Student Affairs : MOSAIC : About Us : History

History

The establishment of the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center was a result of a racial incident that occurred on campus between an African American student and a White administrator sometime in the mid 1990’s. The student was trying to enter a building near closing time when the Administrator decided he would not let the student in. Some words were exchanged including the "N" word that was used by the administrator.

Naturally, concerned students, staff, and faculty on campus came together and created a list of demands for the President, including the idea of creating an African American House.

Assuming that other communities would demand their own center, the President decided to induct a Multicultural Center. A Task Force was formed in order to assist in the strategic planning and vision of the center.

The Center was first established in 1998 and was given to the Division of Student Affairs to provide funding and management. The name “MOSAIC” got its name from Mariela Garcia, a student who won a naming contest for the center in 1999. The original acronym stood for "Multicultural Opportunities and Student Awareness In different Cultures.” Over time, the acronym was lost and the word MOSAIC stood alone to be defined as it is in standard dictionaries. During the summer of 2002, MOSAIC went through another name change and is now officially called the MOSAIC Cross Cultural Center.

Since 2002, MOSAIC has grown exponentially in terms of its human resources, programs and services, and the amount of students that we now serve. MOSAIC continues to thrive and we will remain committed to provide excellent service, programs, advocacy, and growth opportunities for SJSU students, faculty, staff, and community members.