“Good Morning America” co-anchor Robin Roberts received a homecoming fit for a broadcast legend.
The award-winning journalist returned to Southeastern Louisiana University, her alma mater, on Oct. 17 to officially open the new Robin Roberts Broadcast Media Center.
For Roberts, a proud 1983 Southeastern graduate, the homecoming was filled with emotion.
The veteran broadcaster has returned to campus over the years, from inspiring students during her cancer battle to lending a hand after Hurricane Ida devastated Hammond and surrounding communities in 2021.
Now, her name adorns the university’s largest student building, a tribute to her trailblazing career and enduring connection to Southeastern.
“The Robin Roberts broadcast media center represents not only transformation, but the future of our university, leading and building competitive edge for our graduates,” Southeastern Louisiana University President William Wainwright said at the unveiling.
While touring the facility, one student told Roberts, "This is an up-and-coming multimedia masters dream building. We want to thank you."
“This is an up-and-coming multimedia masters' dream building,” she added. “We want to thank you.”
The new broadcast center features three production studios, including a multipurpose set, a soundstage and a dedicated news studio, as well as a modern control room that Roberts called “the brains of the operation.”“This new space is for all of our students on campus,” said Jeffrey Wright, Dean College of Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences.
A highlight of the new center is the Legacy Wall, a visual timeline of Roberts’ life and career, from her childhood in Mississippi to her groundbreaking success on national television.
Robin Roberts gives inspiring Sager Strong Award acceptance speech at 2019 NBA Awards“We quickly kind of realized that this should be a message for students,” said Wendy Lauderdale, the vice president of the university. “I think that's so important for our young people today, to understand that everybody you meet is important, and everybody plays a role in your future.”
Roberts' sister Sally-Ann Roberts reflected at the ceremony on the family’s faith-filled upbringing.
“Robin is the child of Lawrence and Lucimarian Roberts,” she said. “We all had a firm foundation of faith and courage and love for one another. From a very young age, she cared about everyone -- that’s remarkable and she also had ambition.”
Standing before the wall surrounded by loved ones, Roberts became emotional as she reflected on the building’s true purpose.
“What's most important is not the name on the side of the building,” she said. “It's what's inside this building, and it's hope, it's dreams. It's making those dreams come true.”
