Alden Trust Awards Le Moyne $180,000 to Fund Upgrades to Communications and Film Studies

Le Moyne has received $180,000 in funding from the George I. Alden Trust to support upgrades and renovations to the Department of Communications and Film Studies in Reilly Hall. This grant is the largest Le Moyne has received from the Alden Trust and brings Alden’s lifetime giving to the College to $838,000.

The Communications and Film Studies Department resides on the second floor of Reilly Hall and includes the department’s lab, the editing suite where students engage in video production and work on editing projects. Renovations to create this lab occurred in 2011, when the equipment for the space was also purchased. Funds from the Alden Trust will be used to support renovations that will create an environment that more easily lends itself to effective instruction and collaboration among students.

These renovations will allow for a reconfiguration of the lab’s existing arrangement to accommodate more students and centrally located work spaces for students. Additionally, faculty offices will be arranged around a central collaborative space, ensuring that professors can meet with small groups of students as they plan and work on multimedia projects and other assignments. The grant also supports equipment additions in the form of a new audio control board, a laptop lending library, and new teaching technology.

“Media development, by its nature, is highly collaborative,” said Professor Michael Streissguth. “Renovations to the space and technology upgrades will create a learning-commons designed to more easily and effectively facilitate collaboration and discussion.”

The College has enjoyed support from the Alden Trust in previous work that modernized and expanded campus facilities, including renovations to the Noreen Reale Falcone Library and the Madden School of Business. This summer the second phase of the overall $11 million Reilly Hall renovation will take place. Campus Architect Fouad Dietz will lead the project.