Dip in Quality Since Joining Penn State

U-Wire (University Wire) (c) 2002 Copyright U-Wire. All Rights Reserved.
Tuesday, October 22, 2002
Pennsylvania State U.: Penn State law school struggles with diversity, dean says
U-WIRE-10/23/2002-Pennsylvania State U.: Penn State law school struggles with diversity, dean says (C) 2002 Daily Collegian Via U-WIRE

By James S. Young, Daily Collegian (Pennsylvania State U.)

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Pennsylvania State University's Dickinson School of Law students have the lowest LSAT scores in the Big Ten, lack diversity and are slipping in rankings.

That is the law school's bleak status, Dean Phillip McConnaughay told the University Faculty Senate at their meeting Tuesday.

McConnaughay was confident, however, that the school's "slide in academic reputation" can be repaired.

He said the student to faculty ratios have been dropping, as well as the LSAT scores that are now lowest in the Big Ten. "The diversity of our student body is unacceptably low," McConnaughay added.

Black students comprise 2.6 percent of the student body, and a total of 7.6 percent are minorities.

Meanwhile, other Big Ten law schools have much more diversity.

Michigan State University and Ohio State University have more than 20 percent minorities, and University of Illinois and Northwestern University have more than 30 percent minorities, McConnaughay said.

But Dickinson's lack of diversity does not extend to the school's faculty.

"We have one of the most diverse faculties in the Big Ten," he said.

One remedy to the school's problems McConnaughay offered was for prospective students to know the credentials of the faculty who would be teaching them.

"We need to get the word about who we are and how inclusive we are," he said.

"Penn State Dickinson is not lacking in attributes. We are failing to convey the attributes to law school applicants," McConnaughay added.

He said the school must also adjust to law's increasing international demand and the "intermingling" of science and law.

Penn State is supplying the school with funds to hire new faculty to replace retiring senior faculty, he said.

The school's tuition increased 20.9 percent this year.

Also yesterday, Executive Vice President and Provost Rodney Erickson presented the university's budget for the 2003-04 academic year.

The budget calls for a $14.5 million increase in state funding, which, if honored, would result in a 6.5 percent tuition increase at Penn State next year.

The Penn State Board of Trustees approved the budget at its September meeting.

Erickson said after the meeting it is too early to speculate on how much more tuition would increase if Pennsylvania does not honor Penn State's request for an appropriation increase this year.

For the 2002-03 academic year, the state decreased Penn State funding by 3.65 percent, which led to a 13.5 percent tuition increase.
Erickson said in the midst of tuition increases, competitive faculty salaries continue to be a concern.

Kathleen Lodwick, history professor at Lehigh Valley Campus, asked Erickson why there is a disparity in faculty salaries between Commonwealth Campuses.

She also said certain professor salary levels were comparable to poverty levels.

Erickson said he was astonished at the low salaries brought in by a dean at one particular branch campus.

"The greatest problem we have encountered over the years is many of our department heads have not hired at appropriately high enough salaries," he said.

Erickson said the particular deans are being made aware of funds to bring faculty salaries to an appropriate level.

Dick Law Gets a New Dean - Big Mistake

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 2002
Saturday, March 16, 2002
Local/State
Illinois professor to lead law school ; New dean brings international experience to Dickinson
Brett Lieberman Of Our Washington Bureau
WASHINGTON -- Penn State trustees named an Illinois College of Law professor with extensive experience in international and intellectual property law as the dean of the Dickinson School of Law.

"This is one of the most significant hires in the history of Penn State," university President Graham Spanier said of Philip J. McConnaughay.

McConnaughay, 49, will replace Dean Peter G. Glenn on July 1.

His naming yesterday is one of the most noteworthy changes by Penn State since it merged with the law school in 2000.

Glenn, who has been dean for the last eight years, was a chief engineer behind the merger. He plans to remain at Dickinson and return to teaching.

"I feel very privileged to be asked to join with Penn State Dickinson's faculty, students, staff and alums to make the most of this opportunity," McConnaughay said in a statement. University officials declined to disclose McConnaughay's salary.

McConnaughay has taught at the Illinois law school since 1996.

During that time he established externship programs for students with the South Africa Human Rights Commission and the National Center for Supercomputing Applications.

He has also been a visiting professor in China and lectured on development and intellectual property issues in Asia and Europe.

