From left, Judith Sabatini, Nella Dinolfo and Frank Sabatini.

 4/25/08

KU celebrates opening of new multicultural center

LAWRENCE — A new landmark has opened its doors on Jayhawk Boulevard at the University of Kansas, the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center, whose mission is to recognize and celebrate diversity at KU.

An event-packed week to celebrate the opening of the new center culminated with a dedication (See photos) on Friday, April 25. The building was funded by a $1 million gift from the Sabatini Family Foundation and student fees approved by the Student Senate.

The new 7,000-square-foot center is on the north side of the Kansas Union, with a separate front entrance on Jayhawk Boulevard. The center features updated technology, more programming space for student organizations and more academic resources for students to use.

The center’s beginnings date back to 1995, when KU created the Multicultural Resource Center with a mandate to recognize the diverse composition of the KU community. The center was housed in a renovated military annex near Summerfield Hall.

In spring 2001, a plan for a new Multicultural Resource Center was presented to the university administration; in the spring of 2003, through the work of students and key administrators, the university agreed to move forward with plans for a new center. The Student Senate passed a resolution stating that it would supplement private donations from the Sabatini family with student fees for the construction of an updated center. Santos Núñez is the program's director.

The Sabatini family includes Frank C. Sabatini, who earned a business degree in 1955 and a law degree in 1957, both from KU. A former state representative and member of the Kansas Board of Regents, he is chairman emeritus of Capital City Bank in Topeka, where he lives with his wife, Judith Sabatini. The four sons in the Sabatini family are Marc, Matt;, Michael, who earned an architecture degree from KU in 1982; and Dan, who earned an architecture degree from KU in 1986. Frank Sabatini's sister, Nella Dinolfo, of Dimondale, Mich., was among family members attending the dedication.

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit foundation serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

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