The Thomas Bruder Life Center is about to get an upgrade. Work is set to begin on a 10,000 square foot addition to the building in late July. The project will take 10 months, with completion scheduled for May 2016.

A single story structure will be added to the Life Center, stretching from the McNichol Room toward Morgan Circle and wrapping around the building, extending across the space behind the Meagher Theatre. The new structure will be devoted primarily to Neumann Media and a large multi-purpose room.

For Neumann Media, an essential component of the new Communication and Digital Media major, there will be a radio studio, television studio, editing and control rooms, a communications lab, meeting and storage rooms, and a green room. The addition will be the command center for all elements of Neumann Media, from Neumann Sports Network and WNUW to NeuTube and The Joust.

The multi-purpose room will be a flexible space, designed to accommodate approximately 140 people. Plans include ceiling-mounted speakers, projectors and screens, track lighting, microphones and other equipment. Early plans call for the room to be used primarily for student activities with occasional use as a lecture hall for the few large classes that Neumann offers.

This $4.99-million expansion project is funded, in part, by a $1.5 million Redevelopment Assistance Capital Program (RACP) grant from the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, awarded through the Delaware County Redevelopment Authority.