Dickinson School of Law
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Penn State - Dickinson School of Law |
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| Established | 1834 |
| Type | Public |
| Dean | Philip McConnaughay |
| Students | 638 |
| Location | Carlisle State College, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Campus | Suburban |
| Mascot | Nittany Lion |
| Website | www.dsl.psu.edu |
The Pennsylvania State University — Dickinson School of Law is located in Carlisle, Pennsylvania. It abuts Dickinson College, a private four-year liberal arts college. It was founded by John Reed in 1834, making it the fifth oldest law school in the United States and the oldest law school in Pennsylvania. The school was established in 1834, and remained an independent institution for over 150 years, until it became associated with Penn State University in 1997, merging with Penn State in 2000. The law school is home to over 600 law students, as well as a faculty and staff of over 100.
In 2005 a dispute over whether or not to move the Dickinson School of Law to Penn State's University Park campus in State College, Pennsylvania led to a "dual campus" proposal being enacted. Under this proposal, Penn State plans to invest over $100 million in a law school that will operate out of both locations. The proposal was approved by the law school's board of trustees before the 2005-2006 academic year.
The Dickinson School of Law has now fully merged with Penn State, and has been integrated into the University's system. Starting in the fall of 2006, the law school will offer classes for the first time at its University Park location. Plans are for the Carlisle location to undergo a massive renovation, while a new law school facility begins construction at University park. Due to the impending renovations at the Carisle campus, the law school relocated five miles away to the former Advantica building on Harrisburg Pike in Carlisle. The renovations to the Carlisle campus are expected to be completed before the 2009 school year. [1] Ground was broken for the University Park facility on January 18, 2006, with expected completion and occupancy of the building planned for January 2009.[1]
U.S. News and World Report, in its 2007 edition of America's Best Graduate Schools, ranked the Dickinson School of Law 87th among the nation's top 100 law schools.
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[edit] Curriculum
Like many law schools, the first year program consists of required courses that include two semesters of research and writing. In addition, first year students must complete one semester courses of Civil Procedure, Constitutional Law, Contracts, Criminal Law, Property and Torts. Also, in the second semester of first year, juniors are allowed to take one elective course from a list of options. After the first year, only two courses are required, Professional Responsibility and a senior seminar. Students remaining credits are to be filled with electives.
The law school is nationally recognized for its Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) Program.
[edit] Law Journals
The Law School also features four academic journals, including the Penn State Law Review, formerly the Dickinson Law Review. The Penn State Law Review was founded in 1897, and is one of the oldest continually published law school journals in the country.
- Penn State Law Review
- Penn State International Law Review
- Penn State Evironmental Law Review
- The Journal of American Arbitration
The law school’s Institute for Arbitration Law and Practice also publishes The World Arbitration and Mediation Report and the Smit-Carbonneau Guides to International Commercial Arbitration.
[edit] Student organizations
The Law School maintains an extensive roster of student organizations, including chapters of the Federalist Society, Phi Alpha Delta, and the Saint Thomas More Society.
Students at Penn State Dickinson are active in intramural sports program. Current intramural sports include indoor soccer, flag football, volleyball, basketball and bowling.
Several students are also members of rugby and softball teams. Each spring, the school sends a softball team to participate in the University of Virginia Law School Softball Tournament.
[edit] Notable alumni
- Pedro Cortés, current Pennsylvania Secretary of State
- Andrew Curtin, Civil War Governor of Pennsylvania (1861 - 1867)
- J. Michael Eakin, Justice of the Pennsylvania Supreme Court
- John Sydney Fine, former Pennsylvania Governor (1951 - 1955)
- Rick Gray, current mayor of Lancaster, PA
- Arthur Horace James, former Pennsylvania Governor (1939 - 1943)
- John E. Jones III, U.S. District Judge for United States District Court for the Middle District of Pennsylvania, who presided over the ruling in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District which states that the teaching of Intelligent Design in public classrooms violates the Establishment Clause of the U.S. Constitution.
- Paul E. Kanjorski, United States Congressman from Pennsylvania
- Lewis Katz, owner of the New Jersey Nets Basketball Team
- Sylvia Rambo, first woman to serve as Chief Judge of the U.S. District Court of Pennsylvania for the Middle District
- Tom Ridge, former Pennsylvania Governor (1995 - 2001), former Assistant to the President for Homeland Security (2001–2003), first United States Secretary of Homeland Security (2003 - 2005)
- Rick Santorum, former U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (1995-2007)
- Lansdale Sasscer, 1914, U.S. Congressman for Maryland's 5th District.
- D. Brooks Smith, class of 1976, Judge on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit.
[edit] References
- ^ Work begins on Penn State's Dickinson School of Law University Park facility. Penn State University (2007-01-08). Retrieved on 2007-01-23.
