In announcing its decision to cancel the center, Penn State pledged at least $3.5 million toward existing university efforts to address racism.
Faculty leading a search for the center’s director were told last month that Penn State had not allocated funding for the racial justice initiative, once deemed “just the beginning.”
Penn State’s head football coach makes a guaranteed $7 million a year, but he doesn’t appear on the university’s required list of top 25 highest-salaried employees.
The NCAA and federal government have left it up to lawmakers in each state to craft NIL guidelines for athletic programs — or choose to impose no guardrails at all.
While it’s common for boards to cover the cost of doing business, details of the spending come as the university raises tuition and slashes spending to overcome a $127 million budget deficit.
