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.

But Maybe Not Everyone Agrees - January 30, 1997

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 1997
Thursday, January 30, 1997
OP-ED
AS I SEE IT
PSU-Dickinson merger: Lost tradition
Ira Wagler
The news dropped on the Dickinson School of Law like a bombshell on Jan. 13, creating a stir of excitement on campus. The dean confirmed that DSL will merge with Penn State in July, effectively transforming it into a Big Ten law school with the potential to leap into the top tier of law schools as rated by U.S. News and World Report.

The accolades have been loud and prolonged, especially among Penn State graduates, and understandably so. Penn State is a widely recognized and respectable institution, and most small law schools can only dream of such a lucrative affiliation.

But as a third-year law student who chose to enter the Dickinson School of Law because it was a small, venerable private school with a long, honorable and distinguished history, I am vehemently opposed to the merger.

I oppose it because it will transform the Dickinson School of Law into an entirely new entity, and the identity and spirit of the old Dickinson will be forever and irretrievably lost. In fact, the proud, independent spirit of the school disappeared on Jan. 17 after the Trustees at Penn State voted to ratify the agreement that will swallow DSL. It will never return.

Regardless of how one personally feels about the merger, that fact alone is a terrible and tragic thing that has been studiously ignored or lightly glossed over by the law school administration. In reality, even though the name of ?Dickinson School of Law? exists on paper, it will henceforth forever be known as the Penn State Law School. Furthermore, despite all the soothing assurances we hear of how the school will retain its identity and location ?in perpetuity,' I predict that within a single generation DSL/PSU will no longer be located in Carlisle.

The Dickinson School of Law was founded in 1834, and through all that has occurred in history since that time, one factor remained constant, immovable, as though carved in stone. The Dickinson School of Law was a proud, private, independent institution. Although it lay briefly dormant during the Civil War, it survived the Spanish- American War, World War I, World War II and every war that followed.
It survived the Roaring Twenties, the Great Depression and the Baby Boom. It survived the flower-child, permissive, drug-induced turmoil of the Sixties and the polyester/disco culture of the Seventies. As a proud and independent law school, Dickinson survived every obstacle it encountered until it came face to face with the arbitrary power of the current Board of Trustees and Dean Peter G. Glenn.

Now, suddenly, in the winter of 1997, we are told and apparently accept without question that Dickinson will wither and die unless it merges with Penn State. The student body was not consulted. The law school's 5,000-plus graduates were not consulted. And save for a few select members, the law school staff was not consulted.

But would the Dickinson School of Law actually collapse without Penn State? I think not. Unquestionably, law school applications are down across the board. DSL may have had to bite the bullet and either accept fewer students or accept students that it would not have accepted a decade ago. But all things tend to unfold in cycles, and law school applications are no exception. In another decade or so, the number and quality of applications will likely rise to former levels.

The merger will drastically alter the law school's personality. If DSL/PSU does vault into the top tier of law schools as projected, it will attract an entirely new brand of cutthroat, backstabbing students. There will be no more sharing of the legendary ?Curt Toll outlines,? nor will students be able to leave their books, notes and outlines openly on study carrels for an entire semester, as they now do and have done for years. One day, the faculty and staff who survive the merger will mourn for the old days and regret that such traditions were lost. But such is the price of progress and recognition.

Finally, the merger is unfair to students such as myself who object to being alumni of a state-affiliated school. I believe that a legal education is a privilege and not a right. I strongly resent the possibility that my tax dollars will ever go toward educating more lawyers at DSL/PSU for a jaded and increasingly resentful populace already groaning under a massive glut of attorneys. We are told that no tax dollars will ever be used to fund DSL/PSU. In the short term, that is undoubtedly true. But who knows what will happen in 10, 20, even 50 years? DSL/PSU will then be a state- affiliated school, and conditions may some day dictate that it siphon tax money or close its doors.

So I salute you, Dickinson School of Law, and say farewell. There is a time and a place for everything under the sun, and the time for private, independent law schools is apparently over. But I am proud and eternally grateful that my class will graduate under the banner of the independent Dickinson School of Law. The tragedy is that we will be the last full class to do so.

