In the middle of former MSU President John Hannah's 28-year reign, the College of Communication Arts and Sciences was just one more addition to his list of firsts.
A desire for education from soldiers returning home after serving in World War II and a rapidly changing society led to the need for the college - which became the first communication school in the nation when it opened in 1955.
"The change was an industry-led and community-led initiative," said Kirsten Khire, the college's communication manager. "The new ways of communication were forcing changes. It was a new era that needed to have education to keep in pace with societal changes."
Today marks celebrations for the college's 50th anniversary - an event that includes tours of communication throughout history, the dedication of a newly renovated south lobby and an appearance by famous alumni.
"We were the first college of communication in the United States," Dean Charles Salmon said. "It meant something for the field of communication itself. We have become a very active and vibrant source of teaching."
In 1955, the university had departments of journalism and speech, which lacked a unifying location. That is where the need for the college developed, Khire said.
Before he worked on popular reality shows such as "The Crocodile Hunter," Clark Bunting walked the halls of the Communication Arts and Sciences Building, dreaming of what he could do with his life.
"It had a really good grounding in theory and practice," Bunting said about the college. "It had a great mix of professors who were practitioners and those doing communication arts research."
Today, he will come back to those same halls to celebrate and remind students of the possibilities ahead of them. Bunting and television production colleague Craig Piligian will talk with students and faculty about "The Reality of TV."
"It's fun," said Bunting, an MSU alumnus and president of Discovery U.S. Network Productions. "It's really invigorating to spend time with young people, faculty and staff, and share new ideas."
The fact that a graduate of the school is now working in the television industry could be an inspiration to other students considering that career path, Salmon said.
"It isn't every day that a student at MSU gets to talk to a real pioneer in cable casting and cable network," he said. "It is an opportunity to sit in an auditorium with him, ask questions, get insight on the way the world is going."
Throughout the day, an open house in the building will show students the history of communication in the United States, including memorabilia such as original 1950s television sets.
"We have some funding from some more (MSU) alumni in Hollywood to really enhance the creative experience at MSU," Salmon said. "We want to make it an environment very much unlike anything else."
Bunting said he appreciated the solid education he received at MSU, and the base it has given him professionally.
"(My education) did a really good job at preparing me for working in the real world - the rough-and-tumble world that is TV," Bunting said.
