Simmons College Names New School in Honor of Late Alumna Gwen Ifill

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Link to the original article on Walker’s Legacy

November 14, 2017

On the first anniversary of her passing, Simmons College in Boston, Massachusetts announced that it will name its new school of Media, Arts, and Humanities after the Peabody award-winning journalist, according to a report from the Boston Globe.

“For over 100 years, our mission at Simmons has been to prepare our students to lead meaningful lives and build successful careers. Gwen’s example stands tall in that mission,” said Helen Drinan, President of Simmons College.

Ifill, who graduated with her B.A. in Communications from Simmons in 1977, was a trailblazer in the journalism field. She was the first Black woman to host a nationally-broadcast public affairs television program, the “Washington Week in Review,” and the first Black woman to moderate a U.S. vice presidential debate.

The Gwen Ifill School of Media, Arts and Humanities is set to officially launch in fall of 2018 with 800 students expected to enroll.

Take a look at the full press release from Simmons College here.