Multicultural Student Leadership Retreat

The University of Minnesota Morris hosts an annual Multicultural Student Leadership Retreat which involves approximately 70 students, staff and faculty each year.   This program provides an atmosphere which encourages concentrated learning and deep discussions about human difference. The retreat is funded by a variety of offices and programs on the University of Minnesota Morris campus. Contributions come from numerous offices and organizations including the Campus of Difference Initiative, Commission on Women, Student Organization Leaders Network, Minority Student Programs, Chancellor and Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs, Student Counseling, Office of Residential Life, and the Morris Campus Student Association.  

Students often return with increased enthusiasm and a heightened awareness to diversity issues on campus. They use each other as resources as they make efforts to step out of their "comfort zones" and make changes on campus. Past participants have created a documentary about campus race relations, made efforts to start a new student organization, attended meetings of other student organizations, worked on collaborative projects, written articles and encouraged their peers to see the many facets of diversity. The quality of the program and the impact it has had on the campus has given the retreat a reputation for being worthwhile and even life changing.