Letter from the Director - July 2020

The Center for Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion started the 2019-2020 academic year by declaring the Fall 2019 semester to be the “50^th Anniversary of the Desegregation of Frostburg State University”. Although there were a few other Black students attending the university in previous years, Frostburg saw its first Black graduate in 1961 It was not until 1969 that Frostburg made a concentrated effort to increase the enrollment of Black students at the institution. President (Dr.) Nelson P. Guild hired Mr. William Reeder Atkinson to serve as the first Minority Recruiter and his wife, Mrs. Pansye Atkinson to serve as the Coordinator of the Integration Office. I, as many others, benefited directly from the work of the Atkinsons in bringing students to the campus and supporting us academically and socially. Mrs. Atkinson was recognized at the Fall 2019 Homecoming All-Class Reunion and plans were in place to continue informing the campus of the progression of this institution from “integrating a Predominately White Institution (PWI)” to be a “diverse university” and completing the year with a celebratory fundraising banquet. These plans were interrupted by COVID-19 but will be continued once we are able to function as a fully in-person institution with all activities and events restored. Having achieved a 50% enrollment of BIPOC just a few years ago, Frostburg has come far in terms of diversity and inclusion. However, there is still so much more to do to shift the campus community achieving an inclusive, safe and welcoming environment. We encourage you to check out the CSDEI website as well as that of the University Council on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (UCDEI) for more information and updates.

Center Development

Integration Office 1969 -1972
Pansye Atkinson, Coordinator
Assistants: None

Office of Minority Affairs 1972 - 1986
Pansye Atkinson, Director
Assistants: Greg Rhodes, Herman Ellis, Thomas Varella, Jack Taylor, Fred Hord, Phyllis Casey

Office of Student Relations and Minority Affairs Fall 1986 – April 1996
Bernard Wynder, Director   
Assistant:  Stephanie Gates

Minority Student Retention (Changed to) Student Diversity Center April 1996 – December 1997
Stephanie Gates, Coordinator
Assistant: None

Student Diversity Center (Changed to) Diversity Center January 1998 – July 2002
Carmen B. Jackson, Director
Assistant: Robin V. Wynder

Diversity Center (Changed to) Center for Student Diversity, Equity and Inclusion July 2002-present
Robin V. Wynder, Director
Assistant: Victoria Snyder

Organization Chartering Timeline:

• 1969: Black Student Alliance (Founded as the Afro-American Society)
• February 16, 1974: Kappa Psi Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc.
• 1974: Start of the FSC Gospel Voices; Name later changed to the Unified Voices Under God’s Dominion
• August 27, 1976: Beta Kappa Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity Inc.
• December 18, 1976: Lambda Epsilon Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority Inc.
• April 6, 1977: Mu Upsilon Chapter of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.
• November 9, 1978: Kappa Beta Chapter of Phi Beta Sigma Fraternity Inc.
• May 11, 1979: Lambda Iota Chapter of Zeta Phi Beta Sorority Inc.
• February 12, 1983: Lambda Mu Chapter of Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc.
• 1987: National Association for the Advancement of Colored People Campus Chapter
• 1990 Approximate year of GLBTA; Name changed to Breaking Through the Glass then changed again to Spectrum in 2009
• October 19, 2002: Epsilon Zeta Chapter of Iota Phi Theta Fraternity Inc.
• May 1, 2004: African Student Association
• May 5, 2005: Pi Psi Chapter of Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc.
• September 23, 2012: National Council of Negro Women
• 2012: National Society of Black Engineers
• May 3, 2014: Alpha Omicron Chapter of Pi Lambda Phi
• January 21, 2015: Caribbean Student Association
• January 2018: Social Justice for All
• Latin American Student Organization