The proud and independent spirit that we experienced here can live on only in our hearts, and so it will. Throughout my life, when asked where I received my legal education, I will answer with pride, ?I graduated from the now defunct Dickinson School of Law.'
Ira Wagler writes from Carlisle.

Dick Law Dean Pretty Happy Too

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 1997
Wednesday, January 29, 1997
OP-ED
AS I SEE IT
Affiliation will strengthen both schools
Peter G. Glenn
The affiliation of The Dickinson School of Law and Penn State will strengthen two already strong Pennsylvania institutions.

Penn State will fill a gap in its comprehensive array of academic programs by joining a well-established law school with a great history and tradition.

By joining forces with Penn State, Dickinson will be strengthened in four major areas:

Dickinson will be able to offer its students opportunities for cross-disciplinary enrichment of the law school curriculum and for combined degree programs in such fields as business, public administration, health care, environmental studies and labor relations. There is increasing demand for the multi-disciplinary lawyer. Dickinson's affiliation with Penn State will enable us to prepare our students to satisfy that demand.

Dickinson will benefit greatly from becoming part of Penn State's highly sophisticated network of technology. Penn State is a world leader in the use of technology in education. The affiliation will enable our faculty and students to be on the cutting edge of developments in technology. Changes in technology will continue to expand the ways in which learning can be done and in which legal services can be provided.

In a time of intense competition for entry-level positions in the legal profession, the combination of reputations and alumni networks will enhance job opportunities or Dickinson graduates. Dickinson has a very strong reputation for quality, built on the accomplishments of its alumni. Penn State is internationally recognized as a great university. The combination of these strengths will help make the Dickinson School of Law an even more attractive school for students who want both an excellent legal education and a wide range of career possibilities.

Finally, by joining with Penn State, Dickinson will be able to take advantage of economics of scale by consolidating certain of its business operations with the parallel operations of Penn State. In areas such as purchasing, record-keeping, and institutional advancement, Dickinson will be able to maintain the high quality of its operations but at lower cost. These cost savings can be used to stop annual increases in tuition charges (and perhaps even to reduce tuition in a few years) and for academic program enhancements. The opportunity to reduce costs while maintaining or even improving services and programs is of no small consequence to a school that long has placed a very high value on being affordable.
The benefits to Dickinson of its merger with Penn State will come without any dramatic change in the nature of the Law School. We will continue to be The Dickinson School of Law, and we will remain in Carlisle. There are no plans to increase the size of our facilities or enrollment. Our students will continue to work with the same talented teachers and the same supportive staff. Our alumni will continue to interact with each other and with the school through their General Alumni Association, and will be eligible to join the Penn State Alumni Association. We will continue to be good neighbors in Carlisle and, in cooperation with Penn State Harrisburg, The Hershey Medical Center, and Penn State York, Dickinson will have new opportunities to serve the greater Harrisburg area.

The Dickinson School of Law has had a distinguished history. It now stands poised, together with Penn State, to meet the challenge of the 21st century with even greater strength and confidence.

Peter G. Glenn is dean of the Dickinson School of Law.

Penn State President Pleased With Himself

The Harrisburg Patriot Copyright 1997
Wednesday, January 29, 1997
OP-ED
AS I SEE IT
PSU Law // Decision was important to Penn State
Graham B. Spanier
The decision to merge with The Dickinson School of Law is a very important development for Penn State, and certainly an easy one for Penn State to make. At no cost to taxpayers and with no impact on our tuition for other students at Penn State, we have accomplished something we have long needed.

A law school was an important missing link in Penn State's academic repertoire. Its absence prevented natural opportunities for academic collaboration for our faculty in fields as diverse as business administration, public administration, communications, political science, and labor relations.

As the relationship with The Dickinson School of Law takes shape in the coming months, it will bring new and valuable benefits to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and its people.

Dickinson, particularly with its community law clinics, has a tradition of outreach and service that fits perfectly with the land grant service mission of Penn State.

