The University’s College of Media will receive $2.5 million from donors Leslie and Richard Frank. The funds will be used to modernize Gregory Hall’s basement classrooms and construct a new multipurpose media room, making the couple’s total donations sum to a total of $10.5 million.
“Because we believe in the fundamental impact that media has on our society, we want to continue to invest in our future media leaders at the University of Illinois,” Richard Frank said in a news release. “We’re excited to establish a new state-of-the-art space that will support the excellence of the College of Media, and we hope to inspire other donors to make gifts that leave a lasting impact on the college.”
The Franks have worked in multiple areas of the media industry, including entertainment and television reporting. Richard Frank, a marketing graduate from the University, spent almost a decade as the president of Disney Studios. Leslie Frank covered many major stories as a journalist with over 25 years of experience, including the 9/11 attacks and the Michael Jackson courtroom trial.
“I’m glad that the College of Media is getting some more recognition,” said Louie Santos, sophomore in Media. “I was a beginner in some of the equipment that Gregory had to offer, and I ran into some minor hiccups with it … An assortment of media options for equipment would be nice.”
They were also previously responsible for the largest endowment gifted to the college in 2020. The $7.5 million gift spawned the state-of-the-art newsroom at Richmond Studio, which now hosts the student-led show UI7 and several journalism classes.
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Gregory Hall hasn’t received major renovations since the 1990s. The lower floors are slated to be redesigned with digital signage and new walls and flooring. The new multimedia room will function as a press conference room, a cinema production studio and a hybrid teaching classroom, handling the necessities of all three majors within the college.
Dalila Divanovic, senior in Media, said that the renovations will be a great opportunity for future students in the college.
“In the last three years, I’ve spent so much time in the basement of Greg — my friends and I call it the dungeon,” Divanovic said. “It would be awesome to see it modernized, and I think it would make spending so much time there a more enjoyable experience.”
Renovations are expected to begin in the summer of 2025.
CORRECTION Sept. 23, 10:37 p.m.: An earlier version of this story was incorrect in saying that $10 million was pledged toward the renovations of Gregory Hall beginning in the summer of 2025. In actuality, the College of Media has received $2.5 million from the Franks, making the total of their contributions $10 million. The headline, “Donors pledge $10 million toward Gregory Hall renovations,” was also updated to reflect the aforementioned accurate information.
