The Multicultural Center at SDSU, which aims to provide a welcoming environment and implememnt diversity education, has recruited a new Milticultural Affairs director, Shelly Bayer.

“Dr. Shelly Bayer was selected for the position of Director of Multicultural Affairs following the national search that was conducted this past summer and the recent transition of Kas Williams from this position to a new role in Pennsylvania,” Irakoze Naftari, the retention adviser for African American Programs, said.

What makes the office of multicultural affairs (OMA) team strong is the fact that students and staff all come from different backgrounds were they have been exposed to different knowledge and experience, Nftari said.

“With Dr. Bayer as the new director, I am looking forward to seeing how she contributes her knowledge and experiences to ensure that we remain committed to our values, mission and vision of the OMA,” Naftari said.

Bayer has previously worked at SDSU for 20 years doing various roles. The most recent one was at the Center for the Enhancement of Teaching and Learning (CETL), where she worked with faculty and graduate teaching assistants to become more effective teachers.

Bayer mentioned that she had obtained her doctorate in adult and higher education, and her master’s in instructional and curricular studies.

She has a background in educational training and advocacy. In addition to, “inclusion and access, as they have been embedded into my work throughout her career,” she said.

“All students have the potential to learn and be successful,” Bayer said. “As an educator with over 25 years of experience, this is a core belief for me. I’m excited to directly work to create opportunities to ensure that all students are receiving opportunities to grow to their fullest potential.”

She has attended and met with the organizations within the Multicultural Center like the Gender & Sexualities Alliance (GSA), Black Student Alliance (BSA) and the Latin American Student Association (LASA) to introduce herself and interact with the students. 

“I think that Shelly Bayer is a kind person who is working towards having the Multicultural Center be as successful as it can possibly be,” Bailey Biegler, a senior in conservation planning and parks management and president of GSA, said. “She cares about the students and wishes to help and support them.”

Biegler said that a goal for GSA would be to have more support for the LGBTQ+ students and to educate members of the SDSU campus and Brookings community.  

Asledi Castillo, a sophomore construction management major and vice president of LASA, said some goals for LASA is to have more publicity, as it would obtain more Latin and non Latin students to learn about the Latin culture. It allows for us to meet peers of our same age, culture and beliefs, Castillo said.

“Understanding different cultures can be difficult as you will never understand it fully,” Castillo said. “But if you have an appreciation of our differences and communicate with your diverse students you would definitely be a step closer to understanding each and every one of us, as we are all the same but different in our own way. I believe that Shelly Bayer is a good candidate for this position and that she brings these qualities to the Multicultural Center without difficulty.”

With her position, she wants to first gain an understanding of what the students need, and then turn it into action. 

Bayer’s office is in the Multicultural Center, which is on the upper level of the Student Union. 

“I would greatly enjoy it if students would introduce themselves to me and personally learn that I want to support them,” Bayer said.

You are welcome to contact her through her email at [email protected].