Schools In Focus: KSU’s New Multicultural Student Center

Schools In Focus is a podcast dedicated to the design, planning and management of educational facilities and campuses. Listen in as senior editor Yvonne Marquez chats with industry experts, facility managers, architects, security and safety professionals, and other thought leaders. Catch up on previous episodes here.

Today's episode is on Kansas State University's new multicultural student center.

Schools In Focus, Episode 9: KSU's New Multicultural Student Center

Schools In Focus podcast logo on the left and Ishita Banerjii's headshot on the right.  

Kansas State University debuted a brand-new building last month. The Morris Family Multicultural Student Center is a space for campus organizations to advance student diversity, social justice and inclusion. The team of architects and designers behind the project was mostly made up of women.

In this episode of Schools In Focus, I spoke to Ishita Banerjii, project architect at Hollis + Miller, to talk about the new multicultural student center. The building features various gathering spaces from dance studios, huddle rooms, and a commercial kitchen.

We discuss the vision behind the center, how the team incorporated feedback from numerous student groups, and the significance of having a multicultural student center on campus in the Midwest.

KSU Multicultural Student Center. Courtesy of Hollis + Miller.

“In the long run, KSU does identify this as an opportunity to advance enrollment on campus,” Banerjii says. “Being in the Midwest, it’s kind of hard to let the word out of how welcoming they are towards the multicultural community or the diversity on campus. Essentially, they see this as an opportunity to reach out to students who would not consider KSU just for its location or the possibility of being accepted or not on the campus.”

Listen in to learn more about the new building.

Where to Listen

Schools In Focus is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, and Stitcher. Subscribe today, or listen below!

About the Author

Yvonne Marquez is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. She can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • University of West Florida Opens New Laboratory Facility

    The University of West Florida recently announced that renovation work is complete on a new lab building for its campus in Pensacola, Fla., according to university news. Building 80 will serve as the home to the university’s civil engineering program and the Tyler Chase Norwood Construction Management Program.

  • ALAS Announces 2025–26 Award Winners

    The Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (ALAS) recently announced the winners of its 2025–26 leadership awards, according to a news release. Winners will be recognized at the ALAS 22nd National Summit on Education, scheduled for Oct. 15–17 in Chicago, Ill.

  • University of Kansas Opens $400M Football Stadium Reconstruction

    The University of Kansas in Lawrence, Kan., recently announced that the $400-million reconstruction of David Booth Kansas Memorial Stadium is complete in time for the 2025 football season, according to a news release. The university partnered with Turner Construction Company on the project.

  • ClassVR headsets

    Avantis Education Revamps Hardware for ClassVR Solution

    Avantis Education recently announced the launch of two new headsets for its flagship educational VR/AR solution, ClassVR. According to a news release, the Xcelerate and Xplorer headsets expand the company’s offerings into higher education while continuing to meet the evolving needs of K–12 users.

Digital Edition