Southeastern alumna Robin Roberts to cut ribbon for new Broadcast Media Center

Southeastern Louisiana University alumna and Good Morning America Co-Anchor Robin Roberts will be on hand to officially cut the ribbon for the renovation and expansion of D Vickers Hall that includes the new Robin Roberts Broadcast Media Center. Scheduled at 10 a.m. on Friday, Oct. 17, the ribbon cutting will take place in front of D Vickers Hall.

The Robin Roberts Broadcast Media Center adds an additional 33,000 square feet to the 80,000 square foot academic building and includes three broadcast media studios – a newsroom, a film studio and a multimedia studio.

The project was paid for through state Capital Outlay funds and a sizable donation from Roberts.

“This facility is greatly overdue, as our faculty and students have been operating with limited space,” said Southeastern President William S. Wainwright. “The new facility greatly enhances the classroom and specialized lab space needed to provide modern instructional opportunities for our students.”

The 113,000 square foot facility will continue to serve its existing academic programs in English, theatre, foreign language, and communication. However, the communication and media studies department includes a major expansion of the curriculum for the cutting-edge broadcast/media facility. The new addition features not only film and TV studios, but also radio studios, foley and film audio studios and their associated control, support, and edit rooms.

As a result of the renovation, the third floor contains additional shared classroom spaces for all four departments within the building. A new reconfiguration of faculty office space increases access to natural light and offers more opportunities for student/faculty collaboration.

In addition to the three broadcast media studios, D Vickers now includes 104 offices, 27 classrooms, two 100-seat lecture rooms, five computer labs, and four English/language labs.

Another major component of the renovation is a makeover of Vonnie Borden Theatre. The renovated theatre seats 498 people and includes scene and costume shops, a green room, and male and female dressing rooms.

The architect for the project was Holly and Smith, and the contractor for the project was Frank Anzalone General Contractors.