There is no other college or university in Pennsylvania like Penn State. We are the only institution with offices located in each of 67 counties. We are the only institution with a central mission of outreach and service to the state. Our faculty and students, through their research, are inventing a better tomorrow. They perform more service to communities and companies than any other college or university in the state. As important as our role is to educate 77,000 students, our mission to help business and industry create jobs through our research and technology transfer activities remains fundamental.

Quality is an important part of a Penn State degree, and traditionally Dickinson has ranked at or near the top among law schools in the state in the percentage of its graduates who pass the bar exam. Penn State has been the largest supplier of students to Dickinson and we expect that special distinction to continue.

Penn State, now with 24 campuses, is uniquely qualified to work with the faculty, staff and students of Dickinson. The law school joins an institution that is not geographically bound, but rather provides many of its important services in diverse communities throughout the state.

Tradition is important. Penn State will remain particularly sensitive to the pledge of being a good neighbor to the people of Carlisle and a good steward of the Dickinson reputation that thousands of people have spent so many years establishing.
We will continue the commitment of making a law education available to students of modest means.

I am particularly pleased that this merger provides Penn State yet another opportunity to serve state government and the people of the greater Harrisburg area.

The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University will strengthen many academic programs of the university at the undergraduate, graduate and professional level. I have received numerous messages from Penn State students who want to know how they can enroll in our new law school and from Penn State faculty who want to develop cooperative programs with the law school.

The merger is an old idea, discussed off and on for years. But this month it became an exciting reality.

Graham Spanier is president of The Pennsylvania State University.

National Law Journal Gets Wind of the Story - January 27, 1997

The National Law Journal Volume 19, Number 22 Copyright 1997 by the New York Law Publishing Company The National Law Journal
Monday, January 27, 1997
Regional Reports
PENNSYLVANIA
DICKINSON JOINS PENN STATE
Compiled from National Law Journal staff, correspondent and Associated Press reports.

philadelphia-Penn State University announced plans Jan. 13 to merge with the Dickinson School of Law, acquiring the one major professional school it has long lacked, university officials said. By merging with an existing school rather than creating one, Penn State will broaden its curriculum without adding to the already overwhelming number of law school graduates in the state, said John A. Brighton, Penn State executive vice president and provost. The new school would be named The Dickinson School of Law of the Pennsylvania State University on July 1, and the two schools would merge officially in 2000, he said.

Penn State Hailed for Its Genius

Allentown Morning Call Copyright 1997
Monday, January 27, 1997
COMMENT
PENN STATE IS POISED FOR GROWTH, SERVICE
To the Editor:

The wonderful thing about the editorial page is that opinions count more than facts. Calling Penn State, the Commonwealth's land-grant institution (and one of the nation's best educational buys for the dollar, according to national studies), a 300-pound gorilla was a rather strange opinion. Any gorilla so puny would surely need to bulk up, as the editorial suggested Penn State was doing.

Now, if Penn State were a gorilla, especially since the university is a leading public research institution, that gorilla would stand tall, well over 7 feet, and surely weigh in at around 1,000 pounds.

Penn State has no need to apologize for its size or its reputation -- it is a world-class institution, and the citizens of Pennsylvania can be very proud of the university's achievements, despite a continuing decline in state subsidies.

And, as loyal Penn Staters know, the university is no gorilla. We are a pride of lions --Nittany Lions. We are not a weak gorilla, but a mighty lion. In the Lehigh Valley, we have been delivering high-quality educational services for 85 years, responding to those in need of our programs and expertise. As the flagship university of this great commonwealth, Penn State's commitment to teaching, research and service will continue to increase as we provide greater opportunities for location-bound residents in the many communities we serve. With the recent mergers of the Dickinson School of Law and Geisinger Health Systems with the university, Penn State is poised for continued success with renewed energy.

DR. EUGENE R. SLASKI

CAMPUS EXECUTIVE OFFICER

Penn State Allentown

Fogelsville

A few more words from the NYT

New York Times (NY) January 22, 1997 Section: B
On Campus; Penn State Merges With Dickinson Law
JACQUES STEINBERG
Penn State to merge with Dickinson School of Law (S)

What does a major university do if it is interested in adding a law program, but does not want to increase the number of lawyers entering the job market each year?

