Citing competition and cost, Penn State looks to reunite its 2 law schools

Penn State University’s two separately accredited law schools would be reunited into one under a recommendation from university President Neeli Bendapudi.

She and other leaders Tuesday cited an “extremely competitive legal education marketplace” and a desire to better focus resources in explaining the plan to combine Penn State Dickinson Law in Carlisle and Penn State Law at University Park into Penn State Dickinson Law.

Its primary location would be in Carlisle. It would be led by Dean Danielle M. Conway.

“Reuniting the two schools allows the University to advance legal education at Penn State and offer law students a more robust law school experience,” the university said in a statement. ”With an extremely competitive marketplace for legal education and nine law schools in Pennsylvania, the University’s current two-law-school model is not the best approach for achieving excellence in legal education.”

The statement continued, “Ultimately, concentrating its resources on a single school would allow the University to build a stronger law school.”

It said there would be “significant savings over time, which can be reallocated into other academic units” but did not elaborate.

Penn State has canceled the dean search for Penn State Law.

However, no changes in faculty and staff levels would be made at least until after the plan to reunite both schools is reviewed by a panel seeking input across the university, final recommendations are made in the spring and all approvals secured.

Victor Romero, Penn State Law professor, has been appointed as interim dean of Penn State Law, effective Jan. 1. He will replace Interim Dean and retired U.S. Navy Vice Adm. James W. Houck, the interim dean since August 2021, who will return to the faculty at his request.

Pledge to current students

“I want our law students to know that we are fully committed to you,” Bendapudi said. “As we evolve, you will continue to receive an outstanding, fully accredited legal education, as well as professional development opportunities, at your current campus, through graduation.

“For our faculty and staff, we recognize your tremendous talent and dedication to this University, and we will work closely with you throughout this process.”

In recent months, Penn State officials have worked to address a budget deficit projected at one point to reach $191 million. Leaders said the institutions overall finances are stable but noted that dipping into reserves to cover pandemic-related operating expenses, as the school has done, is not sustainable.

Penn State leaders Tuesday did not specify dollar savings. Spokesman Wyatt Dubois said it is too soon to share that projection.

The statement pointed to support from leadership of Penn State’s board of trustees.

“The board supports the consideration of reuniting our two law schools into one, as this outcome would likely enhance the University’s legal education offerings, while helping to achieve the broader goal of being effective stewards of our resources, ” said Matthew Schuyler, board chair.

School of International Affairs moving?

The School of International Affairs (SIA), now co-located with Penn State Law in University Park, will remain largely unchanged, but Penn State will consider moving SIA elsewhere within the University, officials said.

The search for a permanent director of SIA will continue.

Dickinson School of Law is Pennsylvania’s oldest law school, founded in 1834. It merged with Penn State in 1997, offering Penn State the opportunity to grant law degrees.

The move left Dickinson’s future in question at one point as the university weighed moving the law school to University Park. In 2006, the Dickinson School of Law University Park campus opened, and the two campuses operated as a single, united, two-campus law school until their separation into two, separately accredited law schools in 2014.