Institutes Project Administrative Charge
An important project in the Division of Student Affairs is the construction of the Institute of Black Culture and the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures. Multicultural and Diversity Affairs (MCDA) has reached a point in the project where the feedback received on the design of the Institute of Black Culture and the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures has pointed to the need for a design and construction of two separate facilities. We will now move into the program and conceptual design and construction of the two separate buildings. This next phase of the Institute Project will rely on the work of a few teams.
The Project Team
This Team will be co-chaired by Mr. Eddie Daniels, Assistant Vice President for Business Services. Eddie brings a wealth of experience in design and construction of major projects, including the newly renovated J. Wayne Reitz Union. The student co-chair will be selected by the Project Team, based on recommendations from the Advisory Committee. That student will be announced soon.
Current Project Team Members are:
- Eddie Daniels – Co-Chair – Assistant Vice President for Business Services Division
- Beau – Student Co-chair
- Will Atkins – Associate Dean and Senior Director of Multicultural and Diversity Affairs
- Gabe Lara – Hispanic-Latino Affairs Director
- Carl Siemen – Black Affairs Director
- Cecilia “CC” Suarez – Assistant Professor for Leadership Development, Center for Latin American Studies
- Sharon Austin – Department Chair – African American Studies Program
- Jacynta Brewton – Association of Black Alumni President
- Kimberly Lopez – Association of Hispanic Alumni President
- Georges Obayi – Queer Trans People of Color (QTPOC) Collective
- Cydney McGlothlin – Planning, Design, and Construction
*New student members will be updated soon.
Past Project Team Members:
- Chris Wilde – Former Student Co-chair
- Robert Lemus – Hispanic Student Association President
- Dwayne Fletcher – Black Student Union President
- Tianna Dowie-Chin – Black Graduate Student Organization President
- Dennesia Turner – National Pan-Hellenic Council President
The Project Team is responsible for working with DLR, the architectural firm for this project, Foresight, the Construction Management firm, and Cydney McGlothlin, the University of Florida Project Manager. The Team will lead a robust and participatory-based process that seeks feedback from university stakeholders and constituents. Based on this feedback and the needs of MCDA, the Project Team will provide recommendations and observations to the architects on the design of the two buildings. They will determine the project program, including spaces such as lobbies, offices, conference rooms, event space, kitchenettes, and the like. The Team will help work out adjacency issues such as what space should be adjacent to another space or what should be on the first floor versus another floor. They will be asked to be involved in furniture selection, paint color selection, and art-in-state. The Team will walk the project and gain a feel for the new space so that they can determine how to tell the story of the institutes through graphics, artifacts, and the like. The Project Team will accomplish this through a series of concept design workshops.
Advisory Committee
In addition to the Project Team, an Advisory Committee will be composed of students and alumni who are interested in the design and history of the Institutes.
The Advisory Committee Members are:
Chris Wilde – Student Chairperson
The Institute of Black Culture:
- Elda Auxiliaire
- Kianna Brown
- Tiffany Chatmon
- Dwayne Fletcher
- Brooke Henderson
- Jaron Jones
- Wallace Mazon
- Kelli Murray
- Jordan Rhodes
- Talia Rogers
- Lydia Washington
The Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures:
- Steven Baldizon
- Meriza Candia
- Liana Guerra
- Anayansy Hernandez
- Robert Lemus
- Gian Mattei Soto
- Carla Rodriguez
- Christopher Wilde
- Sebastian Wright
- Edward Zambrano
- Jose Miranda
The selected chairperson of the Advisory Committee will also serve as co-chair of the Project Team. The Advisory Committee will assist in generating excitement about and positive energy around the project and will play a crucial role in serving as a bridge to the student body and alumni. Members will be involved in workshops and charrettes on the buildings’ design and will assist with communication to the student body and alumni. In addition to input on building design, the Committee will make recommendations to the Project Team on storytelling, furniture, paint colors, carpet, and other finishes. The Committee will also be involved in the project groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies.
As in all University of Florida building construction projects, we will have the OAC (Owner- UF/MCDA; Architect – DLR; and Contractor – Foresight) team. The OAC team meeting will begin after design is completed and when construction begins. The OAC will discuss Requests for Information (RFIs), Submittals, project schedule, and other construction related issues. The OAC will be facilitated by Cydney McGlothlin, UF Project manager, along with Will Atkins, Associate Dean and Senior Director of MCDA, DLR architects, and Foresight Construction.
The MCDA staff, past and present, have operated and managed both the Institute of Hispanic-Latino Cultures for 23 years and the Institute of Black Culture for 45 years. The MCDA team has provided programming and staffed the space, and has been responsible for ensuring that the buildings are the home away from home our communities deserve. MCDA staff will continue the work of managing and staffing of the completed facilities. They will manage the budget, staffing, hours of operation, and business practices to maintain the facilities. Any management questions should be directed to Will Atkins, Associate Dean and Senior Director of MCDA.
We are all incredibly excited to move into this stage of the project. The students, alumni, faculty, and staff involved will be able to see their vision for these institutes come alive over the next two years.