Computer Science building inaugurated

The Computer and Information Science Department officially has a new home.

Yesterday afternoon, University President Judith Rodin, School of Engineering and Applied Science Dean Eduardo Glandt and donors Melvin and Claire Levine inaugurated the Melvin and Claire Levine Hall, located on Chancellor Walk.

Completed three years after breaking ground, the building will host the CIS Department. Offices have been moving into their new facility since March 24 and will complete the move-in by the beginning of next semester.

The event took place in the Quain Quadrangle, and after the luncheon, various speakers took the stand to thank the donors for their generosity.

"Levine Hall is a truly magnificent addition to the Engineering School," Rodin said, adding that the Levines' generosity "turned this dream into a reality."

Besides the striking windows composing the facade, the building's most praised feature was its architecture, which connects all the Engineering buildings. According to Rodin, this is one of the school's strengths.

"It's a constant joy to see how close we are," Glandt said.

After thanking all those who worked on the building's, speakers underlined the new levels of research the CIS Department will reach, thanks to Levine Hall's state-of-the-art technology.

"Now that CIS has this fantastic building, the expectations are even higher," University Provost Robert Barchi said. "But I have no doubt that they will rise to meet them."

University Trustee and Chairman of the Board of Overseers Mitchell Quain -- the Engineering quadrangle's namesake -- spoke next, saying that its high levels of "functionality" make Levine Hall symbolic of the power that computing holds in the world today.

"This building signifies a new era of investment in the Computer [and Information] Science Department," he said.

CIS professor Jonathan Smith said on behalf of his colleagues that after 20 years of planning and construction, "We're glad to be home."

Smith said he was also satisfied with the possibilities of interaction that are born from what the building's architecture offers.

"The preliminary results are extremely encouraging," he said.

The last speaker was Engineering Dean's Advisory Board President and Engineering senior Megan Smirti, who conveyed the thanks of the undergraduate population.

"You have really reached the students of Penn Engineering," Smirti said to the Levines. "Now we will go out into the world and make you proud."

At the end of the remarks, the guests moved to the entrance hall of Levine Hall, where Rodin unveiled the portrait of the Levines, officially dedicating the building to them.

The donors said they were very happy with the finished product that their $5 million gift helped to build.

"We were overwhelmed with how beautifully the building turned out," Claire Levine said at the end of the inauguration ceremony.

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