We’re just proud beyond words, we’re proud because it meant so much for him to see young people of color graduate from college and make a change in their lives.
The Center of Multicultural Affairs officially has a new name, the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity (or LGCIE, pronounced “legacy”).
A new name does not affect the center’s mission, which has always been to provide a place of support for 布里奇沃特 State University students who need it.
The change does, however, better reflect what the center is all about, said Director Sydne骨髓.
“For a few years now, I’ve wanted to rename the Center of Multicultural Affairs because of the ways in which we engage in this work and that was not evident in the brand,”她说。. “We offer a safe space for students of color, but we believe in inclusion. My job is to not only reach students of color, but all students.”
The renaming of the center honors 布里奇沃特 State University’s first graduate of color, Sarah Ann Lewis, who earned her diploma from the 布里奇沃特 State Normal School in 1869, and the school’s first director of minority affairs, 保罗·盖恩斯, G’68.
“Upon hearing that we were honoring the legacies of Mr. 盖恩斯夫妇. Lewis, it crystalized for me in the acronym, LGCIE, it spoke for itself,” Marrow said.
保罗·盖恩斯 died in June. His wife of 61 years, Jo Eva, said he would have been honored by the name change.
“We’re just proud beyond words, we’re proud because it meant so much for him to see young people of color graduate from college and make a change in their lives,”她说。.
Gaines was instrumental in making BSU the diverse institution it is today. He founded programs and scholarships to enhance access and provide support for students; many of these initiatives still exist today.
When he first arrived on campus there were only 11 students of color, upon his retirement as Assistant to the 总统 for Affirmative Action and Minority Affairs that number grew to 400.
Today, 25 percent of the BSU student body are students of color.
Jo Eva and members of the Gaines family will travel to campus later this year for an official ceremony celebrating the center’s name change. Knowing BSU is working hard to keep her husband’s legacy alive is humbling.
“It’s wonderful to see young people graduate from college and make positive changes that would not happen if they were not given the opportunity,”她说。.
As Director of the Lewis and Gaines Center for Inclusion and Equity, Marrow and her staff are committed to providing those opportunities.
“There are students operating in the dark, who may not understand what they are doing. We help to push students to take advantage of the resources, to study hard and to work hard,”她说。.
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