Letterman lands a building at Ball State

University Business, Sept, 2007 by Michele Herrmann

PERHAPS BALL STATE UNIVERSITY'S (IND.) TRUSTEES took notice when David Letterman claimed his alma mater named a building after him during a broadcast, showing a photo of the so-called "Dave Letterman Stadium" (it was Scheumann Stadium).

The board chose to honor the late night television host and 1970 graduate with a more suitable facility: the just completed $21 million David Letterman Communication and Media Building. Letterman and his mother Dorothy Mengering will attend a dedication ceremony in September. In a statement, Letterman says, "I am proud to have been a student at Ball State and I'm deeply honored to have this recognition for me and my family."

The decision was prompted by Letterman's significant contributions to Ball State. Since 1985, Letterman has funded three annual scholarships for telecommunications students, the type of student he once was. He continually gives assistance to the student-run campus radio station, which he helped to establish in the 1980s.

The 75,000-square-foot facility will support the communication studies, journalism, and telecommunications departments as well as the Center for Information and Communication Sciences and the Center for Media Design. It will contain classroom, studio, and faculty office space and will offer students technology resources, such as a $1 million post-production studio, a surround sound recording and editing suite, and a high-definition and surround sound playback studio. Students will work in a post-production studio similar to ones at Sony Pictures or ESPN, says Roger Lavery, dean of the College of Communication, Information, and Media.

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Throughout his career, Letterman has brought exposure to Ball State in jokes and skits. When the football team was on a losing streak in 2000, Letterman had NBA great Earvin "Magic" Johnson give them a nationally televised pep talk. When the team won its next three games, he naturally took credit for the comeback.