Professor Lance Cole retires after nearly three decades at Penn State Dickinson Law

August 2025— Professor of Law and Honorable W. Richard and Mary M. Eshelman Faculty Scholar Lance Cole, the director of the Center for Government Law and Public Policy Studies, recently retired after 29 years on the faculty at Penn State Dickinson Law.

Growing up in a family of educators—his father, grandmother, and aunt were all teachers—helped Cole develop a deep respect for the importance of education. After more than a decade in private practice and a year of government service, he decided to follow his family into education.

“I saw what members of my family did, and I admired their efforts,” said Cole. “It was also very appealing to me to have an opportunity to write and concentrate in the areas I wanted to focus on while also helping students gain an understanding of the rule of law.”

"Professor Cole's retirement marks the end of his decades-long commitment to impactful teaching and student support,” said Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and Assistant Professor of Law Jeffrey A. Dodge, the Joseph H. Goldstein Faculty Scholar. “Generations of graduates are better attorneys because of his many contributions to their lives, and his legacy inspires faculty to continue practicing greatness in our classrooms."

Cole joined the Law School in 1996 as the Joseph B. Kelly Teaching Fellow and later became a professor of law. He has taught courses on agency, partnership and limited liability entity law, corporate law, securities regulation, and white-collar crime, as well as seminars on congressional investigations law and legal ethics for business lawyers.

Additionally, Cole served as faculty advisor to the corporate securities law national moot court team. In 2008, he founded the Center for Government Law and Public Policy Studies, which created two semester-long internship programs in Washington, D.C., and Harrisburg. He oversaw the programs with Professor of Law, Emerita, Camille C. Marion, and Distinguished Fellow in Law and Government Stanley Brand.

Prior to joining Penn State Dickinson Law, Cole served as special deputy counsel (minority) to the Senate Whitewater Committee in 1995-’96. He returned to government service in 2003-’04, when his former supervisor, Richard Ben-Veniste, reached out to ask Cole to serve as a legal consultant and staff member on the 9/11 Commission-National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States.

Whether he was in the classroom or overseeing internship programs, Cole found great value in being part of the close-knit community at Penn State Dickinson Law.

“Throughout my years at the Law School, the Penn State Dickinson Law faculty and staff were and continue to be extraordinary,” said Cole. “I have truly enjoyed being a part of this incredible group of people.”

In his retirement, Cole looks forward to spending time with family, traveling, and catching up on the many books and movies he has always wanted to read and watch. An avid Formula 1 racing fan, he plans to attend races in between visits with his extended family in Arkansas. Of course, he will also stay in touch with his former colleagues and students as he enjoys this new chapter.

“I was lucky enough to be at Penn State Dickinson Law for many years, and I am very excited about the future of the Law School,” Cole said.