Dr. Portia Shields, TSU President (R) cuts the ribbon officially opening the Multicultural Center on campus today. Joining the president are (L-R) Mark Gunter, Director of International Student Services; Dr. Jewell Winn, Chief Diversity Officer; and Mark Brinkley, Director of International Education. The Center is located in Goodwill Manor. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)
NASHVILLE (TSU News Service) – Calling it a welcoming place for students from all over the world, TSU President Portia Holmes Shields today dedicated a multicultural center on the main campus of the University.
The 4,738-square-foot facility, located in Goodwill Manor, originally the residence of the first President of TSU, was planned and designed by the University’s Facilities Management Department. It took about three months from design to completion, at a cost of approximately $58,000 provided by Title III.
Artifacts, reading materials and items representing different cultures and traditions of the world were donated by the President, staff and students of the University, according to Dr. Jewell Winn, TSU’s Chief Diversity Officer.
The Center, which occupies the two main floors of the building, also includes reading, training and display areas, as well as offices.
Upon entering the Center visitors are immediately welcomed to a display of flags representing nations of the world, and clocks showing the various times of the day in other parts of the world.
“This Center provides an opportunity for students from different parts of the world and cultures to engage each other as a way of sharing ideas and learning about their different practices and traditions,” Dr. Shields said, as she cut the ribbon to the University’s first facility solely dedicated to TSU’s cultural diversity.
The dedication included cultural performances and dances, with special appearance by the visiting high-energy group Explosión Negra, with their Afro-Colombian music blended with hip-hop and dancehall.
Explosión Negra, a musical group from Medellin, Columbia, perform for the crowd during the grand opening ceremony of the Multicultural Center. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)
Explosión Negra, from Medellin, Columbia, is visiting TSU as part of a week-long tour, sponsored by the Office of Diversity and International Affairs, Music Department, the Department of Languages, Literature and Philosophy, and Department of History, Geography and Political Science.
Destellos Culturales of Nashville, Tenn., perform traditional dances from Mexico. (photo by Rick DelaHaya, TSU Media Relations)
Also performing was the very colorful Destellos Culturales of Nashville, Tenn., with their blend of music and dances representing different traditions in Mexico.
“This center celebrates the great diversity of our student and faculty population,” Shields said, adding that TSU, with students from 33 different countries, was one of the most diverse of the Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) schools.
“This also enhances our effort toward globalization and exposing our students to more study-abroad opportunities as they get to know more about the outside world,” Shields said.
In closing, Dr. Winn thanked the administrators, faculty, students and staff “for supporting our effort” in bringing the Center to fruition.
“Now our students have a place they can call ‘my second home,’” Dr. Winn said.
Joining TSU administrators, faculty and staff at the dedication was Wendy Thompson, TBR Vice Chancellor for Access and Diversity.
Department of Media Relations
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About Tennessee State University
With more than 9,000 students, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university and is a comprehensive, urban, coeducational, land-grant university offering 38 undergraduate, 22 graduate and seven doctoral programs. TSU has earned a top 20 ranking for Historically Black Colleges and Universities according to U.S. News and World Report, and rated as one of the top Universities in the county by Washington Monthly for social mobility, research and community service. Founded in 1912 Tennessee State University celebrates 100 years in Nashville during 2012. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu
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