Skip to main content
Add as a preferred source on Google

Stony Brook University Opens New Cultural Center

  • By Matt Jones
  • 11/09/21

Stony Brook University in Stony Brook, N.Y., recently celebrated a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new-and-improved UNITI Cultural Center. Officials including stakeholders, state and local dignitaries gathered on Saturday, Oct. 23, to mark the opening of the $1.4-million, 4,000-square-foot facility designed by DIGroup Architecture.

Located inside the university’s student union building, “the new UNITI Cultural Center embraces all ethnicities; where students feel a sense of belonging and welcomed by a larger unified campus community,” according to a press release. The space uses design aspects like shape, color, texture and window graphics to promote a welcoming atmosphere among all the university’s students. The center will serve to connect university students, faculty and staff through multicultural programs, social discourse, academic and experiential learning, support services and advocacy. It will also offer resources for social justice education, community service and diversity-related research and assessment.

Stony Brook University UNITI Multicultural Center

“My hope is that through our collaborative process and thoughtful design, we have created an environment that fosters understanding, acceptance and a sense of community in today’s complex world for both students and staff,” said Jeffrey D. Venezia, AIA, CEO and Principal in Charge.

The UNITI (United Nationalities in Transcending Ideologies) Center was established in 1978 as a multicultural resource to foster educational, spiritual and cultural growth. Its new home in the student union was facilitated by a New York State Assembly grant of $3 million, which was put in motion by SBU alumnus and Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie, as well as alumnus and Assemblyman Steve Englebright.

“I could not feel more confident in Stony Brook’s ability to lead the way in this effort—we have always been a university that recognizes the importance of an inclusive, multicultural community,” said Stony Brook university President Maurie McInnis. “A university that knows the value and unparalleled potential for discovery that comes with a diverse population of students, faculty, and staff. Now more than ever, I want us to rely on and uphold this integral part of our mission.”

About the Author

Matt Jones is senior editor of Spaces4Learning. He can be reached at [email protected].

Featured

  • Fargo, N.D., Starts Construction on Consolidated Elementary School

    Fargo Public Schools in Fargo, N.D., recently announced the beginning of construction on a new elementary school, according to a news release. The district partnered with ICON Architectural Group and Kraus-Anderson Construction on the new Horace Mann Elementary School.

  • Planning with Clarity: Using AI to Make Better Campus Decisions, Not Just Better Designs

    Higher education leaders are being asked to make increasingly high-stakes decisions about campus facilities amid greater uncertainty than ever before. Social and economic pressures, shifting enrollment, and evolving learning models compete with growing deferred maintenance needs to strain even the most robust infrastructure budgets.

  • Haws Corporation Marks 120th Anniversary

    Haws Corporation, which provides hydration and emergency safety solutions worldwide, recently announced that the company is celebrating its 120th anniversary this year, according to a news release.

  • Hawaii Elementary School Reopens Following $25M Campus Modernization

    Haʻaheo Elementary School in Hilo, Hawaii, has reopened to students following a three-year, $25-million campus modernization and expansion project that significantly increases the school's instructional space while preserving one of the island's oldest educational institutions, according to local news.