He previously practiced international law for 17 years, including eight years based in Hong Kong.

"He is an absolutely phenomenal scholar with extremely impressive international credentials in the practice of law," Spanier said.

McConnaughay was one of three finalists interviewed by Spanier for the position.

A search committee reviewed applications from several hundred candidates.

Sure, Create A Mess For Someone Else to Deal With - June 22, 2001

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 2001
Friday, June 22, 2001
A Section
Law school dean plans to step down Peter Glenn to teach full time after guiding Dickinson-Penn State merger
David Wenner Of Our Carlisle Bureau
CARLISLE --Dickinson School of Law Dean Peter Glenn, who guided the school's merger with Penn State University, will step down at the end of the 2001-2002 academic year.

"Clearly the most memorable accomplishment for me will be the negotiation and accomplishment of the merger with Penn State," said Glenn, who has headed the law school since 1994.

?This was a major accomplishment, not only in terms of the difficulty of the task, but also in terms of its importance to both institutions,?? Glenn said in a news release issued by Penn State.

Glenn cited no reasons for his decision to step down, but noted he has ?used up a great deal of energy during the past seven years.

"We are now almost finished tying up the various loose ends from the merger, the school is in great shape, and I think we are in a position to attract a new dean who not only will bring us a fresh supply of energy and enthusiasm, but also some fresh perspectives," he said.

Glenn couldn't be reached for comment yesterday.

A search committee to find a replacement will be formed shortly, the university said.

Glenn, who received a law degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, plans to return to full-time teaching at The Dickinson School of Law.

Dickinson, formerly billed as the nation's old independent law school, felt the impact of a national trend of declining enrollment in the early 1990s.

Meanwhile, Penn State was one of only two Big Ten schools lacking a law school.

"Although early on I was very unsure whether the merger could be accomplished, after a fairly long period of becoming acquainted with each other, the two institutions entered into the merger with great enthusiasm," Glenn said.

Penn State said the merger has resulted in a 35 percent increase in the number of law school applications and more than $12 million in private support since 1997.

"Peter [Glenn] has truly been the driving force behind the evolution of The Dickinson School of Law. He deserves most of the credit for the successful merger with Penn State four years ago," Penn State President Graham B. Spanier said.

Glenn has taught at law schools at the University of North Carolina, Washington and Lee University and the University of South Carolina and worked at a private firm in Cleveland for nearly 15 years.

Not surprising considering that one side was hiding its true intentions.

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 2000
Monday, July 3, 2000

School of law joins PSU Dickinson deal becomes official
Jan Murphy Of The Patriot-News
Dickinson School of Law and Penn State University had been living together so long that when their marriage became official, even the parents of the bridal couple failed to pay much attention.

The law school dean, Peter Glenn, is in Europe for the law school's international program. Penn State President Graham Spanier was at home in State College, awaiting his daughter's return from camp.

"The details [of the merger] have been in place for so long now that July 1 will indeed be uneventful for us," Spanier said last week. The 81,000-student university sought a merger with the independent private law school in 1997 to fill a gap in its vast academic offerings. The law school, which enrolls about 550 students, agreed to a three-year trial relationship before making the union official.

Since then, signs that the merger would be a good move for the law school became apparent, said Donald Taylor, a Wilmington, Del., resident who chairs the law school's board. Fund-raising is up fourfold. Applications have risen 36 percent in the last year, compared with a 3 percent increase at other law schools around the nation.

"The merger could not have been any smoother and a lot of that is thanks to the dean [Glenn]," Taylor said.

Penn State officials also credit Glenn and his staff for making the merger go off so smoothly.

"We knew before we began to proceed with plans for the merger that Dickinson School of Law was an institution with similar values and culture. ... We couldn't be more pleased," said Rodney Erickson, Penn State executive vice president and provost.

A prenuptial agreement hammered out between the two institutions guarantees the law school will keep its Dickinson name and its main campus will remain in Carlisle. It also allows the law school to retain its financial independence, preventing it from becoming a cash cow for the university.

Cumberland County President Judge George E. Hoffer, a 1966 law school alumnus, gave his blessing to the contract on May 24, clearing the way for the union to occur.

That left little to do July 1 at the law school that now officially goes by its married name: Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University.

