On Mar. 27, the Biola community gathered at the construction site for the new CMA building. Many donors and faculty were present, including Tom Halleen, founding dean of the Snyder School of Cinema and Media Arts and President Barry Corey.

The ceremony began with David Vazquez, vice president of university advancement, welcoming the crowd, providing an update on fundraising and thanking donors.

After, Brian Philips, associate vice president of facility and auxiliary operations, acknowledged special guests such as the construction workers, ironworkers and architects for the building. He also talked about the tradition of topping-out ceremonies and gave a construction update.

“I’m pleased to report that we reached this milestone on schedule and more importantly, without injury,” Philips said.

He was followed by Halleen, who spoke about how he came to Biola and shared his and Corey’s vision for the CMA school and its students.

“We emphasize excellence in craft and excellence in character – qualities not only the media industry is looking for, but also qualities that are central to our Christian faith,” said Halleen.

Finally, Corey reminded the audience that the construction of the building was only possible because of God and that the completed facility would be dedicated to Him.

The ceremony concluded with student-led worship and the signed steel beam was lifted from the ground and placed to complete the steel frame for the new CMA building.