UC Santa Barbara has been awarded a $1 million grant by the Annenberg Foundation to support the Center for Film, Television and New Media. The Annenberg grant brings to $6.75 million the total raised toward a goal of $10 million for the privately funded center.

The center will house a public theater, a state-of-the-art production suite, instructional and research laboratories, and film and television archival space.

Wallis Annenberg, vice president of the Annenberg Foundation, and an honorary member of the center’s advisory board, said she hoped this commitment would inspire others to support UCSB’s distinctive approach to film and media education.

"This center is visionary and unique," said Chancellor Henry T. Yang. "It will transform the teaching and research of the interdisciplinary field of film, television, and new media. We are extremely grateful to the Annenberg Foundation and Wallis Annenberg for their leadership support. I congratulate co-directors Constance Penley and Ron Rice, our advisory board members, and all of our colleagues and friends."

The center will be moving into a new academic building complex that is scheduled to break ground next year. UCSB will name a conference room in the facility for Wallis Annenberg.

Aaron Ettenberg, acting provost of the College of Letters and Science, said, "The association of the Annenberg Foundation with some of the best programs in the humanities and social sciences will underline the significance of this innovative center. We are thrilled to prominently honor Wallis Annenberg in our new 200,000-square-foot facility."