Judge Richard Posner of the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals gave the keynote address at a symposium attended by more than 200 people Wednesday marking the dedication of the International Business School's new Samuel Lemberg Academic Center. Posner cited the main purpose of the symposium as being the "coming of age of a school of business at Brandeis." In his discussion on "Brandeis and Holmes, Business and Economics," he spoke about the ideals of Supreme Court Justices Louis Brandeis and Oliver Wendell Holmes in relation to these two fields.

Posner commented on Brandeis' support for individual rights, while also discussing his love for business tempered by a growing suspicion of big industry.

After Posner was finished, Professor Michael Sandel '75 of Harvard University commented on Posner's lecture about Brandeis and Holmes. A summa cum laude graduate and member of Phi Beta Kappa, Sandel received his doctorate in philosophy from the University of Oxford in 1981, where he studied as a Rhodes Scholar. He went into depth about Brandeis and Holmes, but more toward Brandeis, because he felt the "need to defend him."

"Brandeis' views on business do not work with the modern view and understanding of economics," Sandel said.

Most questions reflected a desire to know more about how Brandeis would treat different contemporary situations. One person asked if life was "any different now for a Supreme Court Justice to make a difference on business regulations" while another asked what the speakers thought Brandeis would say about the NAFTA tribunals.

Afterward, Prof. Rosabeth Moss Kanter of the Harvard Business School gave a lecture entitled, "Business Leadership in Society? Rising to Rising Expectations."

Kanter spoke mostly about the free market philosophy that is open to Europe and how American style capitalism and health care are being attacked by that same philosophy.

"[The] pharmacy used to be one of the most wanted companies but now it is among the most hated. People call them greedy, saying they are forcing addicted Americans to buy high priced items," she said.

Kanter also spoke about the national obesity epidemic as well as executive compensation, which is much higher than what average workers are currently paid.

She also mentioned how "over 95 percent of citizens want companies to focus on more than profitability."

Kanter finished her lecture by listing 10 things she would like to see the leaders of companies do, most of them dealing with wages, open flow of information and shifting resources from administration to more necessary things like fixing and improving run down factories.

When she finished, the naming ceremony for the Lemberg Academic Center was held. A plaque dedicating the new building as the Samuel Lemberg Academic Center for the International Business School was hung inside near the door.