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 tendered his resignation to the Penn State board of trustees.Spanier is currently president emeritus, university professor, and 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.
He was later convicted on March 24, 2017, of one misdemeanor charge of child endangerment.
The conviction was overturned by a federal district judge on April 30, 2019.