In retrospect, maybe a future Bush crony and a disgraced coach weren't the best choice

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 2000
Saturday, May 27, 2000

Merger with PSU suits Dickinson law grads Ridge, Paterno make case for successful union
Elizabeth Gibson Of Our Carlisle Bureau
CARLISLE -- Commencement at the Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University took a brief detour from solemnity yesterday for a symbolic nod to the near completion of the merger of the law school and the university.

Joe Paterno, Nittany Lions football coach, and longtime law school professor Louis F. Del Duca met midway across a stage to join two pieces of a giant replica of the law school's new signature mark.

?Two Italians going to try to put something together. If this works, anything's possible,?? said Paterno.

Some graduates said the special presentation added excitement to an already momentous day.

?It's a double whammy -- the year 2000 plus the merger,?? said graduate Jeff Addis of Connellsville.

?The Dickinson School of Law had and still has a great reputation as a law school. Now, the Penn State name can go on resumes and will be on diplomas,?? said graduate David Tshudy of Jonestown.

?Living and working in this community, the Penn State name goes a long way. The influence of the college is incredible,?? said graduate Christy Appleby of Hershey, who will work in the state attorney general's office of consumer advocacy.

Gov. Tom Ridge, a 1972 law school alumnus, called it a ?win-win situation. A marriage not made in heaven, perhaps, but in ivory towers.??

He told the 161 recipients of law degrees and 11 who earned master of law degrees that they will have the main role in shaping the 21st century.

In a technology-based industry, ?ultimately, you'll decide whose copyright is on it ... who has access to it ... who gets paid for it,?? Ridge said.

?You will be asked by scores of non-billable clients to help shape the community. Say yes?? to serving on committees, as youth sports coaches and in other volunteer roles, he urged.

The Rt. Honourable Lord Thomas Henry Bingham of Cornhill, lord chief justice of England and Wales, received an honorary degree in the ceremony held on the adjacent Dickinson College campus.

Bingham's selection recognizes the law school's international focus and the common law tradition his country shares with the United States, a college spokesman said.

Law school Dean Peter G. Glenn cited benefits of the Penn State alliance.

He said applications to the school have risen 36 percent in the last year, and donations from alumni and friends since 1997 -- when the three-year merger process began -- equal $9.5 million. Students have access to more computers, and joint degree programs have grown from one in 1996 to an expected seven next year.

?Our hopes have been more than amply fulfilled,?? Glenn said.

Some alumni have said they are unhappy about the merger, mourning the loss of the 166-year-old school's independence. The Dickinson board will drop its governing role and serve in an advisory capacity starting July 1 when the merger is finalized.

Penn State President Graham B. Spanier said yesterday that ?the cultures of Penn State and of the Dickinson School of Law are fully compatible.??
And Paterno, who was on hand for the graduation of his son G. Scott, said the partnership has filled a void.

?Many of us at Penn State have long looked forward to the day that the university would be complete with ... a law school,?? he said.

He cautioned, however, that the merger would bring slim hope for fulfillment of Del Duca's self-professed dream of starring in a Lions game.

?In my fantasies, I have played quarterback, halfback and most other positions on your outstanding teams,?? Del Duca said.

?I'm glad,?? Paterno said to the senior academic, ?they're fantasies.??

The Honeymoon Isn't Over Yet

The Sunday Patriot-News Harrisburg Copyright 1999
Sunday, November 21, 1999
CENTRAL PA
PSU, Dickinson Law union called a success Joint venture sees gain in enrollment, diversity, more programs, funding
Jan Murphy Patriot News
As in life, some marriages work out, some don't. And so it is with Penn State.

The 2-year-old merger between Hershey Medical Center and Geisinger Health System last week went kaput. But the other merger, or acquisition as some call it, with Dickinson School of Law announced just days before the Penn State-Geisinger union, has proved a raging success by university standards.

?It's an ideal relationship. I believe that everyone involved on all sides is pleased with how it's going,' said university President Graham Spanier.

Peter Glenn, dean of the Carlisle law school, could not be reached for comment. In a presentation made in September to university trustees, Glenn said, ?We are proud to be part of this university. We hope that the university continues to be proud of us.'

Penn State sought out a law school to fill a ?hole? in its academic programming, said university executive vice president and provost Rodney Erickson. Since bringing the law school into the university's fold, programs involving the two schools have abounded.

