Colgate University’s new Center for Arts, Creativity and Innovation, currently under construction and formerly known as the Benton Center, will be renamed Bernstein Hall. To avoid confusion with the pre-existing Benton Hall, donor Dan Benton ’80, H’10, P’10 chose a different name with connections to his past. While the building was under construction, Benton read a book written by six Colgate students under the guidance of Distinguished Chair in Jewish Studies Alice Nakhimvosky. The book, titled “Repression, Re-Invention, and Rugelach: A History of Jews at Colgate,” was the end product of a Jewish studies seminar and discussed the history of Jewish identity on campus, including periods of admission quotas. Reading the book led Benton to consider how he could rename the building to honor his Jewish heritage. Benton then chose “Bernstein” as the building’s new name, as it was his family’s original last name before his grandfather changed it in the 1940s to avoid antisemitism.

“In choosing to dedicate this building as Bernstein Hall, I honor my family’s history. I underscore our resilience and the resilience of the Jewish people. And just as the blending of the arts, entrepreneurship and computer science has magical potential, so does the blending of diverse thought, talent and ethnicity in a student body,” Benton said in an article published on the Colgate website on April 2. 

President Brian W. Casey also responded to the new building name in the article.

“Naming buildings and places can help a college recognize those who have gone before and who have shaped an institution. The buildings of a campus can, and ought to, reflect the history of those who have been here as students, staff and scholars,” Casey said.    

The University currently plans to formally dedicate Bernstein Hall over Homecoming Weekend in Fall 2024, which will occur on Sept. 20 to 21.