June 21, 2001
University Park, Pa. – Peter G. Glenn, dean of the Dickinson School of Law since 1994 and a key figure in the institution’s merger with Penn State in 1997, has announced that he will step down as dean effective at the conclusion of the 2001-2002 academic year.

Glenn, who is also the Donald J. Farage Professor of Law at Dickinson, intends to return to a full-time faculty position with the school. A search committee charged with finding a new dean will be formed in the coming weeks.

“Peter 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,” said Penn State President Graham B. Spanier. “His leadership and vision for Dickinson has been an invaluable asset to both the legal community and Penn State, and has helped enhance the position of the law school on a national scale.”       

“This has been a demanding position, made even more exciting by the negotiation and completion of the merger, and I have used a great deal of energy during the past seven years,” said Glenn. “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.”

The decision to merge with Penn State in 1994 was a gamble for Dickinson. Seeing a fall off in demand for law schools nationwide in the early 1990s, Glenn saw the benefits of associating the nation’s oldest independent law school with a high profile national research university located in its own backyard.

“Clearly the most memorable accomplishment for me will be the negotiation and accomplishment of the merger with Penn State,” said Glenn. “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.

“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,” he added. “I think that enthusiasm has been justified.”

For Penn State, the addition of Dickinson to the fold filled a definite void, having been one of only two Big Ten member institutions without a law school. For Dickinson, the merger has contributed to a more than 35 percent increase in students seeking admission to the school – much higher than the two to three percent rise in law school applications nationally – and more than $12 million in private support raised since 1997.

“The merger between Penn State and the Dickinson School of Law has been a win-win situation for all parties involved, and we are deeply grateful for the outstanding leadership that Dean Glenn has provided,” said Rodney A. Erickson, executive vice president and provost of the University. “We are better meeting the needs of our students, faculty, and external constituencies through more comprehensive academic offerings and innovative and collaborative programs.”

Glenn brought an impressive dossier of legal experience to the Carlisle-based law school when he arrived in 1994. He practiced law with the Cleveland law firm of Jones, Day, Reavis & Pogue from 1969 to 1972 and again from 1983 to 1994.  He served on the law faculties of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Washington and Lee University and the University of South Carolina between 1972 and 1983.  While in law practice in Cleveland during the 1980s he served as a part-time lecturer at Case Western Reserve University School of Law.

Glenn got his start in the legal profession as a law clerk for the Hon. Abraham L. Freedman, United State Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, Philadelphia, from 1968 to 1969. He earned his A.B. in history from Middlebury College in 1965 and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania in 1968, and is a member of the American Bar Association, The Pennsylvania Bar Association, and The Cumberland County (Pa.) Bar Association.

“Dickinson is a very fine law school, and I am very proud of what we have accomplished here in the past several years,” said Glenn. “At the same time, I am very much looking forward to returning to the law faculty and to enjoy both teaching – which I have always loved – and the opportunity to engage in some research and writing about issues facing the legal profession.”

According to Robert A. Secor, vice provost for academic affairs, a search committee for Glenn’s successor will be formed prior to the 2001 fall semester.

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Contact:  Tysen Kendig, Department of Public Information, (814) 865-7517 or tysen@psu.edu.