Richard Dandrea's proposal to cut
the number of alumni Trustees tells me that his faction, the self-perpetuating
Business & Industry group whose members
have caused so much harm to the University starting on 11/9/2011, is in
a state of real fear because of the outcome of the alumni elections. There are
easier ways for the remaining 11/9 holdovers to commit organizational suicide
than by openly declaring war on more than half a million alumni, or at least
those sufficiently engaged to vote in the elections, donate money to Penn
State, act as outreach ambassadors for the University, and so on. Perhaps Mr.
Dandrea, and any colleagues he consulted, didn’t think even one move ahead that
his words, whether or not anybody acts on them, will probably double or triple
the size of Penn Staters for Responsible Stewardship (PS4RS).*
·
* Unlike Karen Peetz and Kenneth Frazier when they affirmed
the Freeh Report without authorization by the Board, I need to point out that I
am speaking as an individual, and emphatically not on behalf of PS4RS. I have,
however, recommended to the group that it use Mr. Dandrea’s statements to
persuade more alumni to become active in the group. This ties in with the
organizational leadership concept of engagement; it’s the difference between
people just joining and maybe showing up, and people actively participating.