There are joint programs now offered between the law school and university in the areas of public administration, business administration, environmental pollution and agricultural sciences. There's a fast-track program for university honor students to earn a law degree in six years instead of seven. And Erickson said more of these types of endeavors will come after the merger becomes official on June 30.

Other signs that the partnership has worked include a fourfold increase in fund-raising from 1997-98, the first year of the Penn State-Dickinson affiliation, to last year, he said.

Applications to the law school are up and so is the caliber of students applying, he said. Students continue to pass the state bar exam at rates exceeding the state average. The law school's population is becoming more racially diverse and it is attracting students from a broader geographic area.

Mike Floyd is proof of that. Floyd, a first-year law student, came to the law school from Texas.

After graduation, he hopes to land a job in the Northeast. If he has to go back, he said, ?At least I'll have a law degree from a school with national name recognition. It can't hurt. It can only help.'

John Porter, a 1983 Cedar Cliff High School graduate who is in his first year, sees the university's name and its alumni network as broadening his potential job market.

Since Penn State put its name on the law school, Rocco Iacullo, a third-year student and president of the school's Student Bar Association, has come to appreciate the bonuses he's received as a result.

The diversity of the first-year class has added to the learning experience at the law school, he said. So have the dozens of new computers and laser printers and expanded access to library resources. He said there are even JoePa dolls now available in the school's bookstore.

But he still refers to it as Dickinson School of Law, and notes that he applied to Dickinson when it was still an independent law school. His class is the last one that will be able to say that, he said.
?There's a greater willingness by the first-year class to call it Penn State Law,' he said. ?Dickinson had been a well-recognized law school in Pennsylvania. Penn State just helps spread that to other parts of the country.'

Dickinson alumni continue to have mixed feelings about that. While some applaud the move to make their law school a nationally recognized institution, other alums miss the small independent law school.

?Penn State Law is a very different institution than the institution it purchased,' said Ron Turo, who practices law in Carlisle a few blocks away from the law school where he earned his degree in 1981.

The school now has a broader mission than it did as an independent regional law school whose emphasis was on turning out lawyers to represent clients in Pennsylvania, he said.

?They're trying to compete with likes of University of Pennsylvania and Harvard, nationally recognized institutions and international law programs,' he said. ?That's fine, but that was not the primary focus and mission of Dickinson when it existed.'

The once ardent opposition by alumni to the university's affiliation with the law school has virtually disappeared, Spanier said. Many Dickinson alumni who were critical of the merger have since come to recognize it as a ?great thing,? he said.

?All the stars have been aligned right from the beginning,' Spanier said.

Both the university and law school are academic enterprises with similar values -- sharp contrast to the university's merger with a health care business like Geisinger, which Spanier described as more of a ?different mix of stars and planets.? Jan Murphy writes about education. She can be reached at 255-8246 or e-mail her at jmurphy@patriot-news.com.

Things Are Looking Good - November 21, 1999

The Sunday Patriot-News Harrisburg Copyright 1999
Sunday, November 21, 1999
CENTRAL PA
ON THE UP AND UP
The affiliation between Penn State and Dickinson School of Law that began in 1997-98 has shown signs of success, according to university officials. Here are some indicators they cite:

Applications to the law school increased 14 percent from 1997-98 to last year, compared with a 9 percent increase the previous year. Nationally, applications to all law schools rose 1.5 percent from 1996-97 to 1997-98 and by 4.2 percent last year.

The diversity of the law school's student body is growing geographically and racially. The percentage of first-year students from Pennsylvania has declined to 60 percent from 68 percent in 1996- 97. This year, students come from 24 states as opposed to last year's 19 states. The law school last year admitted 8 minority students to its first-year class, while this year's new class has 19 minority students.

Fund-raising has soared. The law school joined in the university's $1 billion capital campaign in 1997-98 and set a $16 million goal for itself to be used primarily for student scholarships. The first year the school raised $934,310. Last year, it raised $4.2 million.

Red & White Gives Way to Blue & White

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 1998
Friday, June 5, 1998
STATE/LOCAL
Grads 1st to wear colors of 2 schools // Dickinson law students, alumni focus on future of merger with Penn State
Jan Murphy Patriot News
Dickinson School of Law students spent three years studying alongside each other in the classroom, but will come away from Saturday's commencement exercises with two different diplomas.

