On Wednesday, Wallis Annenberg Hall had its grand opening ceremony and reception to commemorate the completion of the building and to showcase its exciting new features. The ceremony gathered a large number of trustees and spectators who came to support the expansion of the new USC Annenberg building. Dean Ernest Wilson opened the occasion by looking back to a moment he shared with philanthropist Wallis Annenberg. “In 2010, Wallis Annenberg and I began a conversation,” Wilson said. “We reflected together on the importance of journalism and communication for the future of democracy in the United States of America. She described her deep commitment to the eternal values to openness, inclusion and transparency. This conversation that we had spread to the Annenberg community as a whole.” USC President C. L. Max Nikias thanked Annenberg for her generosity and continual support for the field of journalism. Annenberg then took the podium and stated that she couldn’t think of a more worthy investment. At the reception, hundreds of guests were invited to take a tour throughout the massive 88,000-square-foot building to get a sneak peak at the tools USC Annenberg students use on a regular basis. On every level of ANN, guests were welcomed to walk in and view facilities like the media center where they had a chance to see students at work. Since the commencement of classes in late August, students have become familiar with the new amenities that have been instrumental to their education. The media center is particularly a favorite among USC Annenberg students, and Maritza Moulite, M.S. journalism, reasoned that it is the emphasis of the new space. “The media center is the point of the building,” Moulite said. “The point is to get more comfortable with the idea of continually working together and feeding off of different outlets.” The media center is home to three Annenberg organizations, which include ARN, ATVN and Neon Tommy. This has allowed students to work collectively and learn from each other. Maritza and her sister Jessica Moulite, M.S. journalism, attended the reception and sat watching the spectators from the building’s forum. Both students devote an eight-hour shift once a week to work on news assignments in the media center. They develop stories for several Annenberg organizations within the facility. Jessica explained that she recently went to the Superior Court of Los Angeles to cover an event for Hispanic heritage month. She was thrilled to produce a story on that event for ATVN and ARN. “It’s just cool to see how I’m able to use the different resources at the school to tell as many stories as I can,” Jessica said.
Mirian Fuentes and Kate Guarino, left to right respectively, express what they admire about the new building during the Wallis Annenberg Hall grand opening reception.
