The future site of the new College of Law building was dedicated Friday in a ceremony held to celebrate one of the largest donations in Syracuse University history given this summer.

The new building, to be named Dineen Hall, will be built where the Raynor parking lot is located, on the west side of campus by the Carrier Dome.

Speakers at the dedication called the donation and building an exciting step to enhance the education the law school provides and to honor the memory of Robert and Carolyn Dineen, for whom the building will be named.

In June, siblings Kathryn Dineen Wriston, Robert Dineen Jr. and Carolyn Dineen King pledged $15 million for the construction of a new $85 million to $90 million building in honor of their parents Robert and Carolyn, alumni of the College of Law. The gift is the largest in the College of Law’s 115-year history.

‘This is a happy occasion for Syracuse University, the College of Law and our family,’ Wriston said. ‘I know our parents would be happy.’

Faculty, alumni and students attended the event Friday afternoon in the Raynor parking lot, just west of where the current law buildings, E.I. White Hall and Winifred MacNaughton Hall, stand. Chancellor Nancy Cantor began the event by noting the change of weather.

‘I knew the sun would come out,’ she said with a smile. ‘Not to sound cliché, but this is such a sunny project.’

Parents Robert and Carolyn were remarkable individuals who had a great passion for law, Cantor said. Both faced difficult times, including discrimination against Carolyn as a woman in a field dominated by men. She was one of two women in the College of Law during her time there. Robert graduated from the law school in 1924 and Carolyn in 1932.

‘This is a story of talent and perseverance. That’s what Syracuse is all about,’ Cantor said.

Cantor said the new building, located on the periphery of campus, will connect Main Campus and the community. The building will be a place that nurtures the ability to think through problems, Cantor said.

‘Every great university needs a great College of Law, and a great College of Law needs a great university,’ she said.

Richard Gluckman, a 1970 undergraduate alumnus and 1971 graduate of the School of Architecture, is the architect for the project. He said the opportunity was a rare moment when he felt like he was in the right place at the right time.

It is a great opportunity to create something at his alma mater, Gluckman said. Gluckman did not reveal the design of the building because he said he expects some people will try to add their opinion about how the design should look.

‘They would have to offer a lot more than two cents,’ he said with a laugh. ‘And it doesn’t mean I am going to listen.’

Hannah Arterian, dean of the College of Law, said the building will be a critical component in SU and the College of Law’s mission to provide a vibrant legal education.

‘This is the right time, the right place, with the right people,’ she said.

Michael Kaplan, a third-year law student, spoke on behalf of the student body. He began with a quote from Winston Churchill: ‘We make a living by what we get. We make a life by what we give.’

He said Friday’s event was about more than the Dineen’s generosity. It was also about embracing the opportunity they have given the faculty, students and alumni, he said.

He said: ‘The current and future students now owe our success to you.’

cabidwel@syr.edu

A previous version of this article appeared on dailyorange.com on Nov. 6.

Published on November 7, 2010 at 12:00 pm

Contact Colleen: cbidwill@syr.edu