New mass media center at Southeast Missouri State receives new name

Southeast Missouri State University’s new media center has a new name and a bustle of activity. The Rust Center for Media was officially named Friday in a closed executive session of the Southeast Board of Regents.

The center, at 325 Broadway, is named in honor of Gary W. Rust, an entrepreneur who built a small weekly newspaper into a network of media — newspapers, digital sources and radio stations — throughout nine states. This network includes the Southeast Missourian.

A seven-figure gift to the university from Gary and Wendy Rust’s sons Rex, Jon and Gary Jr. and their respective spouses Sherry, Victoria and Suzuyo, enabled the naming. The Rust family has a history of contributions, the university said in a news release, and an appreciation for the institution’s role in the community.

“We have tremendous respect and admiration for our father, and this is a way to honor him with something that he believes passionately about, and that’s journalism and media education,” Jon K. Rust, publisher of the Southeast Missourian and co-president of Rust Communications, said in an email.

“We are not only excited to support the high-impact program the university has developed for its students, we are blessed with this opportunity to honor the generous example and lasting imprint our Dad has had on our community and his family,” Rex Rust, co-president of Rust Communications, said in an email. “We love him.”

Southeast Arrow sports editor Riley Hayes speaks during a staff meeting at the Rust Center for Media on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.Laura Simon (Southeast Missourian)

Though the Rust Center for Media only recently received its name, the 13,000 square-foot space already has seen considerable activity since the fall semester began.

On the first floor, a 6,300 square-foot flexible learning space already has provided a place for classes to meet, specifically the course MC429 Media Management. The space, called “the gallery,” soon will be home to a number of video production studios as well.

On the bottom floor, the university’s student newspaper, The Southeast Arrow; the student advertising firm, SECreative; and the university’s student public relations firm, Riverfront PR, carry out its operations in the content creation lab.

“The center is without physical or mental walls, because we have as much open space as possible while remaining productive,” Karie Hollerbach, chairwoman of the department of mass media, said.

The open floor plan, she said, allows collaboration between the different organizations.

Members of the Southeast Arrow staff discuss story ideas during a meeting at the Rust Center for Media on Friday, Sept. 9, 2016.Laura Simon (Southeast Missourian)

Since moving to the Broadway offices, “we’ve really been able to have more cohesion and better communication,” said Matt Mormann, news editor for The Southeast Arrow. “We always know what the other side is doing.”

“We didn’t want to come down here and divide it up. Everyone could have a bigger, brighter space if we pooled our resources,” Hollerbach said.

The lower floor of the Rust Center for Media also features conference rooms, a photo studio and several audio recording and production rooms.

The only students not yet equipped to use much of the space, Hollerbach said, are the TV and film students. The television production studios are expected to be fully operational by August 2017. The university’s television and video production program is housed in Rose Theatre on the main campus.

“We appreciate the opportunity to recognize the Rusts’ constancy and dedication with the naming of the Rust Center for Media,” university president Carlos Vargas-Aburto said in a news release. “We are so pleased that with the financial gifts of their children, we have been able to create this media innovation laboratory for the advancement of our mass media program.”

bbrown@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3630

Pertinent address:

325 Broadway, Cape Girardeau, Mo.