Building History

In spring of 2014, President Elson S. Floyd recognized a particular way of honoring the past within Washington State University’s land-grant history, no less than its current form, the future. As a part of that history, he advanced a Cultural Center, now the Elson S. Floyd Cultural Center. It was in honor of the land and the people of the land, not just now but in its history, that he advanced a “Cultural Center,” not a “multicultural center,” though the university also has the Office of Multicultural Student Services.

We say “cultural” rather than “multicultural,” because though we endorse the celebration of all the cultures that comprise our society and our university. The Center aims at directing attention to the historical cultures of Washington State. The idea is to recognize—for all of us—those who have been a part of the university, those who will continue to grow through the university, and all of us who take part in achieving a greater, more inclusive future.