Editing Graham Spanier (section)

{{Short description|American sociologist and university administrator}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=January 2018}}
{{Infobox officeholder
|name         = Graham Spanier
|image        = Graham Spanier.jpg
|caption      =
|order        = 16th
|title        = [[Pennsylvania State University|President of the Pennsylvania State University]]
|term_start   = September 1, 1995
|term_end     = November 9, 2011
|predecessor  = [[Joab Thomas]]
|successor    = [[Rodney Erickson]]
|order1       = 17th
|title1       = [[Chancellor of the University of Nebraska–Lincoln]]
|term_start1  = October 31, 1991
|term_end1    = July 21, 1995
|predecessor1 = [[Martin Massengale]]
|successor1   = [[James Moeser]]
|birth_name   = Graham Basil Spanier
|birth_date   = {{birth date and age|1948|7|18}}
|birth_place  = [[Cape Town]], [[Union of South Africa]]
|death_date   =
|alma_mater   = [[Iowa State University]] and [[Northwestern University]]
|spouse       = Sandra Spanier
|children     = 2
}}

'''Graham Basil Spanier''' (born July 18, 1948) is a South African-born American sociologist and university administrator who became the 16th president of [[Pennsylvania State University]] on September 1, 1995. On November 9, 2011, in the wake of the [[Penn State child sex abuse scandal]], Spanier and longtime football coach [[Joe Paterno]] were “removed from their positions” by the Penn State board of trustees.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://abcnews.go.com/US/penn-state-football-coach-joe-paterno-university-president/story?id=14913848|title=Paterno, Spanier Out Immediately at Penn State|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=2019-06-06}}</ref>

Spanier is currently president emeritus and university professor emeritus. He previously held appointments as professor of human development and family studies; sociology, demography, and family and community medicine. He had a one-year post-presidential sabbatical leave following his resignation as president of Penn State in November 2011.

After lengthy criminal proceedings, Spanier was convicted of one misdemeanor charge of child endangerment in March 2017 for his role in the scandal. The conviction was overturned by a federal district judge in April 2019, but reinstated by an appeals court in December 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.upi.com/Top_News/US/2019/05/01/Judge-throws-out-child-endangerment-conviction-for-former-Penn-State-president/4381556733047/|title=Judge throws out child endangerment conviction for former Penn State president|website=UPI|language=en|access-date=2019-05-01}}</ref><ref name="auto">{{Cite web|url=https://lawandcrime.com/high-profile/appeals-court-reinstates-graham-spaniers-conviction-in-penn-state-jerry-sandusky-child-abuse-scandal/|title=Third Circuit Reinstates Graham Spanier's Conviction|date=December 1, 2020|website=[[Lawandcrime.com]]}}</ref> He served a two-month prison sentence throughout the summer of 2021.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/26/sports/football/Graham-Spanier-Sentenced-Penn-State-Scandal.html|title=Former Penn State President Will Serve 2 Months in Jail in Child Abuse Scandal|journal=The New York Times|date=May 26, 2021}}</ref>

Spanier has written a book recounting the Penn State scandal from his perspective, the criminal proceedings which followed and his resulting incarceration. “In the Lions’ Den: The Penn State Scandal and a Rush to Judgment” was released by Gryphon Eagle Press in September 2022.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Spanier in the Lion's Den |url=https://www.spanierinthelionsden.com/ |access-date=2022-10-09 |website=Spanier in the Lions' Den |language=en-US}}</ref>

Spanier is currently a consultant in national and international security, intelligence and risk management.<ref name=":0" />