The Hillsdale media team will use the new visual media center to produce online courses, K-12 outreach, and commercials.
Courtesy | Elizabeth Gray

Construction on the Pat Sajak Visual Media Center is complete, according to Chief Administrative Officer Rich Péwé. 

The building at the intersection of Fayette and Union streets, next to the Stanton Center for American Classical Education, will serve Hillsdale’s visual media team in the production of online courses, K-12 outreach, and commercials. With the new space, the team can create a variety of simulated settings and block outside noise, according to Director of Visual Media and Marketing Mark Waters. 

“With the opening of the new Sajak Media Center, the college has the space, the equipment, and the team in place to expand its teaching outreach to millions even more effectively,” said Bill Gray, vice president of institutional advancement.

Construction of the visual media center began last summer. The second building phase, the construction of surrounding office spaces does not yet have a start date, according to Péwé.

The visual media team previously used a small studio in the basement of the Knorr Student Center that lacked soundproofing and accommodated only one set at a time, according to Executive Director of Online Learning Jeremiah Regan. 

“The center will also allow online learning and the visual arts team to have several sets available simultaneously, which means we can develop a more aggressive film schedule and produce more high-quality courses,” Regan said. 

Waters said Hillsdale’s visual media team will begin producing projects in the visual media center in mid-March, once it acquires and installs necessary materials.

“There is still work to be done before we begin producing content,” Waters said. “We are now in the process of purchasing additional production equipment, constructing storage shelves, installing a lighting grid, and moving into the space.” 

Waters said the visual media team is currently developing new ways of producing educational content in the visual media center to reach a greater audience.

Sajak, longtime “Wheel of Fortune” game show host and current chairman of the Hillsdale College Board of Trustees, is the namesake of the new media center. He will also be the class of 2024 commencement speaker. 

“We’re so grateful to Mr. Sajak and all of the other donors who helped make this new studio a reality, and I look forward to seeing what sort of online courses, K-12 model lessons, and other creative, educational content the marketing, external affairs, and K-12 teams create in the years to come,” Gray said.