University of Pennsylvania renames design school for Stuart Weitzman

The University of Pennsylvania will name its School of Design for Stuart Weitzman. The footwear designer had graduated from the university's Wharton School for business in 1963, and has since continued to support the university philanthropically and through engagement with academic activities.

The newly renamed University of Pennsylvania Stuart Weitzman School of Design was announced today, along with the renaming of the school's central plaza to the Stuart Weitzman Plaza. The plaza will soon undergo a significant redesign.

The decision to name the school in honor of the footwear designer was made to recognize his ongoing philanthropic support of the university and his active engagement in its academic activities.

“Stuart has been an inspiration to the thousands of students with whom he has connected in large lecture and smaller classroom settings, and through one-on-one conversations,” Penn President Amy Gutmann said in a statement. “His lifelong support of the University and the School of Design truly aligns his own body of work in design with his ongoing commitment to Penn in the most meaningful and impactful way."

Following his graduation from Penn, Weitzman founded his eponymous footwear label in 1986 and has stayed on as Chairman Emeritus since stepping down from the role of creative director in 2017. He credits much of his career success to his education from the university.

“This is my way of thanking the University of Pennsylvania for the education that was the foundation of my long and incredibly enjoyable career in design," he stated. "It is my privilege to support new scholarships, and to invest in the overall academic mission of the School, including the advanced technologies and systems so essential to the future of design.”

“I am grateful to have been very fortunate in my career. It was always my intention to support the University of Pennsylvania in as many ways as I could,” Weitzman said, “especially after spending so much time interacting with the Penn community, and specifically with its remarkable students.