U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser will join AU leadership, distinguished alumni, and the SBA President in a formal ceremony to officially open the new American University Washington College of Law Tenley Campus Feb. 12

WASHINGTON, D.C., Jan. 29, 2016 – On Feb. 12, 2016 at 2:00 p.m., American University Washington College of Law will celebrate its new 8 ½ acre Tenley Campus with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, which will bring together alumni, city officials, students, and members of the law school and AU communities.

American University Washington College of Law Dean Claudio Grossman and AU President Neil Kerwin will be joined by U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, who will give the keynote address, Mayor of the District of Columbia Muriel Bowser, alumni and members of the AUWCL Dean’s Advisory Council Kenneth Lore and Stephen S. Weinstein, and Student Bar Association President Amanda Molina. All will participate in an official Ribbon Cutting Ceremony before addressing the crowd gathered at AUWCL.

The ribbon cutting takes place just over one week after the 120^th anniversary of the Feb. 1, 1896, founding of the Washington College of Law.

“On this day we will celebrate a historic accomplishment for American University Washington College of Law,” said Dean Claudio Grossman. “Our new Tenley Campus is an inspiring, accessible center of legal education built in every way to help our students meet their educational goals. The technological innovations, light-filled classrooms and Pence Law Library, and multiple meeting areas – all one block from the Metro – will serve our innovative community for years to come.”

“Washington College of Law occupies a special and longstanding place in American legal education,” said American University President Neil Kerwin. “This law campus will only further the excellence of the school’s scholarship, the effectiveness of its teaching, and the tradition of service embodied by its committed faculty, students, and more than 20,000 alumni. The opening of the new law campus is a proud moment for American University.”

The new Tenley Campus, which opened for classes on Jan. 11, 2016, occupies a unique space at Tenley Circle, improving the law school’s connections with the region. Featuring more than 37,000 square feet of teaching space, as well as a 5,400 square foot outdoor courtyard, the campus was planned with a student-centered approach and a philosophy of mutual respect and collaboration. Designed by SmithGroupJJR, the Tenley Campus integrates faculty with students and promotes open communication.

Additional facts about the campus include:

• 8,000 square feet of space for the clinical program, expanding space for the law school’s 10 clinical programs, which serve underrepresented communities
• 5 courtrooms, facilitating trial practice skills –  the largest courtroom being a technologically-equipped 60-seat courtroom for class, appellate, and mock courtroom activities
• 60-seat Atrium Café; 223-seat full-service dining hall
• 847 seats in the 2 1/2 floor Pence Law Library – AUWCL expanded library space, including multiple different kinds of group and individual study spaces, for our students because of our belief in research, scholarship, and pedagogy
• 500-seat conference center, Claudio Grossman Hall
• In addition to the 5,400 square foot outdoor courtyard, the campus features 240,000 total square feet of green space, which is 57% of the total site

ABOUT AMERICAN UNIVERSITY WASHINGTON COLLEGE OF LAW
In 1896, American University Washington College of Law became the first law school in the country founded by women. More than 100 years since its founding, this law school community is grounded in the values of equality, diversity, and intellectual rigor. The law school's nationally and internationally recognized programs (in clinical legal education, trial advocacy, international law, and intellectual property to name a few) and dedicated faculty provide its JD, LL.M., and SJD students with the critical skills and values to have an immediate impact as students and as graduates, in Washington, D.C. and around the world. For more information, visit wcl.american.edu.
 
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