School of Communications opens Dwight C. Schar Hall

Thirty-one classes have shifted from McEwen Communications Building to the new 45,000-square-foot facility, which houses the 230-seat Turner Theatre, Kanarick Media Sandbox and additional classroom and communications lab spaces.

While construction crews work in the background, Associate Professor Naeemah Clark addresses her “Entertainment Media” class during the first day of classes in Dwight C. Schar Hall. 
One of the nation’s finest communications schools opened one of the nation’s finest facilities this week.

Following the conclusion of the university’s fall break, the Elon University School of Communications has shifted 31 classes to the brand-new Dwight C. Schar Hall, home to the 230-seat Turner Theatre and additional classroom and communications lab spaces.

Other amenities in the 45,000-square-foot facility include Snow Family Grand Atrium, which boasts a video wall containing 1,278,000 pixels, Kanarick Media Sandbox, where students in different majors come together to innovate and be entrepreneurs, and office space for Live Oak Communications, Elon’s student-run strategic communications agency.

Check out our two photo galleries highlighting the first day of classes in Schar Hall, named in recognition of a gift from Dwight C. and Martha M. Schar P’16 P’19.

Assistant Professor Max Negin works the massive interactive screen in a new lab within Schar Hall.
​For interested trivia buffs, the first communications course held in Schar Hall was Assistant Professor Brian Walsh’s “Applied Media Analytics” class. An hour later Professor Janna Anderson hosted the facility’s first exam, evaluating her “The Future of the Internet” class.

During Homecoming Weekend, the School of Communications will offer alumni tours of its new and renovated facilities. While classes have moved into Schar Hall, Turner Theatre is still under construction, but should be completed within a few weeks.

Following this week’s shift of classes, construction crews have started Phase 2 of the McEwen renovation, converting two first-floor classrooms into the Elon News Network’s newsroom and relocating WSOE radio station to McEwen’s lower level.

The School of Communications expansion has been made possible through the generous support of friends and donors. The Elon community will dedicate Dwight C. Schar Hall, Steers Pavilion, Snow Family Grand Atrium and Citrone Plaza in spring 2017.