Our Mission

"Culture is the widening of the mind and of the spirit."

-Jawaharal Nehru

Our Mission is to:

Recruit Ethnic Students

We will recruit ethnic students through:

The Abraham Lincoln Scholarship Program

The Multicultural Center partners with 17 local Utah County High Schools.  Top ethnic students are awarded a 1-year half-tuition scholarship with the help of high school counselors.  These Abraham Lincoln Scholarship winners work with the Multicultural Center as liaisons between UVSC and their respective high schools to increase the image of UVSC among local high school students, recruit other ethnic students to UVSC, and increase cultural awareness at UVSC and throughout the community.

The Multicultural Annual Ethnic Conferences

The Multicultural Center schedules Multicultural Annual Conferences as recruiting events by inviting local ethnic students to UVSC to attend a conference pertaining to their culture.  Currently we offer Native American, Pacific Islander, African American, and Latino conferences.  The center promotes hope and desire to pursue educational interests after high school, introduces them to UVSC and our students, gets them excited about attending school, and celebrates their culture with them.

The High School Tour

The Multicultural Center participates in the High School Recruiting Tour, and conducts ethnic workshops (often in Spanish) upon invitation at individual high schools.  These ethnic workshops have been successful recruiting tools and are constantly improving and expanding. 

Ethnic Grant Applications

Each year the MC Center applies for at least one grant application to enhance recruitment outreach efforts.  We are the recipients of the Educational Oppurtunity Center TRIO federal grant, and the Utah State Polynesian Tobacco Prevention grant.

Native American Recruiting Program

Hosted by Ken Sekaquaptewa, two annual visits are made to the four corners area to recruit Native American students who have access to scholarship funding through their tribes.  Our Native American student population has been steadily increasing.

"Summer Survivor!"

All incoming freshman minority students are invited to attend a four-day minority-designed orientation program.  Experiential team exercises, cultural, academic, diversity-coping, motivational, career planning, and UVSC resource workshops are offered in a fear-free, informal environment.  Abe Lincoln scholarship recpients and all incoming minority freshmen are invited.  Past attendees have been instrumental in recruiting new students.

"That is true culture which helps us to work for social betterment of all."

-Henry Ward Beecher

"We can release and actually use the enormous wisdom and power of our diversity - instead of crushing it, isolating it, or soothing it into a gray tolerance."

-Tom Atlee

Retain Ethnic Students

We will retain ethnic students through:

"Just Do It!"  UVSC Multicultural Retention Program

Incoming minority freshman are encouraged to join a retention program designed to meet unique cultural needs of ethnic students challenged with both a new college experience and as a member of a subordinate group in a dominant white population.  Workshops in diversity-coping, academic skills, experiential team exercises, cultural activities, UVSC resources, motivation, and career planning, are offered.  Peer mentors participate, easing freshmen into a new environment.  A voluntary contract is signed requiring advisor and instructor mentoring, academic skills training, UVSC special events attendance and club membership is encouraged.

Extracurricular Involvement/Connection to UVSC

Through involvement in our Multicultural Clubs, Annual Ethnic Conferences, symposiums, panel discussions, workshops, and other UVSC activities, students feel a sense of campus "ownership" and continue to enroll. We endeavor to create an atmosphere of warmth and a "home away from home" to create a sense of belonging and acceptance. Involvement also provides an avenue to make friends, find role models, and become acquainted with other students on campus.  Mentoring programs with administration and faculty will be piloted to strengthen retention and graduation. 

 Resources to Promote Academic Success

Academic advising, tutoring, counseling, and performance evaluations are offered.  Additionally, all staff members have a good knowledge of scholarships  available for ethnic students.  We offer academic and personal improvement workshops each semester and encourage our students to attend other similiar UVSC workshops.  We offer access to peer, staff and faculty mentors, UVSC resources and tutors along with ongoing encouragement and a sincere interest in our students' academic success.     

 Probationary Academic Tracking of Students

Probationary students will be contacted personally, offered tutoring labs, mentoring programs, academic assistance, counseling, academic skills workshops and encouraged to take the Student Success Class.  We encourage continuing students to participate in "Just Do It"- our Multicultural Center Retention Program.

Open House Invitations

All new students are encouraged to attend an Open House each semester to become familiar with the Multicultural Center and the resources available to them.  Attendees meet other students, gain information about ethnic clubs, have a place to study, use computers, access UVSC resources, and begin to bond with UVSC, making it more likely they will stay.

Assisting Human Resources to Recruit Ethnic Faculty and Staff

We will assist, support and enlist all resources to locate and encourage ethnic applications at UVSC. We will establish an academic professional resource network to identify excellent candidates likely to move to Utah County. Ethic students will be more likely to identify with minority instructors and stay enrolled. Mainstream students benefit by the enrichment.

4-Day Summer Readiness Workshop: "Summer Survivor"

All incoming freshman minority students are invited to attend a four-day minority-focused orientation program.  Experiential team exercises, cultural, academic, diversity-coping, motivational, career planning, and UVSC resource workshops are offered in a fear-free, informal environment.  Abe Lincoln scholarship recipients and all incoming minority students are invited.  Past attendees have also been instrumental in recruiting new students.

Academic Workshops

We will provide academic workshops, during the Fall and Spring semester. Workshops are academically focused and enhance social skills and personal development. Topics such as time management, text anxiety prevention, career planning, and stress management will be highlighted to help our students better  strategize their career goals.  The department's objective is to build confidence and skills so that students feel comfortable and competent in a college setting.

"Communities are wise to the extent they use diversity well."

-Tom Atlee

"Real knowledge is to know the extent of one's ignorance."

-Confucius

Enrich UVSC Students and the Community

We have several annual events such as conferences, charity concerts, and various performances that help us serve the community as well as educate students and the community about the different cultures in our area. Check out our current events.