McIntyre Classroom dedicated at Department Celebration

On Dec. 13, the Communication Department celebrated the dedication of the McIntyre Classroom (LNCO 2850), a new technology-enhanced classroom in the department. The McIntyre Classroom was established thanks to the generosity of Jerilyn S. McIntyre and her husband, W. David Smith, in honor of her late parents, Maxine and Frank McIntyre. Jerilyn McIntyre is a Professor Emeritus of Communication at the University of Utah, serving from 1977-2000. During those 23 years, she also served as the U's Vice President for Academic Affairs from 1990-1998 and as Interim President for two months in 1991 and again for all of 1997. She is president emerita of Central Washington University, and was the first woman to serve in either of those positions at the U and at Central Washington. Professor McIntyre received her bachelor's degree in history and a master's degree in journalism from Stanford University and her Ph.D. in communication and history from the University of Washington.

Faculty, staff, emeritus professors and friends of the department celebrated the dedication of the state-of-the-art McIntyre Classroom. Instructors and students love the classroom for its ability to facilitate group work, distance learning, interactive media, and visual communication. It is a tremendous gift to have the McIntyre Classroom in our department, not only for its technological capabilities, but also for the legacy of its namesake. We are proud to display the University of Utah's official portrait of Jerilyn McIntyre alongside our new plaque to highlight the legacy of our beloved emeritus professor and generous donor so all students, instructors and guests in this space can learn of her. We are proud to call Jeri our own, preserve her name in our hallways, and also honor her parents, Maxine and Frank, through the official room title of "McIntyre Classroom."