That is the situation Pennsylvania State University in State College has faced for years. Last Friday, it solved the problem: its board voted to merge with an existing institution, the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, about 100 miles away.

The merger gives Penn State a way to educate those students in-house, and it gives Dickinson Law access to Penn State's formidable fund-raising operation and electronic information system. Beginning in July, Dickinson's 520 law students will receive Penn State degrees, and Dickinson employees will be placed on the university payroll.

The merger of the two institutions will leave intact Dickinson Law's governing board but will give Penn State a voice in naming the next dean. Dickinson Law was not in any financial trouble but wanted help on future capital campaigns, said Christy Rambeau, a Penn State spokeswoman. The law school will remain in Carlisle.

The 163-year-old law school, one of seven law schools in Pennsylvania, brings to 24 the number of post-graduate programs at Penn State, which also offers degrees in medicine, engineering and business.

"The one component we've always felt we missed is the law," said Bill Mahon, a spokesman for the university, which was founded in 1855. JACQUES STEINBERG

New York Times Notices - January 22, 1997

New York Times Wednesday, January 22, 1997
Section B
Page 3
Penn State Merges With Dickinson Law
STEINBERG, JACQUES
Pennsylvania State University in State College, wanting to add a law program without adding to the number of new lawyers, solved the problem: its board voted to merge with an existing institution, the Dickinson School of Law in Carlisle, about 100 miles away./The merger gives Penn State a way to educate those students in-house, and it gives Dickinson Law access to Penn State's formidable fund-raising operation and electronic information system. Beginning in July, Dickinson's 520 law students will receive Penn State degrees, and Dickinson employees will be placed on the university payroll.

Student Editorial - January 20, 1997

The Harrisburg Patriot
Copyright 1997
Monday, January 20, 1997
OP-ED
MONDAY FORUM
Dickinson Law, Penn State merger is the right move
I am in my final year at Dickinson School of Law, and I have always liked the idea that we were the oldest independent law school in the country, but I think the merger with Penn State is the right move for both institutions.

Dickinson Law has always had a good reputation in the state, but our national ranking has suffered of late and a properly structured deal with Penn State will help that. Penn State should be able to help us build better facilities and attract better faculty and students. Instead of being a regional school, we will now go national.

I am not yet familiar with the terms of the deal, other than that I will now be going to the ?Dickinson School of Law of Penn State University.' I applaud DSL's Board of Trustees for seeing the benefits that will accrue to both institutions and I hope they ensured that the good things about Dickinson Law won't change: the sense of community in a small school, reasonable class sizes, and our location in Carlisle.

I think that it is a shame that such important information affecting the student body so profoundly had to be relayed to us by the TV news rather than from our administration. While secrecy may have been required in order for a deal to be struck, it would have been nice to have found out a little earlier about the merger.

That aside, this is wonderful news for both schools and for the Midstate. This is a rare situation where two great institutions with wonderful traditions in the Midstate can merge and accomplish more together than they would or could have separately.

-- Joseph N. Gothie Carlisle

Whirlwind Courtship?

The Sunday Patriot-News Harrisburg Copyright 1997
Sunday, January 19, 1997
CENTRAL PA
Whirlwind courtship succeeds // Dickinson, PSU merger took only 6 months
Kenn Marshall Patriot News
STATE COLLEGE When H. Jesse Arnelle invited the dean of the Dickinson School of Law to a Penn State football game in the fall of 1995, he had something very big in mind.

Arnelle, a graduate of both schools, wanted Dickinson Dean Peter Glenn to meet Penn State President Graham Spanier, ostensibly to talk about ways the two schools could collaborate on some programs.

But what he really wanted was to lay the groundwork for a potential merger one that would strengthen both the law school and the university.

?That's why I brought them together,?? said Arnelle, a San Francisco lawyer and chairman of Penn State's Board of Trustees. ?I'm sure Peter knew that.??

Not really, said Glenn.

?In the short term, the conversations were about joint degree programs we could offer,?? he said. ?The nature of the conversation didn't really change until late spring [1996].??

Spanier was the first to broach the subject, suggesting a merger as a possibility just before Christmas 1995, Glenn said.

