Less than a week before Jerry Sandusky heads to trial on child sex-abuse charges, Penn State's president says the school is trying hard to put the scandal in its rearview mirror.
 
Rodney Erickson is talking up Penn State's response to a massive scandal that tarnished its image and led to the ousters of Hall of Fame football coach Joe Paterno and Erickson's predecessor, Graham Spanier.
 
Erickson says Penn State is seeking to become a leader in the fight against child abuse. And he says the school has created a "degree of separation" from the scandal through the academic, athletic and charitable achievements of its students and faculty.
 
Erickson made his comments to the editorial boards of The Patriot-News of Harrisburg and the Centre Daily Times.