Law School celebrates hall's dedication

Elegantly dressed Law School benefactors sipped cocktails and nibbled hors d'oeuvres yesterday at a dedication ceremony for the Law School's newly restored Levy Conference Center. The stars of the evening were Law School Overseer Paul Levy and his wife Karen Levy, who donated $2 million in 1998 to fund the renovation of Sharswood Hall and the construction of a multimedia conference hall. Work on the project began in the summer of 1998, shortly after the gift was received. The ornate Levy Conference Center occupies the entire second floor of the newly renovated Silverman Hall. The renovations cleaned up the historic architecture while bringing in cutting edge technology to the facility. According to Law School spokeswoman Sally Benner, the multimedia facility is integral to the training of Law students and the development of the school's distance learning programs. The major part of the center, Sharswood Hall, has been separated into two separate rooms, the Conference Room and the Segal Moot Court Room, both of which are equipped with state-of-the-art technology. The renovated space will also be used to hold conferences, dinners and symposia. "I think the result is fantastic; it's inspiring, and having been here many years ago as a working Law student, I think it will be a great improvement for everybody," Levy said. The dedication began with a cocktail reception and opening remarks from Law School Dean Michael Fitts and University President Judith Rodin. "When a law school is as prominent as ours is, when the faculty is asked to comment on national and international policy issues, when our students lead national conferences and when we attract guest speakers from around the world, Penn needed a Levy Conference Center," Rodin said. The Levy family joined Rodin and Fitts in a ribbon cutting just before the guests filed into the new and improved Sharswood Hall for a lavish dinner. Before the meal started, Fitts and Levy mounted a sign commemorating the gift of the Levy family. All of the guests then joined in a toast in the family's honor. Tomorrow evening, the Law School will hold its 150th anniversary celebration, which will include remarks from Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and part of the celebration will take place in the new Levy Conference Center.

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