despite being fired, Mr. Franklin is still owed more than $49 million per his contract — the second-biggest buyout in college football history after former Texas A&M coach Jimbo Fisher’s $76 million buyout, ESPN reports.
The role of college sports as a recruitment tool, revenue generator, and cost center has long been debated in university circles, but the size of the Penn State contract buyout stands out nationally.
And the big buyout is turning some heads in light of the Pennsylvania university’s controversial belt-tightening actions in recent years.
‘It was time’: Penn State players and fans react to James Franklin’s firing (Philadelphia Inquirer)
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