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Focus
Areas
CULTURAL PROGRAMMING & AWARENESS
CMSS provides a variety of activities to improve cultural awareness and appreciation on the JMU campus. The center exposes the JMU community to the leadership and influence of a variety of people of color,groups and perspectives. CMSS coordinates cross-campus events such as:
Speakers & Entertainers
- Elaine Chao
- Maya Angelou
- Rubin "Hurricane" Carter
- Christina Chan
- Winnie Mandela
- Angela Oh
- Coretta Scott King
- Julianne Malveaux
- Jesse Jackson
- SuChin Pak
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- Benjamin Chavis
- Jocelyn Elders
- Henry Louis Gates
- Nikki Giovanni
- James Edward Olmos
- Former Gov. L. Douglas Wilder
- Def Poetry Jam College Tour
- Sonia Sanchez
- President Freeman A. Hrabowski, III
- Dr. Cornell West
- Mr. Julian Bond
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Diversity Awareness Months/Celebrations
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration
- Asian-American Awareness Week
- Hispanic Heritage Month
- Women's History Month
- Black History Month
- Native American Heritage Month
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Cultural Performances
- Hispanic Folklore Ballet
- Trail of Tears Intertribal Dance Troupe
- Negro Gato
- Nii Tettey Tetteh and the Kusun Ensemble
- Boy's Choir of Harlem
- The Blue Ridge Irish Music School
- Alvin Ailey II Dance Troupe
- Faces of America
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CMSS focuses on the education of students and faculty through a series of diversity and skill development workshops. These activities explore additional perspectives and facilitate the articulation of issues concerning cultural diversity.
CMSS provides opportunities for social interactions among students of color, international students and U.S. nationals through field trip excursion programs.
LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT and CONFERENCES/RETREATS
CMSS offers a variety of leadership programs and services. The programs are developed to allow students from a culturally diverse background the opportunity to develop as leaders. CMSS coordinates organizational opportunities to develop leadership knowledge and skills. Through focused leadership training, students are given the opportunity to nurture and enhance those skills. Each year, CMSS facilitates a leadership training retreat for new officers under our student organization umbrella. To further enhance student leadership skills, CMSS also assists/sponsors student involvement at various conferences, such as:
- National Black Student Leadership Conference
- North East Latino Student Leadership Conference
- ECAASU: East Coast Asian American Student Union
RECRUITMENT
The CMSS staff provides presentations to potential incoming multicultural students about the benefits and opportunities within higher education. Two summer programs are instrumental in assisting with CMSS recruitment efforts: JMU Female
Institute for Learning and Development and JMU Male Academy for Academic Achievement and Development. These summer programs are available for high school age students.
RETENTION
Retention efforts are implemented by CMSS to ensure student success. Staff provides early intervention for freshmen students, direction to university resources, academic advising resources, and academic recovery.
STUDENT SUPPORT AND ADVOCACY
The Center for Multicultural Student Services maintains close ties with various campus organizations.
CMSS offers a variety of student support programs and services to multicultural students. Also, CMSS handles complaints concerning discrimination/insensitivity. The CMSS staff also counsels students and intervenes/mediate as needed in student issues.
RESOURCES AND REFERRALS
CMSS maintains a resource library that provides useful information including scholarships/financial aid information, reference books, a video library that features CMSS guest lecturers, materials for diversity training and workshops, books and documentaries.
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