Editorial | A fault in leadership

If an Ivy League professor were to be arrested for importing child pornography, most people would be shocked and surprised.

And that was the case when police arrested Marketing professor Scott Ward, 64, for importing child pornography. When police apprehended Ward at Dulles Airport, his baggage contained a laptop, DVD discs and a digital video camera, all of which allegedly contained videos of young children engaging in sexual acts - some of them with Ward.

Shocking, right?

Well, it shouldn't be. Because for Ward, this wasn't his first run-in with the law. The emeritus professor has been accused of sexual misconduct with children twice before. Throughout the 1990s, allegations of soliciting sex from minors dogged Ward, who paid $2,500 in fines and served five years of probation for entering a plea that - while not admitting guilt - agreed that there was sufficient evidence to convict him.

Sure, he didn't plead guilty, but everyone could sense that major problems were afoot - that includes former President Judith Rodin, who supported Ward by keeping him on staff throughout the allegations. As the person in charge, Rodin failed in her responsibility to protect the Penn community from Ward.

Penn students were likely never in danger, but children of all ages reguarly frequent the campus, including faculty members' children and prospective students around the age of those found on Ward's videotapes.

Even when current President Amy Gutmann took over, Ward's status remained unchanged. Worse is the fact that Gutmann said she had no knowledge of Ward's history until his latest arrest.

Obviously, administrators come and go at Penn, but important information (like the fact that a professor has a history of sexual misconduct allegation) shouldn't be lost in the shuffle.

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