Annual Report 2007-08
One place for all
The Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center could hardly be more conspicuous, given its location at the northeast entrance to the campus, next to the Kansas Union. Those who work there like it that way.
“This building says a lot about the university’s commitment to multicultural programs and students,” says Santos Núñez Galicia, center director. “The commitment has been there, but this building makes it much more visible.”
The center, a program of the Office of Multicultural Affairs, originally opened in 1995 in a renovated annex near Summerfield Hall. Neither the location nor the building’s appearance was ideal; staff members think some students didn’t even realize the building was occupied. Size also became a problem as the program grew from 400 visits in 2000 to more than 6,000 visits by 2006.
All that has changed. The new building practically shouts “Welcome!” Windows all around allow an open view in and out; interior color schemes are based on the variety of human skin tones; even the roof, which sweeps up toward the north and east, seems to express the attitude behind the center’s academic support programs: Soar!
The new center’s meeting and study areas are open to all, and student groups with no particular connection to multicultural issues have been using them. Núñez Galicia likes that too.
“We have all kinds of student groups using our space, and it’s wonderful,”
she says. “It’s one way of getting students involved in multicultural activities.”
For facilities
KU Endowment support for university facilities rose in FY08 to $40.9 million, 36 percent more than last year. These expenses are driven by the university’s building needs. Endowment support for construction, furnishings, equipment and supplies over the past five years totaled $145 million. Private giving through KU Endowment has provided about two-thirds of campus buildings and 85 percent of the land for campus expansion.
