Annenberg Launches Fundraiser for New Building
USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism will hold a $150 million fundraising initiative to help build the new facility, set to open in the fall of 2014.
A groundbreaking ceremony for the new Wallis Annenberg Hall will be held Thursday at 11 a.m. This ceremony will welcome students, faculty, staff, trustees, alumni, and friends of Annenberg to campus to mark the beginning of the initiative. The initiative will invest in new generations of students and scholars developing the digital future of Annenberg.
The funds raised from the drive will pay for projects to enhance the new building, including labs, studios, and the latest technology efforts. Student scholarships, fellowships, and funding for start-ups led by students and faculty will also be funded through the drive. The Annenberg campaign is part of USC's broader campaign, which is a multi-year effort to raise $6 billion for the university's academic, community, and capital priorities.
The Wallis Annenberg Hall will be 88,000-square feet, five stories high, and include a 20,000 square-foot newsroom in the heart of the building. The interior will be extremely modern and will include a four-story atrium with a rooftop skylight and multistory digital media tower. This media tower will showcase student programming, such as ATVN and Trojan Vision.
Faculty and students are excited for the new building, which will also feature up-to-the-minute technology, such as full WiFi and 4g wireless capacity, including 110 hotspots and no dead zones.
"This new facility, and the initiative, will enable us to expand our innovative teaching, research, and service, and spark a new era of creativity among our faculty and students in this new digital age," said Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson III.
While lower classmen Annenberg students and incoming Annenberg students are anxious for the new building, some seniors this year are disappointed they will miss out.
"Of course, I graduate before this amazing new Annenberg building is in the works...I wish I was a freshmen this year," said Youli Zheng, a senior Communications major.
The groundbreaking ceremony will be held at the site of the new building, located at the west side of the Pertusati Bookstore on Childs Way. All students are encouraged to attend and you can RSVP here.
For more information, visit the virtual home of Wallis Annenberg Hall.
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