Penn State Dickinson Law Dean’s Sudden Departure Follows Congressional DEI Hearing
- July 27, 2026
Christine Charnosky, Law.com
The sudden Friday departure of Penn State Dickinson Law and School of International Affairs Dean Danielle Conway follows a recent congressional hearing on the future of diversity in law school accreditation that surfaced allegations of discrimination against Conway and the law school.
“To fully grasp the environment of ideological coercion at Penn State Dickinson Law, the Committee must examine how the administration treats speech that challenges its established orthodoxy,” former student David Blackman II testified before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform on July 22, just two days before the university announced Conway would be stepping down from the role.
A government watchdog organization also filed a complaint against Penn State Dickinson Law in May with federal agencies over its recently released “Strategic Plan Update,” alleging the school is continuing to impose diversity, equity and inclusion policies.
Michael Chamberlain, a former U.S. Department of Education communications official who served under President Donald Trump and director of Protect the Public’s Trust, sent a complaint May 18 to the civil rights offices of the U.S. Department of Education, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and U.S. Department of Justice over what he called an ongoing effort to “continue their practice of imposing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in all levels—including admissions, hiring, and curriculum—of its law school,” according to the letter.
Chamberlain accused the law school of violating Title VI, VII and IX over wording in the school’s five-year strategic plan, which was released May 9, including that “Dickinson Law fosters an environment that reflects, celebrates, and champions diversity, in the most comprehensive sense,” according to the plan.