Marquette Law School to dedicate Eckstein Hall

Supreme Court Justice Scalia, Archbishop Dolan, Wisconsin Chief Justice Abrahamson will participate

Event Information
Date:  Wed., Sept. 8, 2010
Time:  2 p.m.
Place:  North side of Eckstein Hall,
1215 W. Michigan St.

Marquette University Law School will formally dedicate its new building, Ray and Kay Eckstein Hall, during a ceremony Wednesday, Sept. 8, at 2 p.m.  United States Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will give the keynote address, Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York will bless the building, and Wisconsin Supreme Court Chief Justice Shirley Abrahamson will make remarks.  Following the ceremony, guests are invited for tours of the building.

The dedication ceremony will take place outside immediately north of Eckstein Hall, 1215 W. Michigan St.  Media must arrive by 1:30 to set up on the media riser and should contact Brigid Miller at brigid.miller@marquette.edu or 414-288-7445 to confirm attendance.

About Eckstein Hall
Eckstein Hall is an $85 million building, made possible by a $51 million gift from Ray and Kay Eckstein, an alumni couple from Cassville, Wis., in May 2007.  At the time, this was the largest gift ever made by individuals to a college or university in Wisconsin, and it remains the second-largest gift to a law school in the United States.

Milwaukee builder and philanthropist Joseph Zilber, also a Marquette Law School alumnus, donated $30 million to Marquette Law School in August 2007, of which $5 million went to the building.

Eckstein Hall features a “library without borders,” which seamlessly integrates the law library on all four floors of the building. It contains cutting-edge broadcast capabilities – enabling satellite feeds into and out of the building for participation in events around the globe.

As Milwaukee’s only law school, Marquette has sought to become a place where community members come for dialogue on the critical issues facing our region, such as education, transportation and clean water. Newsmakers and scholars have been frequent guests at Marquette Law School for forums and debates, and the new building will support this work to an even greater degree.

Eckstein Hall is part of nearly $350 million in new construction and renovations that Marquette has invested in the near west side over the last decade.  The Discovery Learning Complex, future home of the Marquette College of Engineering, is currently under construction at 16th St. and Wisconsin Ave.