Penn students and some others remember with equal parts horror and glee the case of kiddie-canoodler Scott Ward, a Wharton marketing professor until last August. That was when security officials at Washington’s Dulles Airport found videos of him doing little boys on his laptop. Shortly thereafter, school investigators found 80 images in his Wharton office of him doing more little boys. A year later and he’s already been sentenced 15 years in Virginia and may see a second trial in Pennsylvania.

Wharton probably hopes that the new Dean, Thomas S. Robertson, can wipe the slate clean. Still, what sort of b-school worth its salt keeps a professor with a record of sexual misconduct on staff?? I mean, Ward had co-published a study called “Adolescent Attitudes Toward Television Advertising” and co-edited a book called Commercial Television and European Children: An International Research (1986)! Obvi his main goal was to fuck millions of kids.

Who would dare co-publish or co-edit such academic smut with Ward? That’s almost as bad as, like, owning a house on Cape Cod with a convicted pederast for 25 years.

Oh hey, look, one guy did all of these things: Thomas S. Robertson, the new Wharton Dean.

After the jump: a special happy friendship revealed. 

In response to IvyGate’s inquiries about Robertson and Ward’s Lennon-and-McCartney-ish publishing history (all of which are documented on Ward’s resume), stoic University spokewoman Lori Doyle offered the following:

The University was aware that Dr. Robertson had written scholarly publications jointly with Scott Ward in the 1980s and that they had been friends.  The University determined that it had no bearing on Dr. Robertson’s ability to lead the Wharton School.

Oh we know. It’s not much of a biggie. But what about this:

This is a mortgage document for 140 Catboat Rd. in Wellfleet, Mass. — one of many available to public viewing on the Barnstable County Records website. Ward shared the deed with Thomas Robertson and his wife, Diana Robertson, starting in 1977. While we await further word from Penn on the nature of this cohabitation, we’re guessing Robertson witnessed at least 500 of Ward’s magical spanky parties from his cozy New England breakfast nook.

Our conspiracy theorist community might assume that Robertson totally caught the pedophilia bug by living with him over the past three decades, but even we’ll stop short of that. Well, maybe a few jokes.

The bigger issue here is simple: Penn, why the sealed lips? As the DP pointed out in today’s issue, the University still remains mum on the potentially sex-fueled departure of Admissions Dean Lee Stetson. They also don’t deem it necessary to mention that the new Dean of Wharton, only a couple months on the job, shared a house for decades with Scott Ward, a notable disgrace of a human being.

Like pulling teeth with these guys!