CARLISLE and UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Dickinson Law Distinguished Professor of Law Emerita Beth Farmer understands the impact education can have on a life. Her family espoused the benefits of learning while Farmer grew up, and she has never forgotten that lesson. Now she has made a gift to help others pursue their academic ambitions.
Farmer has committed to a $2 million bequest for Penn State Dickinson Law to establish an endowed scholarship bearing her name, the Professor Beth Farmer Endowed Scholarship Fund at Penn State Dickinson Law. She also took philanthropic steps to early activate the scholarship so that it can be awarded now and so that students will begin to benefit immediately, in addition to after the bequest is realized.
The scholarship carries forward her lifelong values. Farmer’s paternal grandmother attended teacher's college in upstate New York, the first in her family to attend college, and taught in a one-room school, according to family legend. Farmer’s father graduated from MIT in 1950. He remained actively engaged with his alma mater, setting an example for his daughter. Her mother's side of the family, who had roots in Nova Scotia, taught Farmer to value family and hard work.
Farmer became an educator herself after years in the public sector. She has seen firsthand the critical need for student support, and she has responded generously by making numerous philanthropic commitments to facilitate students’ access to education.
“As a longtime faculty member of Penn State Dickinson Law, I wanted to make a gift to benefit the students,” said Farmer.
With the endowed portion of her gift, which will generate resources in perpetuity, Farmer’s generosity will uplift students set to become the nation’s next legal leaders.
“We are deeply touched and appreciative that Beth Farmer, a valued faculty member, has chosen to reinvest in Penn State Dickinson Law by becoming one of the anchoring donors of our one Law School in two locations,” said Penn State Dickinson Law Dean and Donald J. Farage Professor of Law Danielle M. Conway. “She has provided us a foundation upon which we can launch stewardship, fundraising and friend-raising efforts. We are so grateful to her.”
Early roots as an educator
Farmer understood from a young age how important getting an education was to her future success. “My family always cared about education,” said Farmer, who became the first lawyer in her family. Her parents encouraged her to work hard, explaining that was the best way to get ahead and demonstrating their own persistence.
Farmer’s father attended MIT through the Air Force ROTC program and then served at Lowry Air Force Base in Lowry, Colorado, and Walker Air Force Base in Roswell, New Mexico. Farmer’s mother became active in local philanthropy, her church and the school parent-teacher associations.
Their support and focus on education encouraged Farmer. She earned a bachelor of arts degree from Wellesley College, then attained her J.D. (juris doctorate) from Vanderbilt University Law School, where she served as executive editor of the Vanderbilt Journal of Transnational Law.
Following graduation, she worked on antitrust cases in the Alabama Attorney General’s office, then continued focusing on antitrust at the National Association of Attorneys General in Washington, D.C. She followed that with nearly a decade at the New York Attorney General’s office in Manhattan.
After almost 20 years in practice, Farmer decided to make a career shift. She already had been doing speaking engagements and writing, and she realized, through discussions with friends who were faculty members, that higher education could be a good fit. She joined the faculty of Penn State Dickinson Law as a visiting professor in 1994 and earned tenure in 2001.
As a faculty member at Penn State Dickinson Law, Farmer spent time abroad, first at the Institute of Advanced Legal Studies at the University of London and later, in 2008, at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, China, as a Fulbright Scholar researching the Chinese antimonopoly law.
Additionally, she served as a senior fellow at the American Antitrust Institute, chaired the Association of American Law Schools Antitrust and Economic Regulation Section, served as vice chair and editor of the International Criminal Law Committee of the American Bar Association International Law Section, and authored and edited two year-in-review articles. Farmer also served as a frequent speaker at scholarly and professional conferences in the U.S. and internationally.
Through it all, Farmer said, she kept her students’ needs top of mind, leading to her recent commitment.
“I want to help students have one less thing to worry about as they navigate law school,” said Farmer. “I always told them they needed to feel free to experiment and take risks, which will help them succeed and create a good life. I am happy to provide the support they need to do that.”
A history of generous giving
In fall 2025, Farmer was inducted into Penn State Dickinson Law’s John Reed Society, recognizing the lifetime giving — including pledges and matching gifts — of the Law School’s most generous alumni and friends.
Farmer previously supported an Educational Equity Scholarship and has also established a current-use fund to benefit students pursuing externships. Her $2 million bequest will establish an endowed scholarship, available to students from either Law School location. Farmer said she kept the scholarship as broad and restriction-free as possible so that the Law School can award it each year and make the greatest impact.
“I want to empower students to tackle the big challenges that lie ahead of us,” said Farmer. She also appreciates the ability to create an impact through her strong connections with Penn State Dickinson Law alumni, faculty and staff members, something she values deeply, she said. She continues to participate in Law School events, such as the donor recognition dinner and Alumni Weekend, to foster those relationships.
Creating lasting legacies at the Law School
Conway praised the value of Farmer’s gift for Penn State Dickinson Law students and the example it sets.
“It is so meaningful to receive this gift from a longtime dedicated faculty member who believes in the power and promise of the rule of law,” said Conway.
She noted such scholarships allow students to keep their focus in the classroom rather than worry about covering tuition fees. Freeing them to prioritize their studies and their future careers becomes another of Farmer’s many legacies at Penn State Dickinson Law.
“I would also urge others to recognize and respond to this need,” said Farmer.
Donors like Beth Farmer advance the University’s historic land-grant mission to serve and lead. Through philanthropy, alumni and friends are helping students to join the Penn State family and prepare for lifelong success; driving research, outreach and economic development that grow our shared strength and readiness for the future; and increasing the University’s impact for families, patients and communities across the commonwealth and around the world. Learn more by visiting raise.psu.edu.