It appears that those responsible for weighing alternatives as the selection process for a new Penn State head football coach develops must reconcile two very divergent views. Some argue the next coach must come from outside of the present staff. Others contend the requisite expertise and dedication lies with the current personnel.

As a Penn State alumnus, and since 1978 a football season ticket holder and a Nittany Lion Club member, I laud President Rodney Erickson’s decision that the selection criteria do not eliminate current members of the coaching staff from consideration.

Throughout the years, I basked in the success of coach Joe Paterno’s “Grand Experiment” extolling the mantra that academics and athletics are not mutually exclusive.

I believe the current malaise affecting Penn State football and our university in general will be short-lived given responsive leadership throughout the ranks.

Erickson’s leadership already has set the tone for the entire university. Coach Tom Bradley would do the same for our football program.

Stanley G. Rakowsky Shenandoah