Penn State Trustees to Reaffirm Paterno Firing

The executive committee of Penn State University's board of trustees plans to reaffirm a shake-up of top university personnel approved last month in the wake of child sex abuse allegations against former assistant football coach Jerry Sandusky.

Trustees office director Paula Ammerman says the panel is meeting Friday to affirm the firing of football coach Joe Paterno, formally accept the resignation of Graham Spanier as president and approve Rodney Erickson's appointment as his replacement.

Some questioned whether the board violated the state open-meetings law when it initially took the actions on Nov. 6.

Sandusky faces criminal charges stemming from allegations he abused eight boys over 15 years. Spanier and Paterno were ousted amid a furor over the school's handling of the allegations that first came to light in 2002.