Tennessee Technological University. Division of Student Affairs. Office of Multicultural Affairs
Biography
The Office of Multicultural Affairs began as the Black Cultural Center in 1989. In 1988, the Black Student Organization surveyed Black students at Tech on their interest in a center for Black students. The Black Student Organization and the student chapter of the National Society of Black Engineers presented a proposal advocating for the creation of a space and programming to support the academic, personal, and cultural development of Black students to the Commission on the Status of Blacks and President Volpe in January 1989. University administration approved the creation of the Black Cultural Center. Work began on converting space in the University Center in the fall of 1989. The Black Cultural Center formally opened in August 1990.
In the 1994 bulletin, the Center advertised its functions as: “offer[ing] students an opportunity to learn more about the African American culture through books, photographs, and works of art. It is a place for gathering with friends and a place to unwind after a full day of classes. The Black Cultural Center also schedules events such as the Annual African Market Fair and a variety of educational programs and social events.”
By 1995, Tonia Duncan-Rivers wrote a proposal to establish the position of Coordinator of Minority Affairs, which became the Director of Minority Affairs. The new Office of Minority Affairs represented the needs of underrepresented students to the university administration and managed the Black Cultural Center. The Office of Minority Affairs was housed in the Black Cultural Center. In 1996, the Center adopted its new name, the Leona Lusk Officer Black Cultural Center, to honor the first African American graduate of Tennessee Tech.
By the Fall 2014 semester, the Office of Minority Affairs changed its name to the Office of Multicultural Affairs. As of 2020, the mission of the Multicultural Affairs Office is to provide support for the personal, cultural, social, and academic growth and development of students from underrepresented ethnic populations.
Administrators and staff in the Office of Multicultural Affairs have included:
Mayme D. Martin, Director, 1990-1992
Rosa Stokes, Interim Coordinator, at least Fall 1993-Spring 1994
Tonia Duncan-Rivers, Director, April 1995-June 1997
Mitzi Hill, Secretary, Fall 1996-?
Tammy Reynolds, Director, 1997-2000
Jennifer Smith, Assistant, at least 2000
Jamie E. Mells, Director, July 2001-September 2005
Cheryl Christensen, Secretary, 2002-?
Elizabeth D. Ojo, Assistant Director, 2006-April 2017
Corinne Johnson, Administrative Associate, circa 2000s-
Robert Owens, Director, 2006-2014; Assistant Vice President of Student Affairs, 2014-2019; Vice President of Student Affairs, 2020-
Charria Campbell, Director, 2019-
Found in 11 Collections and/or Records:
30th Anniversary of the Leona Lusk Officer Black Cultural Center exhibit records
Administrative Files, 1989–2020
Black Cultural Center oral histories
Black Firsts calendar, 2000
Charlette Clark email
Charlette Clark email about the Black Cultural Center
Impact, 2020 Fall
Documents related to the operation of the Tennessee Tech University Division of University Advancement, which includes the Crawford Alumni Center and University Development. Materials include meeting records of the Alumni Association Board of Directors, event planning files, photographs curated for alumni events and publications, publications, and Tennessee Tech ephemera.
Multicultural Affairs records
Office of Multicultural Affairs records, 1989 - 2021
The records document the founding of the Leona Lusk Officer Black Cultural Center in 1989 and efforts by the university to support the personal, cultural, social, and academic growth and development of students from underrepresented ethnic populations. Materials include administrative files, event planning files, posters, flyers, photographs, and scrapbooks.
The Black Flash newsletter
University Advancement publications
Additional filters:
- Type
- Unprocessed Material 5
- Archival Object 4
- Digital Record 2
- Subject
- African American college students 6
- African American college administrators 5
- African American -- Societies, etc. 3
- African American young adults 3
- African American young women 3
- African Americans -- Education (Higher) 3
- College students 3
- Universities and colleges -- Alumni and alumnae 3
- African American Greek letter societies 2
- African American college athletes 2
- African American college teachers 2
- African American educators 2
- African American fraternal organizations 2
- COVID-19 Pandemic, 2020- 2
- College administrators 2
- College students -- Scholarships, fellowships, etc. 2
- Epidemics 2
- Minority college students 2
- Minority college students -- Recruiting 2
- Minority college students -- Services for 2 + ∧ less