The University of Pennsylvania’s Carey Law School has suspended applications for its Sadie T.M. Alexander full-tuition scholarship program. It will close its Office of Equal Opportunity and Engagement by the end of this summer, according to multiple sources familiar with the decisions. 

The scholarship, launched in 2021 for incoming students interested in racial justice and honoring Alexander’s legacy, was first proposed by members of the Black Law Student Association and implemented under then-dean Ted Ruger, according to The Miami Herald. It emerged amid public controversy over comments by professor Amy Wax about Black students’ academic performance and during national conversations about racial inequities following the 2020 murder of George Floyd.

The law school’s website confirms it will not accept scholarship applications for the 2025–26 academic year. In a message to the law school community, Dean Sophia Z. Lee acknowledged the closure of the equal opportunity office but said the institution remains committed “to ensuring access and opportunity for all.” She added: “These values guide how we teach, learn, and work together, and will continue to be deeply embedded in the life of the Law School.”

Lee said the office’s functions — which have included helping law school members “dialogue across difference” — will be “integrated into broader, school-wide initiatives.” She did not specify the status of staff members, including interim associate dean Josie B.H. Pickens, formerly Philadelphia’s chief diversity, equity, and inclusion officer.

One source, who requested anonymity for fear of retaliation, criticized the changes: “It’s frustrating that Penn is capitulating in this way. This programming is essential for keeping people motivated and engaged in ways that we haven’t seen in the past.”

In a statement to The Philadelphia Inquirer, as reported by The Miami Herald, the law school did not provide a reason for pausing the scholarship or closing the office. It confirmed that current Sadie Alexander scholars will keep their funding and “programmatic support,” adding, “Details about the program’s future will be shared as the Law School continues to assess next steps.” 

The scholarship is named for Sadie Tanner Mossell Alexander, the first African American woman to earn a PhD in the United States and a 1927 Penn Law graduate. As an undergraduate, she was barred from checking out books from the library and refused service at nearby businesses. At Penn Law, then-dean William E. Mikell attempted to block her from joining the Law Review despite her qualifying grades, but she became the first Black woman on its editorial board with support from peers and faculty.