New investments are enhancing opportunities for current and future students

MULTICULTURAL SCHOLARS PROGRAM

The Multicultural Scholars Program (MSP) is a University-wide academic enrichment scholarship program designed to support the recruitment and the retention of students of color, Pell-eligible, and first-generation undergraduate students at KU.

Starting this year, the School significantly expanded the MSP program to recruit and support a diverse group of students.

The newly launched Multicultural Design Scholars Program (MDSP) is working with the decades-old Multicultural Architecture Scholars Program (MASP) to enhance educational opportunities for current students and develop exciting new ways to engage with and mentor talented high school students who are considering architecture and design careers.

The School – with support from the University, local firms, and alumni donations – has invested over $75,000 in MASP and MDSP to support diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging initiatives during the 2021-22 academic year. Both programs now collectively support 47 students this year. MASP and MDSP are working to create an infrastructure for student success, professional preparation, and community outreach that will remake what is possible in the School.

Beyond creating new opportunities and support for current and future students, the impact of these efforts will resonate long after graduation as these future leaders take their expertise and perspectives into the professions.

To develop designs for a K-5 school for students with visual impairment, fourth-year architecture students in Nilou Vakil’s integrated design studio used simulation goggles to better understand how individuals with varied levels of visual impairment experience the built environment.