Cutting a ceremonial ribbon to open the new William Monroe Trotter Multicultural Center on Thursday are, from left, Regent Paul Brown; Kambiz Khalili, associate vice president for student life; Julio Cardona, director of the Trotter Center; Gabrielle May, College of Engineering student; Alphonse Pitawanakwat, lecturer II in American culture; Board of Regents Chair Ron Weiser; E. Royster Harper, vice president for student life; President Mark Schlissel; Tyrell Collier, alumnus and former speaker of the Black Student Union; Cynthia D. Stephens, Michigan Court of Appeals judge; and Elizabeth James, program associate in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies.
Elizabeth James, program associate in the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, hugs a visitor at Thursday’s ceremony.
Students gather in a second-floor space designed for student groups. Movable dividers offer the ability to configure the space in various ways.
Visitors to the Trotter Center dedication ceremony filled its two-story lobby (above), while others toured the facility’s exterior spaces (below).