Wyatt Massey of Spotlight PA State College
Penn State Investigative ReporterMassey investigates how Penn State University operates, including its influence in the region and state. The university receives more than $300 million in funding from the state but evades most transparency measures under Pennsylvania’s Right-to-Know Law. Massey scrutinizes the main University Park campus as well as the university’s 19 additional branch campuses.
A native of rural Wisconsin, Massey previously covered faith and religion for the Chattanooga Times Free Press in Southeast Tennessee.
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University police responded to 2020 protests for greater racial justice by pledging to be more transparent with arrest and use of force data. But where is it? -
Penn State claims DEI initiatives planned by faculty more than a year ago were "not a formal University effort," a description that came as a surprise to those involved. -
The Board of Trustees’ website has no record of any meeting on the date that trustees heard former President Eric Barron’s plans. The gathering potentially violated Pennsylvania’s open meetings law.
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Penn State logged dozens of flights in a month, but won’t say who was on board or the reasons for the trips. Officials argue the travel is necessary for a large institution. -
New internal letters and emails show fracturing within the university over how to best address racism after two high-profile decisions by leadership. -
Neeli Bendapudi led the University of Louisville during a period of turmoil, but her sudden move to Happy Valley raised questions about her motivations and commitment. -
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.”
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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. -
Student-athletes can now make money from their “name, image, and likeness,” but there aren’t many incentives for the state or universities to hold violators accountable.
