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GET TO KNOW THE MSSDC

The mission of the Multicultural Student Services Directors' Council (MSSDC) is to promote the recruitment, retention and successful completion of educational programs for students of color.

  • To affirm and value all differences.

  • To recruit, retain and graduate underserved student populations

  • To educate and enrich the campus and surrounding communities.

  • To honor, celebrate and embrace different groups and their unique contributions to the American mosaic.

  • To act as a resource for multicultural issues.

HISTORY

Submitted by: Kat Flores, September 25, 2008 Agnes B. Steward, October 16, 2003

Multicultural Student Services Directors Council History    


During the 1970’s, a group of concerned and committed multicultural student services and minority affairs staff met informally as the Puget Sound Regional Consortium to collectively address issues regarding students of color in higher education within the Puget Sound area.   


In 1978, state funds that were previously earmarked to support Minority Affairs Offices in higher education were withdrawn.  Despite the lack of financial support from the state, from 1978 to the early 1980’s, there was an increase in Multicultural Student Services (MCSS)/Minority Affairs Offices within the community and technical college system.   


During the mid 1980’s, staff members from the MCSS offices began to meet as an independent group with a common concern, students & staff of color in higher education.  Throughout the 1980’s the group focused on four‐year transfer recruitment, increasing faculty, counselors, and other student services staff of color, and professional development for people of color within the state higher education system.


In the late 1980’s, the State Board for Community and Technical College (SBCTC) allocated enhancement dollars for the re‐establishment of MCSS/Minority Affairs Offices across the state.  The MCSS group saw the commitment by the SBCTC as an opportunity to become more unified and officially recognized as a state authorized council.  The MCSS group became an unofficial council focusing on the recruitment, retention, graduation, and transfer of students of color with the community and technical college system.  Membership was expanded to include all community and technical college within Washington State.


In the early 1990’s Presidents, Deans of Students Services, and Deans of Instruction solicited the MCSS council to align with their respective commission.  Due to the variation in titles, responsibilities, reportage of the MCSS council members, alignment was a challenging decision.  


In 1993, the MCSS council officially aligned with the Deans of Student Services Commission and was officially recognized by State Board for Community and Technical Colleges as the Multicultural Student Services Directors Council (MSSDC).  


In 2003, the MSSDC developed goals areas:  Member Orientation, Marketing, Policy & Advocacy, Professional Development and Students of Color Conference.  The council continues to revisit the goal areas and report to the Washington State Student Services Commission (WSSSC) on its progress.  Representatives from the MSSDC were instrumental in developing the state‐wide Diversity Assessment Framework, an institutional‐level assessment of diversity.  


This framework is utilized by many colleges within the system.  In 2006, Bates Technical College’s Dr. Borofsky was the first college president to deliver a professional development presentation to the council; and he was instrumental in providing the MSSDC with its first opportunity to bring information about the work of the MSSDC and the Students of Color Conference to the Washington Association of Community and Technical College presidents (WACTC) in 2007.

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CONSTITUTION & BYLAWS

PREAMBLE: We, the members of the Multicultural Student Services Directors' Council from the Washington State Community and Technical Colleges, advocate for greater institutional responsiveness towards systemic change for students of color and other systemically nondominant populations to create greater equity in our system through influencing state-wide policy, services and programs to further meet their academic, professional and personal needs.

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LEGACY OF OFFICERS

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MEMBERSHIP

Bates Technical College | Juliette Kern

Bellevue College | Henry Amaya

Bellingham Technical College | Amy Navarro

Big Bend Community College | Diana Villafana

Cascadia College | Larissa Tikhonova

Centralia Community College | Jessica Ramirez

Clark College | Nicole Harris

Clover Park Technical College | Yuko Chartraw

Columbia Basin College | Bennie Moses

Edmonds Community College | Eduardo Torres

Everett Community College | Dorrin Wanjiru

Grays Harbor Community College | Rick Sommer

Green River Community College | Marwa Almusawi

Highline College | Edwina Fui

Lake Washington Institute of Technology   | Julie Ta

Lower Columbia College | Nicole Faber

North Seattle College | Kendall Cook

Olympic College | Jodie Collins

Peninsula College | VACANT 

Pierce College - Ft. Steilacoom | Joey Adams

Pierce College - Puyallup | Mical DeGraaf

Renton Technical College | Ty Somerville

Seattle Central College | Mikaila Harris

Shoreline Community College | Jamie Ardena

Skagit Valley College | Rick Flores

South Puget Sound Community College | Quinton Neal

South Seattle College | Mica Hunter

Spokane Community College | Guillermo Espinosa

Spokane Falls Community College | Cythia Vigil

Tacoma Community College | VACANT

Walla Walla Community College | Nadine Stecklein

Wenatchee Valley Community College | Marichuy Alvízar

Whatcom Community College | Tanya Zaragoza-Rosas

Yakima Valley Community College | Elizabeth DeVilleneuve

SBCTC Liaison Representative | Yokiko Hayashi-Saguil
WSSSC Liaison Representative | Claire Peindo

Diversity and Equity Officer Commission Liaison | D’Andre Fisher

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EXECUTIVE LEADERSHIP

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President

MARWA ALMUSAWI

Green River College

253.833.9111

malmusawi@greenriver.edu

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