Students working on computers in media classroom.

Fiscal Year 2023 Update

College of Media

Celebrating the impact of your generosity

This year, many recent investments came to fruition thanks to the generosity of our donors, as highlighted in the features below. We broke ground on the Richmond Studio renovation (see rendering above), which will have a remodeled broadcast studio and a new control room, a video and audio production room where students can record podcasts, upgraded equipment, and more. We implemented our first year of Media faculty- and staff-led projects assisted by the Mark L. Brandt Public Engagement Fellows program. The Frank Center and the Ebert Center both hosted programming on timely topics, from reporting on elections and politics to examining violence in the media. Finally, donations to our Media Innovation Fund are helping support new and ongoing media literacy initiatives in the college, with a focus on research and discovery, engagement and outreach, plus education and training.

Thank you for making the College of Media a priority and supporting our bold plans.

Tracy Sulkin
Dean of the College of Media

FY 2023 By the Numbers

Thanks to your support during this past fiscal year, the College of Media continues to be transformed, resulting in:

1,554,115 Dollars Raised

Donors 618 Donors

Gifts 535 Gifts

Gifts from small to large 302 Gifts Between $1 and $100

Party 201,704 Unrestricted Dollars Raised

*Data as of 8/1/23.

FY 2023 Highlights

Your support has helped us continue to elevate the values that make Illinois distinctive: a sense of boundless aspiration, collaboration, and a global perspective.

Richmond studio under construction for rennovations.

Richmond Studio Undergoes $2M Renovation

Students in the College of Media will have access to a state-of-the-art broadcast studio and newsroom in Fall 2023 after nearly $2 million in renovations are completed at the Richmond Studio.

The renovation project, which began in March, is made possible thanks to a gift from Richard and Leslie Frank. In 2020, the Franks gave the College of Media $7.5 million—the largest gift in college history—to establish the Richard and Leslie Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media and to renovate Richmond Studio. This project is the first major overhaul of the building since it was erected in 1996, funded by a $2 million gift from Jack C. and Marjorie Laird Richmond.

Frank Center Brings Steve Kornacki and Other Prominent Journalists to Campus

Steve Kornacki, a national political correspondent for NBC News and MSNBC, joined us in March to discuss covering elections and sports on the Big Board with Colleen King, director of the Frank Center for Leadership and Innovation in Media and clinical assistant professor of journalism.

The Frank Center also held a panel discussion on politics and elections in October, weeks before the 2022 midterm elections with journalists from TV, radio, and print media. Panelists included David Chalian, CNN Political Director; Vivian Salama, Wall Street Journal National Security Reporter; Alice Yin, Chicago Tribune City Hall Reporter; and Domenico Montanaro, NPR Senior Political Editor.

Watch the Q&A with Steve Kornacki.

Watch the panel on politics and elections.

Mark L. Brandt Public Engagement Fellows Program Funds Media Projects

In Fall 2022 and Spring 2023, projects led by College of Media faculty and staff were funded by the Mark L. Brandt Public Engagement Fellows program to provide undergraduate Media students with professional experience in public engagement activities. It also provided opportunities for students to participate in programs that support first-generation college students, students from underrepresented groups, and/or students with significant financial need.

One of the Brandt Fellows, a senior in computer science + advertising, discussed her experiences with the “Mis/Disinformation in Asian and Asian American Communities Research Project,” led by Rachel Kuo, assistant professor of media and cinema studies.

Continue Your Support

Your continued support ensures the College of Media remains a place where progress and innovation can flourish. Find your passion and help us dream even bigger!

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See More Impact

Philanthropy has benefited students, faculty, and staff in many ways. Browse the list below to learn more about how your impact can be felt across campus.