?That was beyond anything I could consider,?? he said. ?It wasn't until several months later that the board of trustees authorized those discussions.??

The merger talks, which involved a handful of high-level officials from both schools, moved much more quickly than anyone had imagined.

?I thought it was going to happen, but not so fast,?? said Arnelle. ?After the early conversations [on collaboration], I thought it would take three to five years to plant a seed and then maybe we could start talking about it.??

But there was such good chemistry between Spanier and Glenn that the deal was sewed up within about six months.

It essentially was closed on Friday, when Penn State's Board of Trustees voted unanimously for the merger. Dickinson's board had voted a week earlier, with little dissent.

The announcement of the merger caught many people by surprise. Some felt Penn State gained much more than Dickinson did.

Arnelle, Spanier, Glenn and virtually everyone else who was involved in the talks insist it was a winning proposition for Dickinson as well.

That doesn't mean the decision was easy, Glenn said.

Dickinson is one of the oldest independent law schools in the nation. Its alumni are fiercely loyal, the dean said.

?This was an easier decision in terms of logic than emotion,?? Glenn said. ?The board should be commended for taking not the path of least resistance, but for making the hard choice.??

The merger makes a lot of sense logically, said Nancy LaMont, chair of Dickinson's Strategic and Long-range Planning Committee, which recommended the action to the board.

The face of legal education in America is changing, she said. Law schools nationwide are turning out fewer lawyers, and more graduates are specializing in fields such as business, health and public policy. Far fewer are interested in general practice.

Through associations with Penn State's array of professional colleges, including the Smeal College of Business and the College of Medicine in Hershey, Dickinson students will be able to become legal specialists. That will make them more marketable.
Dickinson students also will have access to Penn State's vast libraries and to its extensive telecommunications network. They are resources a school the size of Dickinson could never hope to afford on its own, LaMont said.

And without them, the quality of a Dickinson education, now regarded as one of the best available in the nation, could begin to decline, she said.

?We're still negotiating from a position of strength,?? LaMont said. ?If we had waited three or four years, we may not have had that.??

Dickinson graduates consistently do well on the state bar exam, often finishing with the best pass rate of any of the seven law schools in Pennsylvania.

If Dickinson was going to give up its independence to merge with anyone, Penn State was the obvious choice, LaMont said.

?Not only are they in our backyard, they're top drawer,?? she said.

Someone in California who is considering applying to law school may not have heard of Dickinson, but he or she probably has heard of Penn State, LaMont said. The ?new?? law school will be known as Dickinson School of Law of The Pennsylvania State University.

Penn State officials have long felt the lack of a law school was a serious shortcoming of the university. On at least three previous occasions most recently in 1986 they have talked to Dickinson about the possibility of joining forces, according to Spanier.

Almost from the day he arrived on campus in August 1995, Spanier has shared the dream of his predecessors.

There was no way, however, he wanted to take on the daunting task of trying to convince trustees or anyone else that Penn State should start a new law school.

?Pennsylvania doesn't need another law school,?? Spanier said. ?I'm sure Penn State would have succeeded quite nicely if it had chosen to start a new one, but it would not have been in the best interest of legal education.??

Dickinson was Penn State's first and only choice, he said.

?We never discussed the possibility with anyone else, and no one else approached us,?? Spanier said. ?Dickinson was our only option.??

The Penn State-Dickinson merger was one of three major accomplishments announced by the university last week. Spanier played a major role in all three.

The university also received approval from the state to expand programming at most of its branch campuses, to include the offering of more four-year degrees at 11 locations. And, on Friday, Penn State's Board announced a merger with the Geisinger Health System headquartered in Danville, to be known as the Penn State Geisinger Health System.

?Sometimes he moves so fast, it's hard to keep up,?? Arnelle said, referring to the university's youthful president, who has been on the job just 18 months.

All have helped position Penn State at the forefront of higher education in the United States, Arnelle said.

After the board of trustees ratified the Dickinson merger, he said, ?I think we have reached a point where we will go forward together, where by the turn of the century we will be the premiere public university in America.

?That's our goal, and that's where we're going to be.??