Pennsylvania GOP lawmaker voices concern over Penn State Law’s mandatory DEI class
- August 5, 2026
Jack Cowhick, The College Fix
A lawmaker is voicing concern over a mandatory DEI class at Penn State Dickinson Law recently flagged during a congressional hearing that led to the law school dean’s apparent demotion.
“A college institution that’s receiving federal funds in my district should be following the federal law,” Pennsylvania state Rep. Barbara Gleim said in a recent interview with The College Fix, citing President Donald Trump’s executive order to end illegal discrimination in higher education
But the law school teaches “critical pedagogy” intended to inspire “a political act of liberation” in students, she said via email.
“This goes way beyond what should be actually taught in class for a law student,” Gleim said.
At issue is a mandatory course called “Race & Equal Protection of Law” that is still a requirement at both Penn State law school campuses for the coming 2026-27 school year, according to the Dickinson Law fall 2026 course list.
The course remains required even though it was the subject of a federal civil rights complaint in May and a heated Congressional testimony in late July before a House Oversight Committee.
Protect the Public’s Trust, a watchdog organization, filed the complaint to several federal agencies accusing the law school of pushing Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion and “institutional antiracism” in its curriculum, admissions, and hiring. It cited the school’s own Strategic Plan as evidence.