Alumni gather to share
insight with students and remember a legend
The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication is preparing
to honor one of its most distinguished alumnae on Saturday with the dedication
of Goertzen Communication Addition as a part of a series of weekend events.
The dedication of GCAD is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m.
on Saturday, as members of Kathi Goertzen’s family, friends, faculty and
students will be attending the ceremony on the front steps of the building
formerly known as Communication Addition.
The dedication comes just over a year after Goertzen, a 1980
graduate from the Murrow College and longtime news anchor at KOMO-TV News,
passed away after a long battle with a brain tumor. During her time with KOMO,
Goertzen earned five daytime Emmy Awards and one Edward R. Murrow award.
Richard F. Taflinger, an associate clinical assistant
professor at WSU since 1996, likes the name change and thinks it is an
important direction for the university to take.
“A lot of people were pushing for it,
virtually every building on campus is named after a man, how about naming one
after a woman for a change?” Taflinger said.
Senior communication major Justine T. Dacanay, 21, also
appreciates the Murrow College naming the building after a leading woman.
“Kathi Goertzen really made strides as far as being a woman
in the broadcasting industry, she broke through a lot of barriers,” Dacanay
said. “I think it’s great that we’re honoring her legacy at the Murrow
College.”
Additional events include resume critiques from
professionals and a panel discussion about women in broadcasting. These other
events fill the void made by the Murrow College not having a symposium like it
traditionally does.
Resume critiques and mentoring sessions are being held in
GCAD from 9-11 a.m. on Friday, Sep. 13 with the panel discussion focusing on
the changing roles of women in the broadcast industry later at 3:30 p.m. with a
reception to follow.
“I think they are very knowledgeable about the industry and
they are just great people to network with, learn and get advice from and just
make those connections for when you enter the real world,” Dacanay said.
Former ESPN anchor Cindy Brunson will be one of the professionals
on hand to honor Kathi Goertzen and will also participate in the panel
discussion and mentoring sessions.
Other notable professionals participating in the discussion
include CBS executive Kay Wight and Portland KGW anchor Tracy Berry as well as
3 other field experts.
Taflinger hopes students take advantage
of the professionals coming here to visit.
“Listen to what they have to say, what
they did while they were here that prepared them for where they are now, what
classes to take and what clubs to belong to,” Taflinger said.
Saturday’s dedication is the result of a committee appointed
by President Elson Floyd earlier this spring to determine the best way to honor
Goertzen’s memory.
The committee, headed by WSU alumnae and former coworker of
Goertzen, Margo Myers, came to the conclusion that renaming the newest Murrow
College building would be a fitting tribute.
GCAD is currently in the early stages of gaining a new
multi-media complex complete with a digital lab and television studio, these
plans are still in development.
All of the events surrounding the dedication are free and
open to the public. The dedication on Saturday will be streamed live at http://experience.wsu.edu.
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Sources:
Richard F. Taflinger
Justine T. Dacanay
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