Foreman appointed director of clinics and experiential learning at Penn State Law

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa -- Penn State Law has named Michael Foreman, professor of law and director of the Civil Rights Appellate Clinic, to the newly created position of director of clinics and experiential learning.

Foreman’s new role will focus on maintaining and building the law school’s in-house clinics and externship courses and programs.  He will also support innovation and excellence among the law faculty in the teaching of professional skills, and work with faculty to integrate additional experiential learning opportunities throughout the curriculum.

This position fulfills an objective of the Penn State Law strategic plan by designating an experienced clinician with clear responsibility for the daily operations and strategic direction of clinical and experiential learning programs.

“Professor Foreman is eminently qualified to lead our clinical and experiential learning programs,” says Interim Dean James W. Houck. “We are fortunate to have an outstanding team of clinicians providing our students with a diverse array of clinical opportunities.  This appointment is the next step in ensuring we continue to excel in this important area.”

Penn State Law offers students the opportunity to learn by experience under the guidance of clinical faculty in six clinics. Second- and third-year students earn academic credit while engaging in all aspects of the legal process, from legislative advocacy to client representation. Corresponding skills training courses give students a knowledge base on which to build their professional experiences.

Foreman is an expert on civil rights and employment issues and is frequently called on to testify before Congress and the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on the impact of Supreme Court decisions in this area. He will continue to direct the civil rights appellate clinic, which focuses on appellate advocacy before the united states supreme court and the federal appellate courts.

Prior to joining Penn State Law, he was deputy director of Legal Programs for the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law.  Foreman was acting deputy general counsel for the U.S. Commission on Civil Rights, where he served as the lead attorney for the commission's investigation of the voting irregularities in the 2000 presidential election.  A recipient of the Carnegie Medal for Outstanding Heroism, he has been honored by Shippensburg University with the Jesse S. Heiges Distinguished Alumnus Award. He was also selected by Harvard Law School as a Wasserstein Fellow, which recognizes dedicated service in the public interest.