Mississippi State University’s Holmes Cultural Diversity Center, housed in the Colvard Student Union, is gearing up for renovations as it undergoes an expansion.
 The Holmes Cultural Diversity Center is named after Dr. Richard E. Holmes who was the first African American to attend MSU in 1965. In 1991, MSU recognized Dr. Holmes by naming the center in his honor.
    Today, the Center is the home to over 10 organizations and is rapidly growing. A place for minority students and faculty to go, the HCDC is a welcome center to feel at home and comfortable.
  The HCDC was not always located in the center of campus, but was on the outskirts of campus in a house like building. About 10 years ago, the center was brought to campus and has become a very important addition to MSU and the Colvard Student Union ever since.
Assistant Dean of Students, Raymond W. Brooks, said it was very important to bring the HCDC over because if MSU is trying to bring everything together and be unified, it only makes sense to have somewhere to go to make that happen.
 “Over the years, the HCDC has grown and being the umbrella to many organizations, it is an extraordinary thing to see,” Brooks said.
   Brooks said it is quite natural to feel growing pains and to service students and faculty correctly, more space is needed.
    “At some point, I am sure, there may be a need for even more space, but this will be the first step in finding adequate space to provide them for the groups they are servicing,” Brooks said. 
  The expansion will take about two of the meeting rooms, and the increase will be about 85 percent. Enrollment of MSU is steadily rising with the numbers of minority students, so more space is necessary. The staff and organizations in the HCDC are expanding each semester, making the call for extra space for meeting rooms and offices a priority.
  According to Brooks, all plans are made, and now, thoughts and planning are being implemented as to when the reconstruction will take place. 
       “No one has picked a day,” Brooks said, “even though I am sure everyone wished it could have been yesterday, but I would be shocked if we haven’t started on it by the end of this semester. There is no doubt in my mind, this time next year we will definitely be up and running.”
Senior criminology major, Denisha Suggs said that as a student and minority she feels the expansion will benefit everyone tremendously.
    “I love the HCDC for what it stands for and what it has done for students,” Suggs said. “I would love to see the center grow, get more and more exposure and continue to help students as they go through their college careers.”