About 10 percent will walk off the platform with a diploma that states the school's former name, Dickinson School of Law.

About 85 percent will receive one that carries its new name, Pennsylvania State University Dickinson School of Law.

Five percent of the 173 graduates will take home both diplomas. Some said they wanted one for a souvenir.

In the future, Peter Glenn, dean of the Carlisle law school, said the diplomas will all go by the school's new name. Graduates also got to choose between the school's traditional red and white hood to wear for commencement and one with the new color scheme of red, blue and white. Most chose the latter, Glenn said.

?This class spent two-thirds of their time here at an independent law school and they got a special claim to the history of an independent law school,' he said.

The small private institution that long prided itself as the nation's oldest independent law school is in the throes of transition as it becomes absorbed into the massive Penn State system. The affiliation between the two institutions took effect last July but a merger will not be completed until July 2000.

Different diplomas and robes are merely two signs of the changes.

Glenn attended a Penn State board of trustees meeting last month to discuss the impact on student and faculty applications that the law school noticed following its decision to surrender its independence to become a ?missing link? in Penn State's educational offerings.

Once the Dickinson-Penn State affiliation was announced in January, the law school saw a sudden surge in the number of applications, Glenn reported. That trend continued this spring when the school received just shy of 1,200 applications for its approximately 180 slots for next year, an increase of 8 percent.

All combined, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and New York law schools saw an increase of only four-tenths of 1 percent this year. Nationally, the number of law school applications, on a downward slide since 1991, saw a slight upward turn of about 2 percent.

Penn State President Graham Spanier expected the university's affiliation would result in an increase in applications. He said in an earlier interview he was pleased to see ?the quality of the applicants has gone up as well.'

On the faculty front, Glenn said the law school received an overwhelming response to two teaching positions it advertised. Many of them said they were more interested in teaching there because of its affiliation with Penn State.

The law school also has made strides in increasing concurrent degree offerings to students at the university and law school. The most recent, he said, allows students to earn a law degree and one of several master's degrees in environmental pollution control. Glenn hopes to announce more of these types of collaborations by the end of summer.

?The transition has gone about as smoothly and efficiently as you could imagine such a complicated process could be,' Glenn said. ?I don't see any major problems on the horizon.'

No one denies there's still some residual opposition to the affiliation with Penn State, but Glenn and trustees say it's diminished as more information about the merger comes forth.

?I think the announcement came as something of a surprise to some of the people who weren't involved in working it out,' said Robert M. Frey, president of the law school's board of trustees. ?Naturally, when you didn't know what to expect, you have reservations. But as information was disseminated and understandings developed, the general reaction seems to be very, very favorable.'

Frey and Glenn reiterated the law school, for the most part, remains the same institution. It's in the same place. There's no immediate plans to change the size. The faculty, except for new hires, remains the same. And the school preserves its name.

Carlisle lawyer Ron Turo, an alumnus of the law school and Penn State and outspoken critic of the merger, said he thinks time will change all that. He fears pressure from prospective students who say they'd enroll in the law school if it were in State College, rather than ?backwater Carlisle,? might force the law school out of Carlisle.

?They say publicly that's not in the cards, but you don't need a lot of bricks and mortar to make a law school,' he said. '. . . I hope I'm wrong, because the law school really is an asset to the community and to Carlisle. But it's now Penn State Law, not my Dickinson School of Law, proud and independent.'

Graduating student Michelle Koontz of Bedford said she was sorry to see the law school lose its independence. It's where her father and grandfather earned their law degrees, and where her grandfather served as a trustee for 30 years.

On the other hand, she said, ?I felt it provides an opportunity to make the school more competitive. It'll make the name recognition more significant. More employers are from Penn State than just Dickinson School of Law.'

Because of her mixed feelings, Koontz, an executive board member of the school's Student Bar Association, opted to receive two diplomas -- one denoting the Penn State affiliation and one that omits it. As for the hood, she opted for the one that includes a splash of blue.

?I'm speaking at graduation so it's out of courtesy for the school I love very much,' she explained, ?and for the dean who is extremely supportive of the Penn State merger.'

