Lincoln, Nebr., July 2, 2003 -- The University of Nebraska-Lincoln is creating a new Office of Academic Support and Intercultural Services to best serve an increasingly diverse student population. The new Office of Academic Support and Intercultural Services (OASIS) will integrate and coordinate academic support services, special programming and individual and student organization support.
Previously, the Minority Assistance Program, a section of Multicultural Affairs, provided educational support for students, and the Culture Center focused on student programs and organizations.
"This is an integrated model that works well at other universities, including the University of Kansas and Iowa State University, and will enhance the programmatic offerings of UNL's Culture Center," said James Griesen, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs. "It is clear that as UNL continues to attract more students from diverse cultural backgrounds, we need to create an increasingly supportive campus for all students. This is a way to address that need."
Said Eric Lee, interim director of Multicultural Affairs, "This is an exciting opportunity to move UNL ahead in serving these students in a relevant way that incorporates a more holistic approach."
Under the integrated structure, the OASIS office will have a director for academic support, a director of intercultural services, a program coordinator for academic and scholarship initiatives, a program coordinator for co-curricular involvement and a program coordinator for intercultural services. The coordinator team will serve in an advisory role to student minority organizations and work with individual students.
"One important initiative at UNL is that of addressing student retention and graduation rates, which are historically lower for minority students. This reorganization strengthens the resources provided to this important segment of our student population," said Chancellor Harvey Perlman. "Through this reorganization, the university expects to increase both staffing and resources dedicated to minority student support."
The reorganization will take effect prior to the start of the fall semester.
CONTACT: James Griesen
, Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs (402) 472-3755
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Posted by Tom Simons, Office of
University Communications
Phone: (402) 472-8514, Fax: (402) 472-7825