Michigan State University (MSU) is set to have a new multicultural center that will foster cultural and intellectual curiosity and understanding in a supportive, welcoming environment. University leadership broke ground on the first-of-its-kind 34,000-square-foot facility on Friday, April 21, northeast of the intersection of North Shaw and Farm lanes. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by students, faculty, staff, and other community stakeholders.
MSU Interim President Teresa K. Woodruff, Ph.D., said, “This building, once complete, will represent the diverse, woven fabric that makes up our great institution — harnessing shared cultural experiences through storytelling, discovery and exploration for generations of Spartans to come.” The building’s design and layout processes were facilitated by SmithGroup, one of the nation’s leading design firms, embracing inclusivity with input and feedback from numerous student and community stakeholders through a series of community engagement sessions.
The building will include an outdoor amphitheater, collaboration spaces, office space for student organizations, prayer rooms, an art gallery wall, and a resource center to help students with academic, mental health, and other needs. Construction of the new multicultural center will cost approximately $38 million, funded through public bonds.
Advocacy efforts for a free-standing multicultural center on campus date back several decades. The university’s first multicultural center opened in 1999 in the basement of the MSU Union and moved to the second floor in 2013. Since then, student leaders have continued to advocate for a standalone building on campus.
“This day wouldn’t be possible without the generations of student leaders who came before us and tirelessly advocated for change,” said Miracle Chatman, MSU alum and former co-chair of Students for a Multicultural Building.
The new center is expected to be completed by the fall semester of 2024, serving as a catalyst for embracing change, promoting acceptance, and encouraging growth among one another.
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