Penn State Dickinson Law and Penn State Law — two separately accredited law schools — will reunite after almost 10 years as standalone schools. The two previously operated as one law school with two campuses from 2005 until 2014. Dickinson is located in Carlisle, about 80 miles from State College.
The reunification is expected to take several years, and the leadership of the two law schools together with the university and the American Bar Association (ABA) are defining that process.
The single law school will be called Penn State Dickinson Law and its primary location will be in Carlisle with a substantial presence at State College, the main campus for Penn State University. Each campus will have residential student cohorts, including J.D. students at all levels, LL.M. students, and S.J.D. students, with class sizes being optimized over time.
Neeli Bendapudi, president of Pennsylvania State University, announced last fall that she was organizing a panel to look into reunification. A panel was formed in January, composed of seven members each from Penn State Dickinson Law and Penn State Law, and chaired by Penn State Dickinson Law Dean Danielle Conway with Penn State Law Interim Dean Victor Romero serving as vice chair. The committee met weekly to work collaboratively in developing its recommendation for the future. The panel’s final recommendation had the support of every member of the panel and was shared with Bendapudi at the end of May.
“Legal education has evolved for a variety of reasons throughout its history in this country, and we are in a period of significant change at this moment as law schools respond to a changing landscape where law and the legal profession are even more critical to a democratic society,” Conway said. “I view bringing together Penn State’s two outstanding law schools as a crucial step in meeting the challenges facing the legal academy and the legal profession in preparing the next generation of lawyer leaders for society.”
Bendapudi said the work to reunite these schools is still just beginning, and is expected to take several years. For Fall 2024, the two law schools are accepting applications as separate institutions.
In 2000, Penn State took over Dickinson School of Law, a private school that was founded in 1834. Penn State opened its State College campus in 2006 and opened a new building in 2009.
In 2008, it received a $25 million grant from the Cumberland County Redevelopment Authority to upgrade the Carlisle campus, but with the caveat that first-, second- and third-year programs would remain in the state capitol.
When law school applications dropped in 2012, the faculty voted to cease first year classes in Carlisle. However, the Cumberland County Redevelopment Authority did not grant permission.
Unable to cease admitting new students in Carlisle, the university chose to separate the two schools — allowing them to have different admissions strategies and missions. Some thought Penn State at University Park would attract higher-quality students from across the nation, while the Carlisle location would cater more to local students, presumably with lower entering credentials. But it has not turned out that way. Both schools have similar entering credentials and missions.
