SIUE Opens Multicultural Center

Associate Chancellor in the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion Venessa Brown and Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe dedicate SIUE’s new Multicultural Center in the Morris University Center.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville Chancellor Julie Furst-Bowe and Associate Chancellor Venessa Brown dedicated the new Multicultural Center in the Morris University Center with a ribbon cutting Thursday, Nov. 20. Watch the video 

“Today, we celebrate a key component of our University Diversity Plan and the opening of a Center that speaks to our values of citizenship and inclusion,” Furst-Bowe said. “Diversity is an integral component of our commitment toward achieving domestic and international piece, social justice, and the development of full human potential.”

“The Center will be available to students, faculty and staff to increase cultural awareness and provide resources for increasing inclusion and collaboration between the many cultures that make up the SIUE
community,” said Brown, who represented Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion.

Lakesha Butler, associate professor in SIUE School of Pharmacy, spoke for the University Diversity Council and quoted Mahatma Gandhi, “Be the change in the world that you want to see.”

SIUE Student Government President Nasir Almasri also spoke and thanked everyone connected to bringing the Multicultural Center concept to fruition.

The Multicultural Center will also provide a home for a variety of cultural organizations such as Safe Zone, Black Girls Rock, and the Hispanic Student Association, among others.

Projected hours of operation will be 9 a.m.-6 p.m., Monday through Friday, with after-hours scheduled for group meetings by appointment. The Multicultural Center is located in room 2060 in the MUC.

Southern Illinois University Edwardsville provides students with a high quality, affordable education that prepares them for successful careers and lives of purpose. Built on the foundation of a broad-based liberal education, and enhanced by hands-on research and real-world experiences, the academic preparation SIUE students receive equips them to thrive in the global marketplace and make our communities better places to live. Situated on 2,660 acres of beautiful woodland atop the bluffs overlooking the natural beauty of the Mississippi River’s rich bottomland and only a short drive from downtown St. Louis, the SIUE campus is home to a diverse student body of nearly 14,000.

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