MSU’s Multicultural Center: A welcoming space for all

Michigan State University’s commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive campus community takes a bold step forward with the opening of the new Multicultural Center, or MCC. Designed as a vibrant hub for connection, celebration and belonging, the MCC offers a welcoming space for students of all backgrounds to gather, learn and grow together. Nestled along the Red Cedar River in the heart of campus, next door to the Erickson Kiva and a short walk from the International Center, the thoughtfully designed building — featuring shades of green on its exterior — reflects MSU’s values of ensuring every Spartan feels seen, heard and at home.

Photo by Dane Robison

On a bright but frosty day before the grand opening on Feb. 7 — which will include an invitation-only ribbon-cutting ceremony and an open house celebration for the community — snow swirled around the MCC. Behind its doors, students were already chatting on couches, booking meeting rooms and studying at tables. Staff from the Office of Multicultural Enrichment and Advocacy, or OMEA, who will operate the center were getting settled in. 

The freestanding facility, spanning 34,000 square feet, is the result of more than five decades of advocacy and activism by MSU students (many of whom are now alumni) and university leaders — culminating in a bold visual statement of glass and steel designed to celebrate diversity, foster belonging and support the university’s ever-growing student body. “While planning the center, we were not looking at any older blueprint of what it should be,” says Samuel Saldívar, OMEA’s director. “It’s made to honor many needs and expectations that student groups have communicated.”

Tiana Carter, a project manager in Infrastructure Planning and Facilities, or IPF, adds, “There were more stakeholders and more diversity in stakeholder groups than any other project in the history of IPF. Student groups wanted spaces to support their needs, ranging from crafting and creating physical materials to dance to professional planning and resources that support students.” Here’s a sneak peek of the MCC’s many meaningful design elements.

Universal design

Since its founding in 1855, MSU has been a leader in education, community and cultural exchange. The university began enrolling its first international students in 1873, opened the International Center in 1945, established Case Hall as its first coeducational dorm in 1962 and founded what is now the Resource Center for Persons with Disabilities in 1972. Influenced by the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s, American architect Ronald Mace coined the term ‘universal design’ as a concept that aims to design all products and buildings to be visually pleasing and usable to as many people as possible. This inclusive philosophy permeates the MCC. As Saldívar points out, elevators are usually tucked away in the back or at the sides of a building. In the MCC, they are placed centrally, easily accessible from both entrances to the east and west facades. In the lofty living room, an inviting wooden step seating has also been made compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act by integrating retractable wheelchair-accessible seating. And, in the state-of-the-art multipurpose room that can accommodate 150 people, a communication access service is available for those who are deaf or hard of hearing. There and in other meeting rooms, sound-absorbing ceiling panels help support students who are neurodiverse.

Slice of life

The center’s communal kitchen — with its massive island, round tables, a shared fridge and freezer, cupboards and microwaves — makes bringing lunch in and sitting down together all the more enjoyable. An impressive live edge table, made from a fallen sycamore tree on campus, brings a feeling of organic tactility.

Space for support

Many spaces in the MCC were informed by university data. The planning committee found that students from underserved or rural communities and first-generation students often are unaware of the in-person services MSU offers — like three free doctor appointments at Olin Health Center per year or access to The Writing Center, which provides one-on-one writing consultations and workshops. To make these services more accessible to students, the second floor of the MCC houses a Student Support Space that can be booked by campus faculty and staff partners who are looking for a professional environment to tutor or mentor students in a more informal yet well-appointed setting.

Gather round

Outside, what’s informally known as “the backyard” holds dedicated areas for a ceremonial fire circle, a seating area and an amphitheater. The fire circle honors the history, arts and culture of the People of the Three Fires — the Ojibwe, Odawa and Potawatomi tribes — Indigenous Great Lakes tribes on whose ancestral land the university sits. It was created in collaboration with Nokomis Cultural Heritage Center and features stones sourced in Michigan. The fire circle, to be used exclusively for ceremonies, will be maintained by a fire keeper and burn only oak and hickory gathered on campus. The amphitheater is a perfect spot to host Greek Life, live music or other student events. 

Breathing space

Tens of thousands of students traverse campus each day, but on a campus as vast as MSU, it’s not always easy to find a space that answers to an individual need, like nursing a baby, praying at a specific time, ritual washing or meditating while burning sage. At the centrally located MCC, there are dedicated spaces for that. In addition, there are vending machines like the ones in the MSU Union, where students can find last-minute snacks and health needs at their fingertips.

The MCC at MSU has much to offer, says Saldívar. “Among the Big Ten universities, this building, with this combination of spaces, is just not available elsewhere.”

Cover photo by Justin Maconochie.