Intercultural Student Engagement Center aims to support, engage & connect

With fall classes in full effect, it’s often easy to get lost in all that WKU has to offer.

However, this fall a new department, the Intercultural Student Engagement Center (ISEC), is partnering with staff and the community in an effort to help recruit, retain and graduate students on the Hill.

“We really want to help support students who are eager to learn and want to be engaged,” said Program Coordinator Kristina Gamble.

Already the department has been actively involved with programs such as M.A.S.T.E.R. Plan, but hopes to be a part of others such as the Pre-College Program, the Outstanding Black Graduates Ceremony, and many more.

Before ISEC was established, a similar department, the Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion, was the liaison for underrepresented students. The former department focused on ways to support the underrepresented in an effort to help them complete their degree programs.

ISEC will reach out to all students and plans to focus on being more visible and effective to properly support students on their journey to graduation.

“We want to be a place where academics, students and culture connect,” Program Director Martha Sales said. “We don’t want to be the school where students pack up and go home for the weekend, but we want to provide all students with a feeling of home.”

Students can find guidance with financial aid, information on voting and multiple lecture series including activism and culture recognition. The department will also offer open house opportunities for visitors wishing to see the new office space in the Downing Student Union.

The department hopes to have its new office finished soon complete with an art gallery showcasing different cultures, a lounge for social or studying needs and an opportunity for internships, graduate assistantships and student worker positions.

The ISEC office is located in Downing Student Union, room 2041, and is open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday. For information about ISEC, contact Martha Sales at (270) 745-5066.

Other campus changes

Several other WKU offices have new homes or new names.

• The Center for Citizenship & Social Justice (CCSJ), a program of the Department of Diversity & Community Studies, is the result of a merger of the former ALIVE Center for Community Partnerships and the Institute for Citizenship & Social Responsibility (ICSR). The office is located on the first floor of Tate Page Hall.
• The Gatton Academy of Mathematics and Science in Kentucky and The Center for Gifted Studies have returned to a renovated Florence Schneider Hall.
• Chili’s Grill & Bar has opened next to the Augenstein Alumni Center.
• Freshens Fresh Food Studio is open in the Tower Food Court.
• The Office of Judicial Affairs has been renamed the Office of Student Conduct and is located in Potter Hall 425.
• The Department of Purchasing & Accounts Payable has changed its name to Supply Chain Management, which is comprised of Accounts Payable, Inventory Control, Purchasing and Shipping & Receiving.
• The SKyTeach program has moved into the former Honors College building at State Street and College Heights Boulevard.
• Construction is continuing on Ogden College Hall on 14^th Street.
• Construction is nearing completion for the new Confucius Institute building on Normal Street.