SYRACUSE -- When Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications finishes its $18 million overhaul of its "Newhouse 2" building, the studios within will be named after Dick Clark. The widow of the legendary broadcaster announced the honor during Newhouse's annual Mirror Awards on Wednesday.
According to a press release, Kari Clark said "Syracuse was always important to Dick and very close to his heart throughout his life." Dick Clark graduated from SU in 1951, and worked at Syracuse and Utica stations including WOLF, WRUN and WKTV during the early years of his career. It was from WKTV that Clark made the move to Philadelphia and first hosted American Bandstand, the show that would eventually "go network" on ABC. The network invited Clark to stay on as host, and as they say, the rest is history.
Kari Clark said, "It will mean so much to see his name attached to a school and a studio facility that will literally launch a thousand careers in this business. This is just a continuation of what he did with ‘Bandstand’—gave youth a stage, then got out of the way."
Although an amount was not specifically mentioned in the SU press release, a report on syracuse.com says the Kari and Dick Clark Foundation donated $5 million toward the renovations of Newhouse 2. Syracuse University says the money will help modernize academic studio facilities, "bringing them fully into the digital age and providing students with cutting-edge equipment and work spaces that more accurately reflect professional settings in broadcast, television and film production." Newhouse 2 opened in 1974.
Dick Clark died on April 18, 2012, at the age of 82.
Completion of the renovations -- including the opening of the Dick Clark Studios -- is scheduled for Fall 2014.