Revised Story

Herman Meier

Murrow College To Honor Alumnae

Alumni gather to share insight with students and remember a legend

The Edward R. Murrow College of Communication will honor an award-winning alumna on Saturday with the dedication of Goertzen Communication Addition.

The dedication of GCAD is scheduled to begin at 11:30 a.m. on Saturday, and is part of a series of weekend events. Members of Kathi Goertzen’s family, friends, faculty and students will be attending the dedication ceremony on the front steps of the building formerly known as Communication Addition. All of the events surrounding the dedication are free and open to the public.

The dedication comes more than a year after Goertzen died from a brain tumor. Goertzen was a 1980 graduate of the Murrow College and longtime news anchor at KOMO-TV News. Goertzen earned five daytime Emmy Awards and one Edward R. Murrow award during her time with KOMO.

Senior communication major Justine T. Dacanay said she 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.”

Richard F. Taflinger, a WSU associate clinical assistant professor since 1996 said he likes the CADD name change and thinks it is an important direction for the university to take.

“A lot of people were pushing for it,” Taflinger said. “Virtually every building on campus is named after a man, how about naming one after a woman for a change?”

Additional events associated with the dedication include resume critiques from professionals and a panel discussion about women in broadcasting.

Resume critiques and mentoring sessions will be held from 9-11 a.m. on Friday in GCAD. The panel discussion focusing on the changing roles of women in the broadcast industry will take place later at 3:30 p.m., with a reception to follow.

“I think they[professionals] 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[students] enter the real world,” Dacanay said.

Former ESPN anchor Cindy Brunson will be one of the professionals honoring Kathi Goertzen. She will be participating 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, including three other broadcasting experts.

Taflinger hopes students take advantage of the professionals coming to WSU 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.  

The dedication Saturday is the result of a committee appointed by President Elson Floyd earlier this spring determined the best way to honor Goertzen’s memory by renaming the newest Murrow College building.

The Murrow College is planning to renovate Studio 1 in GCAD to include a new multi-media complex complete with a digital lab and television studio.

The dedication on Saturday will be streamed live at http://experience.wsu.edu.