KU News Release

KU celebrates new multicultural center with week’s worth of events

LAWRENCE — A new landmark is about to open its doors on Jayhawk Boulevard at the University of Kansas, the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center, whose mission is to recognize and celebrate diversity at KU.

An event-packed week to celebrate the opening of the new center will culminate with a dedication at 12:15 p.m. Friday, April 25. The building was funded by a $1 million gift from the Sabatini Family Foundation and student fees approved by the Student Senate.

The new 7,000-square-foot center is on the north side of the Kansas Union, with a separate front entrance on Jayhawk Boulevard. The center features updated technology, more programming space for student organizations and more academic resources for students to use.

Other events scheduled for the week include:

— Milton Katz, author of “Breaking Through,” will give a lecture and sign copies of his book at 1 p.m. today in the classroom of the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center. “Breaking Through” examines the life of John B. McLendon, a protégé of basketball’s inventor, James Naismith, who refused to accept that teams at traditionally black colleges like North Carolina College and Tennessee State were unable to achieve national prominence.

— Nevil Shedd will present the inaugural Marshal Jackson lecture at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 22, in the classroom of the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center. Shed was a part of the Texas Western Miners team that won the 1966 NCAA Men’s Division I basketball tournament, which featured an all African-American lineup. The Marshall Jackson Lecture Series was established to honor Marshall Jackson, who contributed almost 50 years of service to KU.

— Gustavo Arellano will present a lecture and book signing for his soon to be released book “Ask a Mexican,” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 23, in the classroom of the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center. The 28-year-old Orange County, Calif., native and son of an illegal immigrant has discussed his work on “The Today Show,” “Nightline,” “The Colbert Report,” FOX News, CNN and the front page of the Los Angeles Times. Arellano is a regular commentator for National Public Radio and a contributing editor to the Los Angeles Times’ opinion section.

The center’s beginnings date back to 1995, when KU created the Multicultural Resource Center with a mandate to recognize the diverse composition of the KU community. The center was housed in a renovated military annex near Summerfield Hall.

In spring 2001, a plan for a new Multicultural Resource Center was presented to the university administration; in the spring of 2003, through the work of students and key administrators, the university agreed to move forward with plans for a new center. The Student Senate passed a resolution stating that it would supplement private donations from the Sabatini family with student fees for the construction of an updated center.

The Sabatini family includes Frank C. Sabatini, who earned a business degree in 1955 and a law degree in 1957, both from KU. A former state representative and member of the Kansas Board of Regents, he is chairman emeritus of Capital City Bank in Topeka, where he lives with his wife, Judith Sabatini. The four sons in the Sabatini family are Marc, Matt;, Michael, who earned an architecture degree from KU in 1982; and Dan, who earned an architecture degree from KU in 1986..

KU Endowment is the independent, nonprofit foundation serving as the official fundraising and fund-management organization for KU. Founded in 1891, KU Endowment is the first foundation of its kind at a U.S. public university.

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The University of Kansas is a major comprehensive research and teaching university. University Relations is the central public relations office for KU's Lawrence campus.