Programs & Events

Convocations – Programs, workshops and presentations that provide educational and cultural enrichment and personal enjoyment, while exploring the liberal arts from a diversity of perspectives. Multicultural convocation are presentations of an academic nature, which have some degree of racial, ethnic or cultural relevance.

Talaya Jefferson-Allen (student) having lunch with 
Nikki Giovanni at a local restaurant following a convocation.

Leadership Opportunities – Each year the Office of Multicultural Student Services accompanies several students in attending the Southeastern African-American Student Leadership Conference or SEAASLC, the premier African-American college student leadership conference in the southeastern parts of the Country.


Unifour African-American High School Leadership Conference – This annual leadership conference attracts local current and emerging leaders from area high schools.  It empowers students to solve problems relevant to their respective schools and communities by providing an atmosphere and format that inspires young leaders to actualize their leadership ability.  The conference is held on Lenoir-Rhyne’s campus and is conducted in conjunction with the Black Student Alliance. 

Soul Food Social – The Soul Food Social began as an annual dinner in which local churches and organizations joined with the Black Student Alliance (BSA) and provided soul food to our students.  This year, however, BSA made it a monthly event; now soul food is served in the campus dining hall on the first Tuesday of each month.

Mariachi Band – During national Hispanic/Latino Heritage month (September 15 – October 15), we coordinate various events with the academic and food services departments.  One such highlight is the authentic Latino/Hispanic food, served in the campus dining hall featuring a live mariachi band.

Sankofa: An African-American Museum on Wheels – Sankofa is an Akan word that means, "We must go back and reclaim our past so we can move forward; so we understand why and how we came to be who we are today."  The museum, a 200-foot exhibit, exemplifies this meaning as it showcases the heritage, legacy, and challenges of African-Americans and spans black history from 1860 to the present and includes art and artifacts fro West Africa, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Europe.

 The exhibit is divided into five categories of collectibles: famous African-Americans and their contributions; African-American stamps; Kwanzaa (a pictorial overview); African-American books; and African-American inventions. 

The Carolina Institute for the Multicultural Approach to Science (CIMAS) – CIMAS is a consortium of educators dedicated to providing enhanced opportunities for ethnic minority students interested in sciences and mathematics.  Headquartered at Lenoir-Rhyne College in Hickory, NC, CIMAS provides special programs to engage students in hands-on, experiential learning programs demonstrating the excitement of discovery in the scientific process.  CIMAS also seeks to provide role models for ethnic minority students who are interested in pursing careers in science and mathematics.

CIMAS Summer Academy – The academy is a summer ventures program, funded by the Burroughs Wellcome Fund, for ethnic minority students who will be entering the 9^th or 10^th grade.  The academy will feature a variety of programs that involve CIMAS scholars in research and problem solving.  Topics include Environmental Biology, Chemistry Crime Searches, Photographical Analysis, Math Problem Solving, and Computer Applications.  Each year, twenty ethnic minority students are selected as CIMAS Scholars from all over the state of North Carolina, via their respective middle or high school guidance counselor or other school officials.  They live on the Lenoir-Rhyne College campus in residence halls and engage in intensive research programs with Lenoir-Rhyne faculty and other distinguished scholars, during the day.  During the evenings and on the weekends, however, they take a load off and have lots of fun! 

 http://www.lrc.edu/cimas2005/ 

http://www.lrc.edu/cimas2006/

http://www.lrc.edu/cimas2007