Penn State's Accreditation 'in Jeopardy'

The Jerry Sandusky fallout hasn't only seriously damaged Penn State's legendary football program. Now the university faces serious accreditation problems. The Middle States Commission on Higher Education, which determines if schools are meeting standards and can continue to function as a university, has warned that Penn State's status is in "serious jeopardy," reports the Philadelphia Inquirer. The commission issued its warning based in part on a $60 million NCAA fine against the university, various organizational issues, and former FBI's director Louis Freeh's investigative report last month concluding that top administrators took no steps for 14 years to protect Sandusky's victims.

"This action has nothing to do with the quality of education our students receive," a university official responded. "Middle States is focusing on governance, integrity, and financial issues related to information in the Freeh report and other items related to our current situation." Officials reassured the public that all issues would be addressed to preserve the university's accreditation, and that the Penn State will submit a report showing steps it has taken to comply with the commission requirements by next month's deadline. (More Jerry Sandusky stories.)