If they're buying property, they must be staying put, right? - March 31, 1998

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 1998
Tuesday, March 31, 1998
STATE/LOCAL
Law school nears its first expansion outside of Carlisle // Dickinson buying Financial Trust's Allen Road center
Charles Thompson Patriot News Carlisle Bureau
CARLISLE -- The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University is close to completing the purchase of Financial Trust Corp.'s operations center off Allen Road.

The deal would mark the 164-year-old law school's first expansion outside of downtown Carlisle.

Robert M. Frey, president of the law school's board of trustees, said the purchase would enable the school -- which merged with Penn State last year -- to educate its lawyers-in-training most efficiently and effectively.

Frey said the site could be used to develop more library space for older volumes that are used infrequently and to relocate some administrative offices now housed in the second floor of the law school's Shughart Center on North Pitt Street.

The site also could provide space for education programs and the new Agricultural Law Research and Education Center, as well as storage space for law-school records.

The operations center -- consisting of an office and a warehouse totaling about 29,000-square-feet on 10-plus acres just north of the Exit 12 interchange of Interstate 81-- was put up for sale last year after the Harrisburg-based Keystone Financial acquired Financial Trust Corp.

Many of the facility's employees have been transferred to other positions within the bank or laid off -- bank officials estimated about 45 positions have been cut as a result of the Keystone acquisition.

Rob Rahal, president of Financial Trust's Western Division, said audit and check-processing functions remaining at the facility will be moved to other Carlisle-area bank offices before Dec. 31.

?We will continue to do both of those duties locally,? Rahal said.

University and bank officials declined to comment on the sale price for the buildings.

Frey stressed that the addition of the new space is an outgrowth of strategic planning that predates the merger with Penn State.

?This is not a step toward any intended increase in enrollment at the law school,' Frey said, noting that most Dickinson Law students will rarely, if ever, visit the new buildings.

?But we are cramped now,? he added, ?and any opportunities for expansion at existing facilities] are limited.'

Frey could offer no timetable for completion of what he called amicable negotiations for the tract.

With the proposed conversion, the law school could have the Allen Road buildings removed from local property tax rolls.

Financial Trust paid more than $30,000 a year in property taxes on the two lots, including $22,333 to the Carlisle Area School District, $6,238 to Carlisle, and $4,289 to Cumberland County.

The Big Day Finally Arrives - July 1, 1997

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 1997
Wednesday, July 2, 1997
STATE/LOCAL
Penn State quietly merges with Dickinson law school
Elizabeth Gibson Patriot News Carlisle Bureau
CARLISLE -- Penn State gained a law school yesterday, and it was almost as if nobody noticed.

Between recent grads cramming for the bar exams, current students moving into new apartments and the general pause brought on by a summer holiday, there was no fanfare to accompany Merger Day -- the day Dickinson School of Law's much-discussed formal consolidation with Penn State University takes effect.

Eric Smith, a 1997 graduate staying around for the bar exams, confessed to remembering about the merger only when he saw news coverage of Hong Kong's pass-back from Great Britain to China.

?I don't think it was mentioned at all,? Smith, a Schnecksville native, said yesterday. ?But then we all have other things on our minds.'

Despite the lack of fanfare, law school officials declared it a momentous occasion.

?Today is the beginning of a very exciting partnership that we think will benefit both schools,' said Deb Ryerson, law school spokeswoman.

While Penn State is now responsible for the law school -- which is not affiliated with neighboring Dickinson College -- the 163-year-old law school is expected to retain much of its autonomy.

That, some of those still around yesterday said, is one reason why they have grown to support the move.

?I'm actually very excited about it,? said Ellen Farina, a rising third-year student. ?I picked Dickinson because of its size and its sense of community . . . and as long as that doesn't change, I completely think it's a positive step.'

In some ways, Ryerson said, evidence of the merger, to be completed by 2000, can already be found on the campus.

Perhaps the most noticeable shift is a rise in the percentage of applicants who are accepting offers of admission to the school, Ryerson said.

?We have heard (applicants say), ?I became interested in (Dickinson) more when I heard of the merger,' because they do want to be affiliated with a Big Ten school,' she said.

Similarly, a lot of Penn State administrators and faculty have made their interest in being associated with the law school clear, Ryerson said. ?The minute the news of the merger broke a lot of people at Penn State started calling and saying ?When can we get together?',' she said.

The new relationship will spawn joint degree programs and opportunities for faculty at both schools to teach interdisciplinary courses, Ryerson said.

