UK gets $2.5M donation for renovation of College of Communication and Information building
A $2.5 million donation from Misdee Wrigley Miller, an equestrian and award-winning journalist, will help renovate the future home of the University of Kentucky College of Communication and Information.
The college plans to move into Pence Hall following a $32 million renovation of the building. In honor of Wrigley Miller’s donation, announced Tuesday at UK board of trustees meetings, the building’s first-floor administrative level and the auditorium will be named after her.
Construction on the building is underway and expected to be finished in time for the fall 2025 semester.
“I think there’s more connectivity than ever in the world, and the ability to communicate well in so many different ways on different platforms is becoming more important than ever,” Wrigley Miller told the Herald-Leader. “Our students are going to be the communicators of the future, and they will be shaping the narrative of our society in the future.”
Wrigley Miller is the owner and CEO of Kentucky-based Wrigley Media Group and LEX Studios, and was part of the United States’ first gold-winning team in an international driving competition at the 2018 World Equestrian Games. She and her husband, Lexington businessman and polo player James Miller, operate Hillcroft Farm in Paris, Kentucky, where they host equine competitions and clinics.
In addition to the donation, Wrigley Miller said she hopes to also offer internships and mentoring to CCI students. UK students have worked on previous productions at LEX Studios, where Wrigley Miller said students having hands-on experience is important for developing their skills and learning how to make decisions in a real-life setting.
“I believe it’s so important for them to have the kind of education that will be provided here,” Wrigley Miller said.
Jennifer Greer, dean of the College of Communication and Information, said the Pence Hall renovation will be “transformative in providing collaborative learning spaces and giving our students, staff and faculty a central hub.”
”We are so grateful for this gift from Misdee Wrigley Miller in helping us bring to completion a project years in the making,” Greer said.
Plans for Pence Hall renovations
The renovations are part of UK’s asset preservation efforts to utilize and update existing buildings on campus. Pence Hall previously housed the architecture program, which moved into the newly renovated Gray Design Building earlier this year.
In addition to the College of Communication and Information, Pence Hall will also house the Office for Student Success, student media including the Kentucky Kernel newspaper and KRNL magazine, and technology services, according to UK.
“These innovative spaces will provide students the opportunity to not only learn, but gain real-world experience, strengthening our state’s workforce and potentially boosting the economy of our community,” said UK President Eli Capilouto.
When completed, the building will have five classrooms, an auditorium, two computer labs, a whitebox studio for photography and video and a podcast studio.
The goal is to form a “CI neighborhood,” with multiple buildings close together hosting services for the college — Pence Hall, McVey Hall and the Lucille Caudill Little Library, plus the broadcast and production studio in Central Bank Center.
This story was originally published December 3, 2024 at 3:17 PM.