Reprinted from Spring 2010 InterCom
Extreme Makeover

By Terry Dixon, Director of Development

The year was 1969. I was in Mrs. Mallard’s kindergarten class. Random memories. Mrs. Mallard’s black cat frame glasses. My thick, brown cat frame glasses. A blue ribbon for my fire prevention poster. My one-year-old baby brother. The classroom heartthrob named Bubba. Yes, really. But most of all, our house on Cokesbury Drive. A three-bedroom, corner lot, brick ranch, with a brick wall around the back yard. Aqua appliances and pale yellow Formica counter tops. Hard to believe more than 40 years have passed since then.

As fond as my memories are of that old house, even as a child I understood my parents’ decision to move was in the best interest of our family. A better school district. More space. Bigger yard. Modernized amenities. Bottom line, our needs changed. And so it is with our School of Journalism and Mass Communications.

The same year I was playing hopscotch, the School of Journalism and Mass Communications was moving to the basement of the Carolina Coliseum. The Coliseum was new. Back in the day, I imagine the Coliseum space adequately met the needs of students and faculty.

Fast forward to 2010, and much is changing. Journalism is changing. Our needs are changing. Our location is changing, too. Plans are moving forward to relocate SJMC to a brilliantly renovated location at Sumter and Greene Streets, just off the historic Horseshoe. Wrapped by its own brick wall, the building sits at one of the most visible intersections on campus. We are busily making preparations. Architectural renderings are in hand. Paint swatches and floor samples have been considered. The virtual walkthrough on DVD is almost complete. We eagerly await news that will finalize a fundraising campaign time line for the transformational roughly $27 million makeover.

The university has committed $18 million to the renovation. Past fundraising efforts have raised $2.2 million. We are seeking an additional $6.8 million to create a state-of-the-art facility that will serve students and faculty as an innovative, three-level learning and working environment. Classrooms will support individual or group study and offer flexibility to adapt to teaching styles and future needs. The 54,000 sq. ft. design includes a 140-seat auditorium, 14 classrooms and computer labs, conference and reading rooms, dedicated sequence areas, state-of- the-art broadcast studio, converged newsroom, supporting areas for student services, graduate education, the Dean’s and Director’s suites, 62 faculty and administrative offices and much more. Columbia’s Boudreaux Group has effectively converged traditional design elements, such as exposed brick, with contemporary ones of glass and stainless steel. Natural light, nonexistent in the Coliseum basement, will prevail throughout. Once complete, it will be among the first campus buildings to apply for LEED certification, the nationally recognized benchmark for green buildings. A healthy building makes for a beautiful building.

Most impressive are the large open indoor and outdoor spaces that beckon casual interaction among students, faculty and staff. Open invitations for continued discussions with classmates, impromptu conversations with faculty, or better yet, some relaxing downtime with friends. There are several spacious lounge areas and galleries with exhibit space, a lounge for staff and faculty, an outside plaza, and a rooftop terrace and garden. Central to it all is the spectacular 23 ft. high, 1200 sq. ft. atrium that will function as the primary gathering space, much like a family room functions in our own homes, setting the stage for meaningful exchanges.

We are embarking upon much more than a building campaign. In many ways, it is a beyond-the-building campaign. We want you to realize that, too. We are building an experience. We are building a community. We are building pride. More than bricks and paint samples, our efforts are driven by the countless benefits to be realized by our university family — an enhanced learning opportunity for our students, a superior teaching and research facility for our faculty, and a treasured landmark for our alumni to call home.