Tonight the Office of Multicultural Affairs will host the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Celebration of Excellence from 5-6 p.m. OMA has invited faculty, staff, key administrators and two members of the Board of Trustees to honor selected students.

After the reception, a play called “The Meeting” will be shown. “The Meeting” is a fictional encounter between King and Malcolm X. The play is “part of OMA’s gift to the campus community,” said Sallye McKee, associate provost for Multicultural and Academic Affairs.

McKee said OMA works with students, faculty, staff, and alumni “to ensure that the University of Denver will continue to be an exceptional private institution that seeks to achieve excellence through diversity.”

She said OMA seeks to foster a campus community “that is distinguished by inclusiveness, collaboration, involvement, responsiveness and accountability.”

Preceding the play, OMA will honor those students who have excelled at DU as well as those who have supported these students, including parents, caregivers, faculty, and staff. OMA said 112 undergraduate students of color are eligible for the fall 2001 Dean’s List with 27 of these students receiving a grade point average of 4.00. In addition, 171 students of color achieved a 3.50 GPA or better. OMA said 287 students of color achieved a grade point average higher than 3.00.

“Martin Luther King, Jr.’s life and work provided an outstanding role model and blueprint for our struggle to be the best that we can while working to improve diversity and social justice,” said McKee. McKee, who was appointed associate provost for OMA last fall, said her role is to provide leadership for the campus on student, faculty, staff and alumni issues which are related to the development of enhanced diversity on campus.