New multicultural resource center plans unveiled

KU unveiled a rendering for the Sabatini Multicultural Resource Center, a $2.7 million structure to be built on the north side of the Kansas Union.

Groundbreaking for the long-awaited building, sought by student leaders and made possible by a donation from the Sabatini Family Foundation, is scheduled for spring 2006. The building should be completed by spring 2007.

KU's Campus Historic Preservation Board and the City of Lawrence's Historic Resources Commission have approved the building plans.

The building will have the appearance of a one-story building with its top floor dedicated to the MRC and two floors below Jayhawk Boulevard providing additional space for union operations and student organization offices. The MRC, presently located in a renovated military annex building near Summerfield Hall, will have more than 7,000 square feet, twice its current size.

The building's brick, stone and metal trim will match the adjoining union building, and stepped planters and trees will front a raised plaza in front of the entrance, said Jim Long, vice provost for facilities planning and management. A ramped sidewalk and stairs provide access from Jayhawk Boulevard.

The Multicultural Resource Center was created in 1995 with a mandate to promote an educational environment that recognizes and celebrates the diverse composition of the KU campus population. Students come to the center to take part in programs, study and access tutors and various other academic resources.

The center has gradually outgrown its home, growing from 415 student visits five years ago to more than 7,000 this year. Students started a campaign to build a larger, more visible center in 2001, and the KU Student Senate enacted a student fee that will raise more than $1.5 million over 10 years for the facility.

The Sabatini family includes Frank C. Sabatini, b’55, l’57. 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, a’82; and Dan, a’86.