On October 25, the Shippensburg University campus community gathered to pay tribute to Ms. Diane L. Jefferson ’76, the late director of the Office of Multicultural Student Affairs (MSA).
Jefferson, who passed away on June 21, was the inaugural director of the program. Affectionately known as, Ms. Di, she was a first-generation college student and an alumna of the Act 101 Program at Ship. She was an early member of the Afro-Am Organization and Harmonic Voices of Truth. With the establishment of the Office of Multi-Cultural Student Affairs, she was named director in 1989.
During a special event, on Homecoming Weekend, Shippensburg University President Charles E. Patterson announced three special tributes to honor Ms. Di; the naming of the Diane L. Jefferson Multicultural Student Affairs program, the establishment of a fund for MSA through the SU Foundation, which will aid with programming, student emergencies, and other student needs and the naming of the Afro-AM room as the Diane L. Jefferson Afro-AM.
A sign outside of Gilbert Hall and a memorial plaque were unveiled during the ceremony and will serve as a lasting reminder of her life’s work, and her love for the Shippensburg Community.
“The greatest way we can honor Ms. Di’s legacy is to carry forward that same spirit, to lead with kindness when the world feels harsh, to show compassion instead of anger, and to ensure that every student – regardless of color, creed, culture, gender, orientation, or identity – feels that same sense of belonging that Ms. Di cultivated at Ship. These tributes will serve as a lasting reminder and more than that, they are a promise that we will continue to nurture, challenge, and uplift one another, just as she did,” said Patterson during the event.
The three part tribute was the coordinated effort of an ad-hoc committee that included Wanda Bankhead ’80, Dr. Leslie Folmer Clinton ’82, president and CEO of the SU Foundation, Lance Hines-Butts ’22, Dr. Khalid Mumin ’95, Tashyanna Walters ’26 and Dr. Manny Ruiz, associate vice president for Inclusion and Belonging.
“May every student who walks through these doors feel valued, cared for, and capable because this is what Ms. Di would have wanted, and that is what we all want for every student at Shippensburg University,” concluded Patterson.
The university is actively searching for the next Director of the Diane L. Jefferson Multicultural Student Affairs program and seeks a candidate who will carry on the university mission with the same kindness, compassion and love Jefferson brought to Ship each day.
Those interested in contributing the the Diane L. Jefferson Memorial Fund can do so through the SU Foundation.
