Since the opening of the Pulliam Center for Contemporary Media (PCCM) 25 years ago, each of the media outlets housed in the building have seen a number of changes.
Its initial vision was to bring together all different forms of media in one place, which alumnus Eric Aasen believes it accomplished successfully.
“I really liked the fact that all the major media organizations were in one building,” Aasen said. “I think it made it easier to go from one to the other.”
Large media centers are unusual for typical liberal arts colleges. When the center was being built, it was one of the first of its kind to be a part of such a small university. However, more recently, other universities have adopted centers like the Pulliam Center.
“There are a few schools that have a building like ours now because they copied us,” said Marilyn Culler, assistant director of the Media Fellows program. “We’re still in the forefront because students can come here and get involved right away.”
After the building was built, the next step for the Pulliam Center was to stay up to date with technology.
“We have to follow what is going on in the industry and we have to be thinking forward beyond what is happening in the industry,” Culler said.
Within the last two years, the radio station was redone so the station could operate through the use of digital music instead of CDs. The darkrooms on the upper level were torn out to convert into what will eventually be a digital photo lab.
“It’s mainly been digital, in terms of photography and the radio,” Culler said. In addition, the editing lab for television was redone and a psych wall was put in. The lobby of the D3TV station has also been recently updated.
In addition to these changes, the Watson Forum inside of the Pulliam Center was redone, so now presentations can easily be recorded in that room. The library conference room at the front of the building also had new carpet, chairs and a table put in, and the center bought new equipment for student use. In the future, the darkrooms in the basement will be converted into a podcast studio.
With all of the changes, though, some believe it is important to keep in mind the roots of the center.
“The media equipment has been upgraded on occasion, but I think what is most important is what hasn't changed,” said Professor of Communication and Theatre Jeff McCall via email. “The student media outlets are still designed to allow for the voice of the DePauw student.”
While some may not feel as though much has changed, there are more plans for technological and space changes in the center.
“We have a lot of work to do,” said Jonathan Nichols-Pethick, director of Media Fellows and the PCCM. “The Pulliam Center was in some ways a cutting-edge thing, and walking in here, it might not feel like it, and that’s where we’re going to get back to.”
One of the plans for the future includes a more inclusive newsroom, one that would hold all three branches of the media forms at DePauw. It would function as one central location for all of the news stories across campus.
“We’re trying to develop a larger student media network that houses all of these things, kind of like the virtual version of the PCCM,” Nichols-Pethick said. “There is no journalism education now that doesn’t include working across platform...so if you’re going to be a journalist, you’re going to have to know video and audio and be able to write.”
The center is also making more of an effort to communicate with alumni.
“We will look for the best ways to include all of these concepts while we work to make the building ‘contemporary’ for every generation of students,” said Chris Newton, assistant director of the Pulliam Center and WGRE Operations Coordinator, via email.
In addition, there are hopes to get D3TV orchestrated to have the ability to shoot in HD, which will require a lot of rewiring and money. There are also plans to get new programming in terms of classroom space and lab spaces, which would also include an increase in faculty in the long run.
“This building is going to function very differently in the near future,” Nichols-Pethick said.
The Pulliam Center also hopes to become a larger source of aid for all students whenever they have a project or just want to get involved.
“You just need communication in everything you do, and this building provides an opportunity to be a better communicator,” Culler said. “It’s a place where you can become a better storyteller and hone your skills and go out into the world and do whatever you dream.”
“What I want to do is to set the foundation for the next 25 years of us having a facility that most people wouldn’t expect us to have,” Nichols-Pethick added. “I want people to come to DePauw and see the Pulliam Center and be a little bit in awe that this is here.”