I say what I’m about to say without in any way diminishing the hurt and wrong done to the innocent kids by the people in charge of the Penn State football program. All of our hearts go out to them and it’s very easy for me to go from shock over the news to outright anger.

However, taking a step back, I simply want to look at the business issues that are raised by this nightmare as it relates to the Penn State brand.

The AP just released a story saying that Joe Paterno would retire at the end of this season. As a brand, this is akin to bobbing the dog’s tail an inch at a time to save it from pain.

The Penn State brand has been as pure as vanilla ice cream over the years (and sometimes as exciting as vanilla ice cream as well). Everything from its famous, simple black football shoes to its unadorned white helmets speaks to austerity and simplicity. They were without scandal in a tumultuous sports world.

I remember Joe Pa once saying (and getting in trouble for it) that he did not want to leave coaching in the hands of the Jackie Sherrills of the world (referring to the highly successful and controversial Pittsburgh and Texas A&M coach). He claimed to hold his program (and the university) to higher standards.

So, OK, now we know there was deep trouble in paradise. It turns out that Happy Valley was more like the Garden of Eden after the temptation by the serpent than it was the simple garden without a blemish that we all wanted to believe.

Well, Penn State, the blush is off the rose and you will be judged as a brand by how vigorously you do the right thing today. To believe the AP story, the powers at the university have decided that the bruises on their vaunted program are superficial and will fade away at the end of the season — when Paterno exits.

They could not be more wrong.

He was the man in charge and needs to be held to the squeaky clean standards he himself set over the years as he spoke about those “most important youngsters” in his charge. Instead of moving on now, Penn State has apparently taken the easy road and are simply pretending he is retiring at the end of this season.

But the troubles won’t go away. Fans at the rest of Penn State’s away games will make sure of that. The talk of a bowl game and a possible Big 10 championship will be charged with talks of pedophiles, scandals and cover-ups.

I ask a simple question of those supposedly guarding the Penn State brand: If his lack of action and control warrants his dismissal (let’s call a spade a spade here) at the end of the year, surely it would be a clearer statement to send him out now? What are you saving by keeping him on? His honor? A dignified retirement? University prestige? Surely all of that is gone and continues to erode until the head is chopped off the snake.

Be a brand. Stand for something. Restore our faith that Penn State does things the right way.

The news is awash with stories about the dwindling funds for higher education.  As a matter of fact, there is a battle raging for all public funding in just about every sector you an imagine. So, it is not surprising that colleges and universities, especially public institutions, are engaged in plans to help the institution garner a greater share of available funds.

This morning, NPR had an interesting story about just this subject. The summary of the article from the NPR website follows: ”More and more states are looking to link college budgets to schools’ performance — such as number of degrees produced and the ability to graduate challenging students. The idea has been tried before, but now many states say tough finances make it more important than ever to get something for their investment.”

Now, universities and colleges have a serious brand problem and I worry that this new move will just make matters worse.

Most everyone in business today recognizes that the students that knock on their doors seeking a job are completely unprepared to do almost anything. They lack the ability to communicate clearly, they have supped on pop culture and are not well read, they write poorly, can’t seem to problem solve, believe they can multi-task and, on top of it all, are convinced of their own self-importance and worth.

For those of us who hire, the brand of colleges and universities means very little. A degree in just about anything simply means the applicant has great debt and few skills. They have been coddled and spoon-fed by educators and intellectuals that have as much experience and understanding as…well, those of you who recognize this scenario know exactly what I mean.

My dad used to say that a college degree today was the equivalent to a high school degree in his day. I think he was correct. College was not for everyone and those lucky enough to attend had to work their butts off.

Today, it seems everyone goes to college (even if they don’t graduate). Rather than a university representing a major step along the intellectual search, it has become a four (or five, in many cases) years of respite from responsibility, punctuated by binge drinking, non-stop partying, and video games. (My apologies to those to of which this does not apply, but this just proves the power of a brand and how all brands are judged by its common denominator.)

Many believe this erosion of the brand of higher education has been due to more open enrollment, remedial class work and a hunger by the university and college administration for bigger enrollment and a larger student body (and I’m not talking about the Freshman 15). They may be right. College as not meant for everyone, but it has become just that.

So does a focus on rewarding colleges for a higher graduation rate promise to fix the problem? Considering “no child left behind” and the propensity of education to make everything a process, I doubt it.

So tell me, if a college or university stands to lose funding if a student fails out of that university, what do you think the chances are of that university actually flunking that student? If we have learned anything in our lives it is that you cannot legislate hard work and achievement. You can’t incentivize it either from external sources. You either have the drive or you don’t. If you don’t, then maybe college isn’t for you.

If the higher education community cares at all about its brands, those responsible should remember that the basis of all value is scarcity. The more common anything is the less it is desired, rewarded and valued.