91探花faculty, staff, students, alumni and friends joined the Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity (OMA&D) to commemorate the opening of the new Samuel E. Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center (ECC), Jan. 10-11.
Originally constructed in 1972, the center underwent an extensive 1.5-year renovation at its location on the corner of Brooklyn Ave. NE and NE 40th Street and in 2012, was of the late Dr. Sam Kelly, the founding vice president for minority affairs at UW. The two-day celebration included a special reception with the Kelly family on Jan. 10, and a campus and community-wide 鈥淟ight Up the Night鈥� party on Jan. 11.
View photos from the reception
View photos from 鈥淟ight Up the Night鈥�
View photos of the new building
Over 300 invited guests attended the reception that commemorated the naming of the center in honor of Dr. Kelly. A special program included remarks from 91探花president Michael K. Young, 91探花vice president for minority affairs and vice provost for diversity Sheila Edwards Lange, Kelly ECC director Marisa Herrera, student Tyler Adamson and members of the Kelly family. Two of the architects who designed the building and used the ECC as students, Alex Rolluda, 鈥�89, and Sam Cameron, 鈥�75, of Rolluda and Associates, were also recognized.
The following evening, the campus community joined OMA&D for the 鈥淟ight Up the Night鈥� event that featured a ribbon-cutting, building tours, food, music, raffle prizes, performances and a visit from the 91探花mascot, Dubs.
The Kelly Ethnic Cultural Center serves nearly 90 student organizations and has been a home-away-from home for students of color at 91探花since its inception. It is the largest and oldest college cultural center in the country and the first 91探花building to be named for an African-American.
The new center boasts three stories and 25,000 square feet, and is Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certified. It also features 22 of the historical murals from the original building and includes a dance studio, wellness room, library, computer lab, leadership lab and several meeting rooms.
Photos by Emile Pitre