Spanier discusses college athletics on ABC's Nightline

University Park, Pa. -- Penn State President Graham B. Spanier joined a panel of three college leaders on ABC News' Nightline Feb. 23 for a discussion on how college athletics today fits into the educational mission of universities.

The discussion was hosted by anchor Ted Koppel and included the presidents of Stanford and Tulane.

Spanier's appearance is the latest of several national network television appearances by Penn Staters in recent days. Last week, he and several Penn State students were featured in an MTV News segment on the University's ground-breaking music service offered through Napster. The segment aired several times on MTV, MTV2, and MTV-U, which is broadcast on college campuses across the country.

In addition, Charles E. Yesalis, Penn State professor of health policy and administration, appeared on the CBS Evening News with Dan Rather on Feb. 20 to discuss recent allegations regarding the use of performance-enhancing drugs by Olympic-level and professional athletes. Yesalis is recognized worldwide as on of the leading authorities on the use of anabolic steroids and other performance-enhancing drugs and stimulants by athletes. He has been asked to testify before U.S. Congress on legislation related to the control of anabolic steroids and growth hormone abuse, and he has been a consultant to several federal agencies and international commissions. Read more on Yesalis at http://live.psu.edu/story/5685

Barbara Rolls, professor of nutrition at Penn State and co-author of "The Volumetrics Weight-Control Plan: Feel Full on Fewer Calories," appeared in a segment on food portion sizes and nutrition on NBC Nightly News with Tom Brokaw on Feb. 18. For more information on Rolls' research and the Laboratory for the Study of Human Ingestive Behavior at Penn State, visit http://nutrition.hhdev.psu.edu/foodlab/