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Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity

OMA&D to Celebrate Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center Opening

KCC_teaserThe 天美影视传媒 Office of Minority Affairs & Diversity (OMA&D) will celebrate the grand opening of the newly renovated Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center with a pair of events Jan. 10-11.

An invitation-only reception will be held Thur., Jan. 10, to commemorate the naming of the new center with the family of Dr. Kelly. On Fri., Jan. 11, the campus and local community is invited to join OMA&D for the 鈥溾�� celebration from 5-8 p.m.

鈥淟ight Up the Night鈥� will feature a ribbon-cutting ceremony and remarks from UW leadership beginning at 5 p.m. Food and beverages will be provided. Activities will include building tours, student performances and historical video viewings. Featured speakers will be UW President Michael K. Young and Vice President for Minority Affairs and Vice Provost for Diversity Sheila Edwards Lange. The event is free, but R.S.V.P.s are .

The entrance to the new Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center
The entrance to the new Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center

The , which originated in 1972, underwent an extensive 1.5-year renovation at its location on the corner of Brooklyn Ave NE and NE 40th Street. In January 2012, the UW Board of Regents approved naming the new center in honor of the late Dr. Samuel E. Kelly, the founding vice president for minority affairs at the UW.

The new center:

  • Is the first UW building to be named for an African American.
  • Contains 25,000 square feet and is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design, or LEED, certified.
  • Was architecturally designed by former UW students Alex Rolluda, 鈥�89, and Sam Cameron, 鈥�75, of Rolluda and Associates.
  • Has 22 of the historical murals from the original building.

鈥淲e now become the largest and oldest college cultural center in the United States, as well as a significant point of pride for the Pacific Northwest,鈥� Kelly Cultural Center Director Marisa Herrera said. 鈥淲e think it鈥檚 truly a unique space and there is nothing like it on another college campus. We are incredibly proud to call this space our new home.鈥�

Naming the new center in honor of Dr. Kelly pays tribute to his legacy as a pioneer for diversity at the UW. He was the first African American senior administrator at the UW.

鈥淗e opened doors for hundreds of underrepresented and economically disadvantaged students here at the UW,鈥� Edwards Lange said. 鈥淒r. Kelly set the standard for, and established a commitment to diversity before it was popular among American colleges and universities.鈥�

The new center features the historical murals from the original building
The new center features the historical murals from the original building

The Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center serves nearly 90 student organizations and has been a 鈥渉ome away from home鈥� for students of color at the UW since its inception.

For more information, contact Herrera at mherrer@uw.edu/206-543-4635.

Photos by Emile Pitre