Members of the Penn community gathered on Monday to celebrate the restoration of the Dinan Hall after a large-scale renovation made possible by a large gift from 1981 Wharton graduate and University Board of Trustees member Jamie Dinan.
The ceremony was led by Penn President Larry Jameson, Wharton School Dean Erika James, and Dinan himself. Originally built in 1972, the building currently houses Wharton’s Business Economics and Public Policy and Real Estate departments, along with a variety of other programs.
The recent renovations included updates to the building’s layouts, lighting, flooring, workspaces, and student lounges.
“Jamie, on behalf of a grateful University, thank you for your leadership in advancing Penn’s highest priorities,” Jameson said at the celebration. “You walk the walk of our values: open-minded and curious, inventive and practical, and focused on enhancing social good.”
Dinan — who studied finance and computer science as an undergraduate student — recalled the moments he spent studying in the building during the ceremony.
“I actually lived in this building a lot writing code,” Dinan said. “Those memories, they stay with you. … Little did I know what a transformative, amazing four years laid ahead of me.”
He explained that he learned not only about business and finance but “more importantly” gained the confidence in his judgment and abilities that founded his career.
After attending Penn, Dinan received his MBA from Harvard Business School in 1985. He has served on the University’s Board of Trustees since 2012 and also serves on the Wharton Board of Advisors. Dinan is most well known for founding the investment firm York Capital Management in September 1991. He currently serves as the chairman and CEO of the firm and is listed by Forbes as having a net worth of $2.1 billion.
“The Dinan name is a true pride point on campus today and forever in our University’s history,” James said to the crowd following the ribbon-cutting ceremony.
Dinan Hall was originally named after 1927 Wharton graduate Henry Vance, who served as a Penn trustee as well as chairman of the firm Vance, Sanders & Co., Inc. Vance contributed over $1.2 million to the construction of the building. He died in April 1972 at the University’s hospital.
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