The Moody College of Communication unveiled renovations to the Walter Cronkite Plaza and updates to the plaza’s digital art installation Oct. 14.

The plaza connects the William Randolph Hearst building with the Jesse H. Jones buildings and now features a grass turf area with a retractable pergola, according to a recent press release.

“A few years ago, we started coming up with a plan to make the plaza more usable and helpful for students,” Moody dean Jay Bernhardt said. “(We took) this plaza that has been very underutilized for almost 50 years and now (turned) it into a space where people want to come together.”

Bernhardt said Moody gained the resources necessary for the renovation through a gift from Moody College alumnus Richard Davis and his wife, Leah. The college named the space Aaron Lincoln Davis Square, in memory of Davis’ son. 

“The Moody College communication complex holds a special place in my heart from my time at UT,” Davis said in the press release. “My wife and I wanted to give back by helping to create an inviting space for students.”

The plaza, named after UT alumnus and broadcast journalist Walter Cronkite, used to be uncovered and made of concrete.

Another update to the plaza enhanced the art exhibit projected on the CMA’s walls — Ben Rubin’s digital art installation, “And That’s The Way It Is.” Named after Cronkite’s daily sign off on CBS Evening News, the installation features a large-scale video projection of scrolling texts on the CMA every evening, consisting of Rubin’s poetry, Cronkite’s archived broadcast transcripts and transcriptions from daily news. 

The Moody College commissioned an update to the art installation programming to draw from a wider selection of Cronkite transcripts. Now, the projection will reflect Cronkite’s broadcast news from the exact day in past years. 

“It’s really exciting that every time you look at (the projection), it’s going to be a little different,” Bernhardt said. “It fulfills the original vision of the artist and makes it an even more vibrant piece of art.”

Following the introduction of the lounge space in the square, Zoe Owens, a radio-television-film senior, said going to an area like the Walter Cronkite Plaza where many students study motivates her to be productive with her own work. 

“I feel like (the Davis Square) is a very nice and inviting place to sit in. It makes it more pleasant to be on campus,” corporate communication junior Lili Xu said. “The students do make use of the outdoor spaces a lot, and it creates a sense of community.”

The college used focus groups and surveys to determine what changes would most benefit students. Renovations to public universities require several steps, which is why the changes to the plaza came years after the initial plans, Bernhardt said.  “Places where people can gather or even just bump into each other are so important,” Bernhardt said. “Those are some of the experiences that make being a student, professor or staff member special.”