Other changes will be noticed by returning students this fall.

The school's book store, to be run by national retailer Barnes and Noble, will move across the hall from its current space in Trickett Hall once renovations are completed. ?It will be a bit bigger,' Ryerson said. ?They're going to sell more clothing and more paraphernalia than we used to.'

?There is not a new logo (though) everyone was expecting a new logo,' she said.

Instead, stationery bears a combination of the official Penn State mark and The Dickinson School of Law name.

The Penn State name will be added to brass plaques outside Trickett Hall but the main law school sign is unchanged.

Staff Writer Charles Thompson contributed to this report.

Dick Law's Final Graduation

The Sunday Patriot-News Harrisburg Copyright 1997
Sunday, June 1, 1997
CENTRAL PA
Reflection of blue and white // Dickinson Law grads ponder a PSU future
Ford Turner Patriot News
As the dignified strains of "Pomp and Circumstance" floated over the Dickinson School of Law yesterday, you could almost hear the roar of the Nittany Lion.

For, even as 193 black-gowned men and women prepared to graduate in the heart of Carlisle, Penn State was on their minds. The long-independent law school has agreed to merge with Penn State effective July 1, and future diplomas will read "The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University."

It was cause for reflection among yesterday's graduates.

"I am very strongly opposed to the merger, but I am very proud," said 35-year-old Ira Wagler. "The school's been independent for so long . . . We have lost a tradition that was almost invaluable."

Others felt differently. John Van Allen, 26, said that long before he entered the law school, he thought "they would be a perfect fit.

"Penn State needed a law school. It was the only thing it was missing," he said.

The commencement ceremony was attended by hundreds of people. Their chairs covered the lawn next to Drayer Hall.

It was warm and overcast as Jerome J. Shestack, president-elect of the American Bar Association, gave the commencement address.

He cautioned them to be wary as "you move from the calm of your academic pond.

"It is a troublesome business, this adversary system . . . I have no answers to the moral dilemmas of our profession. It will be painful to wrestle with them," Shestack said.

He urged graduates to do pro bono work early in their careers, and often.

"If affluence and power are all you seek . . . I believe you will ultimately find little joy in your profession," he said.

Shestack did not mention the merger. In the commencement program, though, the logic of a union with Penn State was the first thing mentioned under "History and Mission."

It read, "Through this affiliation, the Law School will broaden the variety and multi-disciplinary nature of its curriculum, will enhance its technological capabilities, and will gain increased recognition throughout the nation and the world."

It noted that the school was founded by Judge John Reed in 1834. Yesterday, as they got ready to depart the collection of gray, stone buildings with massive white columns, some graduates looked into the future of the place.

A Dickinson School of Law-Penn State degree, said Clasina Mahoney, 27, will have more punch when placed before out-of-state employers.

"The big firms are going to be able to recognize it more," she said.

Kurt Springer, 31, said, "I'm a bit sad that we are losing our independence . . . (but) we will be able to draw on the opportunities they have and some of the resources."

And graduate Thomas J. Ahrens, who delivered the invocation, voiced a wish for the school as a whole.

He said, "May it remain faithful to its mission of training quality attorneys."

Back in the News - May 17, 1997

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 1997
Saturday, May 17, 1997
A SECTION
Dickinson-PSU merger ?on track? // Important hurdle in the transition process is cleared
Kenn Marshall Patriot News
STATE COLLEGE -- The proposed merger of The Dickinson School of Law with Penn State University is ?on track? and should begin as scheduled on July 1, Penn State officials said yesterday.

State Education Secretary Eugene Hickok has formally approved the merger, clearing an important hurdle in the transition process, Penn State President Graham Spanier said.

Meanwhile, a high-speed communications link that will connect the law school in Carlisle with the university will be installed next month. That will greatly enhance the resources available to Dickinson students, faculty and staff.

The law school will become officially known as The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University on July 1. It will take three years to complete the merger.

During the transition, Penn State Board of Trustees President H. Jesse Arnelle and two of Penn State's senior administrators will join the law school's board to assist with the administration of the school. The Dickinson board will remain in place until July 2000, when its members then will serve in only an advisory capacity and the school will be completely taken over by Penn State.

Dickinson Law School Dean Peter Glenn is expected to continue to be in charge of the school's day-to-day operations.