UMD is celebrating the grand reopening of its Multicultural Center on Wednesday, September 18, 2019. The event begins at 11 a.m., and there will be a brief program at noon. The Multicultural Center is in the Kirby Student Center, room 270.
The remodel is more than a decade in the works, as the Multicultural Center hasn’t been changed since its 2004 opening.
The impetus for the project began with a request to fund new carpet, and evolved from there to see how much a remodel would cost.
A student focus group was formed to figure out what improvements students needed. “They wanted a space of community, a space of belonging, and an open space to congregate and be with each other,” says Susanna Pelayo-Woodward, director of the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Pelayo-Woodward describes the Multicultural Center as a place where students can engage in discussions and activities and connect. It houses 13 student organizations.
Each organization was separated with office dividers, but the redesign features an open, more welcoming layout.
Two murals by renowned artist Jimmy Longoria were donated by the Tweed Museum of Art to accent the walls of the new design.
The project was funded by Student Service Fees, Kirby Student Center, the Office of Diversity and Inclusion and Student Life.
Meyer Group Architecture designed the remodel.