The School of Media and Public Affairs is in the midst of hosting the grand opening of its new building this week. The festivities, which include panel discussions with SMPA faculty and nationally renowned media figures, began Wednesday and continue until Thursday evening. SMPA faculty, administrators and officials in the Office of University Special Events should be commended for creating a two-day series of receptions and seminars that should broaden students’ knowledge and advance GW’s name recognition.
GW administrators and admissions officers often speak of the myriad of opportunities open to students studying in Foggy Bottom by virtue of the University’s location in the heart of D.C. The grand opening of the MPA building rightly showcases some of the benefits of GW’s proximity to news and the people who cover it. Also present will be forerunners of the newest news medium – the internet. GW should be taking advantage of its close proximity to a vibrant technology center across the Potomac in Northern Virginia. This event, hopefully, will open the eyes of students and officials in other areas of the University to some of the District’s resources.
The building itself is finally ready. After recent construction delays, the physical structure is now outfitted with the latest technology and is holding classes. However, glitches still exist and must be corrected. Some of the classes scheduled to be in the new building still have not moved. Also, the seemingly disparate layout of the building appears to include more plush office space than classrooms. For now, though, the building will bring much needed relief to GW’s classroom crunch that has forced some students to stand or sit on classroom floors for lack of desk space.
While bringing distinguished news industry leaders like Wolf Blitzer and Scott Woelfel from CNN, CBS News correspondent Richard Hottelet and AOL Vice Chairman Ted Leonsis can only enhance the University’s image, officials should not overlook lingering problems in the MPA building itself. But coupled with GW’s already impressive SMPA faculty, which includes such notables as Helen Thomas, Steve Roberts and Carl Stern among others, hopefully this event will foster on-going relationships between the University and the media outlets the GW guests represent.
