Pamela Hopson, executive director of the Multicultural Center, is one of USI’s longest-standing faculty members, with this year being her 45th year on campus.
“I am unique in that I am one of a handful still at USI who have had the pleasure of serving under the leadership of every president at our fine institution,” Hopson said. “Each one of them influenced my professional trajectory in their own special way.”
Hopson said when she joined the university in 1979, the campus was a lot smaller.
“One thing I recall after I started was that the university received their 3,000th student, and the director of admissions awarded this student with some sort of USI award item,” she said. “Campus was so small that many people knew one another by name.”
USI implemented the Multicultural Center in 1994, a campus organization that strives to enhance the personal and academic success of students by preparing them to be responsible citizens in a multicultural society.
“I moved from the Office of Student Financial Assistance into the director position of the Multicultural Center when it was created,” Hopson said. “There was no other staff outside myself when I first got the position, but it has grown. We now have five full-time employees and a number of student workers.”
Hopson said that the attitude toward the Multicultural Center has changed since it was first established.
“I would say at the beginning and the inception of the center, there were people who questioned, ‘Why have a Multicultural Center?’” she said. “However, campus was changing with regards to the student body, and we needed a place where students could feel a sense of belonging here at the university, and I think it’s something all students saw, even if it was something our institution was not accustomed to.”
Hopson said there are “a number of things” she is proud of since her time on campus began.
“One thing that rises to the top would be seeing students graduate,” she said. “As a first-gens student, throughout my career in higher education, I have encouraged students to keep moving forward in their educational journey by setting goals for themselves. Fall 2020, I revisited my goals and went back to school. Fall 2023, I received my doctorate in education from USI focusing on higher education, which is another thing I am most proud of.”
Hopson said she hopes to see all people embrace the mission of the Multicultural Center.
“We are here to serve all students, but also recognize that some students may need a little bit more help with achieving their goal and having that direction they need,” Hopson said. “I would like to think that the center can be a beacon for helping people to understand that we have students who come to this campus who bring with them some cultural wealth that may be recognized.”
