BEST OF BALL STATE: Letterman wins best Ball State alumnus

HEAD: Letterman namesake building brings more cohesiveness to CCIM

Sarah Boswell

Nominated for nearly 100 Emmy Awards, and known for his satirical and comedic skits on The Late Show, David Letterman's fame hasn't kept him from giving back to Ball State University for 30 consecutive years.
Contributions include scholarships given in his name and the establishment of the Distinguished Speaker Series.

Lori Byers, associate dean for the College of Communication, Information and Media, said the David Letterman Building has brought cohesiveness to the CCIM department, and she's proud the college can be associated with such an accomplished person.

"What stands out to me is how proud he clearly seems to be as an alum and how connected he is to CCIM in his contributions to student media and events," she said.

Through the David Letterman Distinguished Speaker Series, students are exposed to people who inspire them, Byers said.

For his contributions and his fame, Letterman was chosen as Best of Ball State's favorite alumni.

Before the David Letterman Media and Communication Building, there was green space and no hallways connecting the four buildings in the College of Communication, Information and Media.

Senior telecommunication major Ryan Hensler, like many other students, said he can't remember the space before construction began.

Hensler said having Letterman as an alumnus brings more credibility to the program, and he believes it will make his degree worth more in the long run.

"[The equipment] is state of the art, and I know that the experience I'm getting here is going to directly relate to my career," he said.

The Letterman Building was dedicated Sept. 7, 2007 in front of a crowd of about 5,000 people.

"If this facility had been here when I was an undergrad, I'd still be here. If you had an opportunity to work at this place, why would you go anywhere else?" Letterman said.

On the day of the ribbon cutting, Letterman was interviewed on WCRD Radio. During the session, he called himself "a dope" for not visiting campus sooner. His last formal appearance before 2007 was in 1979 when he spoke at Homecoming.

"I'm not quite prepared for this experience," he said. "It's overwhelming."


More from The Daily






Loading Recent Classifieds...