Penn State’s Dickinson Law will hold its inaugural convocation at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, Sept. 19, in the Apfelbaum Family Courtroom and Auditorium. This celebration of a new academic year is all the more special, as the class of 2018 is the first class inducted into Dickinson Law since the law school obtained separate accreditation as one of two Penn State law schools. Expected to be an annual celebration and kick-off of the academic year, this year’s convocation address will be delivered by Samuel T. Cooper III, Esquire, 1975 graduate, and Elizabeth Vastine, 1994 graduate.
As part of the cherished tradition of alumni weekend, convocation will introduce first-year students to alumni and to the law school community at large. The event begins and ends with a full academic procession, including emeriti faculty. Following remarks by Dean Gary Gildin, first-year Dickinson Law students will pledge to uphold the Statement on Professionalism and will be presented with a gift that symbolizes their journey into legal studies. Convocation is free and open to the public; the event will also be archived for future viewing online.
“This is a historic moment for Dickinson Law,” said Dean Gildin. “We are celebrating our alumni and formally welcoming next generation of Dickinson Law graduates to our community.”
The 64 students that make up the Dickinson Law Class of 2018 are some of the most highly credentialed students in the history of the law school. Members of the incoming class hail from undergraduate institutions across the nation ranging from The Citadel, Columbia University, Dickinson College, Franklin & Marshall, George Washington, Mt. Holyoke, Ohio State, Penn State, Texas State and UT-Austin. Students also originate from a diverse array of states and countries, including California, Texas, New York, Pennsylvania, Canada and China.
As part of the annual alumni weekend and convocation, Dickinson Law will mark its 181st academic year with a variety of events to celebrate the law schools rich history, demonstrate its growth, and showcase its plans for the future.
Following the convocation ceremony, alumni, students and guests are invited to enjoy an all-community barbeque on the law school lawn, located on College Street. Later in the day, alumni will have the opportunity to hear from Gildin in his annual State of the Law School address, tour the newly renovated clinic building, and reconnect with classmates and faculty during a cocktail reception. A full schedule of the weekend's events is available at dickinsonlaw.psu.edu/alumniweekend.