The School of Communications hosted a “soft” opening of Steers Pavilion during the fall 2016 semester, with faculty and staff members moving in gradually in early December. While the facility’s quiet at the moment – the safety fence likely scares off “lookie lous” right now – that will change in Winter Term when classes start in the pavilion’s new classroom lab.

To take a closer look at Steers Pavilion, check out our photo gallery.

The left photo looks from the Steers lounge outside toward Whitley Auditorium. The right photo highlights the future home to the Imagining the Internet Center.

Elon University and the School of Communications officially opened Turner Theatre, the school’s new 220-seat movie theater, on Dec. 8 with a cinematic celebration recognizing the work of Laith Majali ’05. To read the university’s full news release, click here.

During his opening remarks at the afternoon premiere for invited guests and members of the School of Communications community, Communications Dean Paul Parsons expressed immense pride that the first film to officially grace the theater’s screen was “Theeb,” an Oscar-nominated work co-produced by Majali. Prior to the screening, the school presented Majali with its Outstanding Alumni Award.

Invited guests, faculty, staff and students gather in Snow Family Grand Atrium before Turner Theatre’s grand opening.

While classes are in session in Dwight C. Schar Hall, and Steers Pavilion is set to open in a few weeks, a person might overlook the changes taking place on the exterior of the buildings. Here’s a photo gallery highlighting the spaces outside Schar, Steers and McEwen Communications Building.

After many months of building excitement, we’re thrilled that Dwight C. Schar Hall will host its first classes tomorrow! Here’s a peek inside the building as we get settled in. While most faculty members are gradually moving in, it appears Associate Dean Kenn Gaither has been in his office for months, if not years! Kudos to him.

PHOTO: Vint Cerf (center) talks outside the entrance to the Imagining the Internet Center in Steers Pavilion.

It’s not every day that one of “the fathers of the internet” visits your campus. It seemed only fitting then to have Vint Cerf, an internet and technology pioneer, tour the School of Communications’ expansion project, including the new home of the Imagining the Internet Center in Steers Pavilion.

The chief internet evangelist at Google, Cerf visited campus on Sept. 30 to receive the inaugural Imagining the Internet Areté Medallion. He also participated in a question-and-answer session with students, faculty and staff about the impact of technology on modern life.

During his visit, Cerf toured Dwight C. Schar Hall, Steers Pavilion and the renovated studios of McEwen Communications Building. He was accompanied by Janna Anderson, professor and director of the Imagining the Internet Center; Lee Rainie, director of internet, science and technology research at Pew Research Center; Gene Gabbard, former MCI vice president, and Vic Costello, associate professor.

Here’s a photo gallery of the group touring the facilities.

PHOTO: Joseph Rich (right), integration project lead at Elon, discusses the new video screen in Snow Family Grand Atrium.

How do you install a 2,000-pound video screen? First, use a tremendous amount of care. Second, one piece at a time.

This week an installation crew began setting up the video screen that will hang in Snow Family Grand Atrium, above the entrance to Turner Theatre. The crew members installed a single piece at at time – coincidentally, each piece was about the size of an old 13-inch television screen. For a look at their work, as well as the rest of the progress in Dwight C. Schar Hall and Steers Pavilion, check out this Flickr gallery.

Another sign that our move-in date must be getting closer? Furniture is starting to arrive in the classrooms, labs, offices and conference rooms. On the left, workers install tall tables in the Innovation Lab on the first floor of Schar Hall. On the right, the boardroom table and chairs have arrived in Schar’s second-floor conference room.

Elon Local News and Elon Student Television have started to settle into their new facilities – Jane and Brian Williams Studio and the Virtual Studio – in the renovated McEwen Communications Building. As part of the renovation project, the studios were outfitted with new, contemporary sets. Here’s a look at the social media posts highlighting the sets in the past few days.

Sneak peek: @oneononesports is filming their first show of the season today! ?

A photo posted by ESTV (@elonstudenttv) on Sep 27, 2016 at 2:18pm PDT

The show is about to begin! Over the past few weeks, Turner Theatre inside Dwight C. Schar Hall has really taken shape. Last week crews installed the theatre seats – all 230 of them – and you can actually imagine our student projects being screened in the space. For a closer look at the recent progress of Schar Hall and Steers Pavilion, check out this Sept. 16 photo gallery.

With the wonderful afternoon sunlight pouring in, it might be hard to notice that the lights of Snow Family Grand Atrium have been installed and are on.

While the basement won’t have the same natural light as the atrium, it will be hard to find a more attractive learning space below ground than this Schar Hall classroom. On the left, down the hallway, you can see the entrance of a computer lab in the distance.

In terms of progress, Steers Pavilion is not far behind Schar Hall, though you might notice it does not have carpeting and flooring just yet. Here’s a look at the student lounge, which looks out at Whitley Auditorium.

Concrete – particularly the pouring of concrete – has been a theme of the communications expansion project over the past week or two. Crews have worked to pour large slabs for the walkway on the north side of Dwight C. Schar Hall as well as a vehicle entrance on Lebanon Avenue. Today, the cement truck rolled over to the space between Steers Pavilion and Long Building. Here are a few photos to show the progress over the course of an hour this afternoon.