Penn has quietly removed the name of 1967 College graduate Stephen Levin from the behavioral sciences building he previously endowed after the longtime University donor halted his contributions over the administration’s handling of antisemitism on campus following the Palestine Writes Literature Festival and the start of the Israel-Hamas war.
The building — previously known as the Stephen A. Levin Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building — has been renamed to simply the Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building, omitting Levin’s name. According to a letter obtained by The Daily Pennsylvanian, Levin first notified former Penn President Liz Magill in November 2023 that he would not make “further contributions” towards his $15 million pledge for naming rights to the building.
“Today Penn is far from the University I attended, along with my father and two of my sons,” Levin wrote to Magill at the time. “Furthermore, I want my name removed from the building and no longer want to be associated with Penn. Penn is an embarrassment not only to the Jewish community but also has lost its luster as a superb Ivy league school.”
In an interview with the DP, Levin said that he never received a response from Magill to the letter.
"The building has been renamed the Neural and Behavioral Sciences Building, consistent with our agreement with Mr. Levin," the School of Arts and Sciences wrote in a statement to the DP. "As part of this change, and in recognition of his generous support of the building, the second floor will carry his name through interior signage."
“I do not support DEI, and I believe the faculty is far left and that there’s not a diversity of opinion on the campus,” Levin said. “I’ve given many millions, I would have completed my pledge, but after what I saw happen after the October 7 massacre and how the University did not respond in any way favorable to Jewish people or Israel ... I recognized that I have to put my charitable dollars where I believe they will promote equality and fairness to all people.”
Levin noted the September 2023 Palestine Writes Literature Festival, which drew criticism from students, alumni, and national Jewish groups who objected to the inclusion of speakers they alleged had made antisemitic remarks. He also cited the vandalism of Penn Hillel — when an unknown individual vandalized Hillel while shouting antisemitic rhetoric — as part of his rationale to halt donations.
The names of the Stephen A. Levin Family Deanship of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Stephen A. Levin Family Dean’s Forum will remain unchanged, as they were donated in perpetuity, Levin said.
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Levin joined dozens of Penn donors who announced in fall 2023 that they would halt their donations to the University, including Wharton School Board of Advisors Chair Marc Rowan, 1987 College graduate Jon Huntsman Jr., and 1965 Wharton graduate Ronald Lauder.
Following a $15 million donation from Levin, the Stephen A. Levin Building first opened in 2016 at 425 S. University Ave.
