ITHACA, N.Y. -- A dedication and formal ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the renovation of White Hall, one of Cornell University's three original buildings, will be held Friday, Sept. 12, from 4 to 5 p.m. on the university's Arts Quad in front of White Hall.

The $12 million restoration project, completed in January 2003, was a top funding priority for Cornell's College of Arts and Sciences. White Hall's renovated space, redesigned to enhance interdisciplinary research and teaching, is now home to the Departments of Government and of Near Eastern Studies.

Dedication program speakers will include: Cornell President Jeffrey S. Lehman; G. Peter Lepage, interim dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; Peter Gisolfi, chief architect, Peter Gisolfi Associates; Valerie Bunce, chair of the Department of Government; Ross Brann, chair of the Department of Near Eastern Studies; and Ellen Adelson, chair of the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Council.

"At a time when there are particularly exciting and well-publicized initiatives in the natural sciences, it is important to make sure that the humanities and social sciences receive appropriate attention and support so that Cornell's historic strengths in these fields can be sustained," said Lepage. "The renovation of White Hall affirms their centrality to the Cornell experience."

The White Hall renovation project was an "inside" job: The building's Florentine-style exterior remains the same, but its interior was demolished to make way for new wooden floor joists and a steel and concrete support system. The renovation, designed by

Peter Gisolfi Associates, includes central air conditioning and state-of-the-industry ventilation

More than 65 offices were created, along with classrooms and seminar spaces and handsomely appointed lounges, where students and faculty can mingle. The architectural centerpiece is the building's spacious central atrium. Overlooking Ithaca and Cayuga Lake, White Hall has a special place in the life of the university. Constructed in 1867, it is one of Cornell's three original buildings and it was named in 1883 for Cornell's first president, Andrew Dickson White, a major figure not only at Cornell but in the history of American higher education.

For more information about the ceremony, contact Nina Chasnoff at (607) 255-7225 or by e-mail at ncc8@cornell.edu .