As walls go up next door at Schar Hall and Steers Pavilion, the renovation project at McEwen Communications Building is heading in the opposite direction. The construction crew recently started removing walls, insulation, ceiling tiles and even trophy cases. Above is a look at the former dean’s suite, including Dean Paul Parsons’ old office on the right. Special thanks to the dean for providing these construction photos!

Work is also underway in the lobby, which is hardly recognizable. We are definitely looking forward to displaying our student and faculty awards again. You know our students just won a College Television Award Emmy this week, right?

Lastly, here’s look down the McEwen first-floor hallway toward the television studios.

As most of campus prepared for the university’s Commencement ceremonies last week, construction crews were busy inside the walls of Dwight C. Schar Hall. Always the inquisitive journalist, Dean Paul Parsons noticed a concrete truck on site on May 20. Accompanied by the construction superintendent, Parsons toured the facility, taking a closer look at the recently poured risers in Turner Theatre – see the image above.

The two above images provide an updated look at Snow Family Grand Atrium. The left image looks out toward the historic part of campus, while the right faces the entrance of Schar Hall and Turner Theatre. At right, this photograph highlights the new dean’s suite in Schar Hall, which faces out toward Lebanon Avenue and the train tracks. The entrance to the dean’s office can be seen on the far left.

The above photograph is the handy work of Communications Dean Paul Parsons. He captured this image in late June, and it appears as the lead photo of the summer edition of the School of Communications’ alumni newsletter. The following text is the dean’s message accompanying the picture:

Construction is underway on the School of Communications expansion! This photo shows an emerging hole in the ground that will become a state-of-the-art building atop what once was a parking lot. That’s Long Building in the distance and Whitley Auditorium on the far left. Shortly after the 2015 Commencement, crews put up a green construction fence and prepped the site for the expansion project. If all goes well with the construction timetable, our students will enter the new facilities as well as a renovated McEwen in time for fall 2016 classes.
— Paul Parsons