The Multicultural Center construction is set to be completed this winter, and the Michigan State University Office of Cultural and Academic Transitions will officially take the reins in managing operations of the historic, 34,000-square-foot building.

The office will not only take on a new set of responsibilities upon moving in at the corners of Shaw and Farm Lanes but will be doing so under a new name and expanded focus. Transitioning into the Office of Multicultural Enrichment and Advocacy, the move to the first-of-its kind facility allows the office to broaden the scope of services and thus, its impact on students.

The move allows OMEA to not only expand the menu of educational and community opportunities for undergraduate students but also expand how it will support opportunities for faculty, staff and graduate students. Through the decades, the office has evolved to help the MSU community with social adjustment, academic concerns and cultural connections.

“It’s an exciting time for the office,” says OMEA Director Samuel Saldivar. “The move to the MCC allows us the opportunity to serve students in new ways. In fact, our team believes OMEA is a more accurate reflection of the office’s efforts and communicates the depth and breadth of the work our team has been doing to impact student success at MSU.”

Per OMEA’s new mission: The Office of Multicultural Enrichment and Advocacy is a student-centered space that facilitates educational opportunities via initiatives for students from historically underrepresented and marginalized backgrounds at Michigan State University to achieve student success. 

OMEA’s mission also acknowledges the centrality of the MCC’s physical space, understanding that OMEA is not just a central hub for the MSU community in a figurative sense but a literal one too. Acknowledging the office’s important history and legacy of advocacy, the OMEA team looks forward to the next chapter of a story with roots stretching back to student advocacy in 1969. Fifty-five years later, the office has serviced tens of thousands of students through its various iterations.

To read more, visit sle.msu.edu.