Celebrating 40 Years of Community Building
Since 1985, the Society for Multicultural Scientists has held true to its original concept of students supporting students.
With over 4,000 undergraduate students, the College of Sciences can feel like a big place. Jamila Simpson, the associate dean for college success and well-being and a three-time NC State graduate, can relate.
“I’m from a town that has fewer people than NC State does, so the university felt really big when I first arrived,” she said.
Simpson joined the student-led Society for Multicultural Scientists (SMS), which provided a supportive community where she could thrive academically and professionally. She eventually became its president, a role she credits with helping her develop leadership skills.
“SMS was one of the first communities I was part of at NC State, and it felt good to find a place where people believed in me and encouraged me to finish my science degree,” said Simpson, who now serves as the organization’s advisor.
SMS remains one of the many organizations students can join to find and build community at the college and NC State. It has evolved over time, but has retained its original concept of students supporting students. This year, SMS celebrates 40 years of community building at the college. In honor of this milestone, we’re looking back at the organization’s history and impact.
Society for Multicultural Scientists: How It All Began
Kevin Clark ’89 ’91, who holds bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science from NC State, remembers being one of only a few Black students in his 100-plus person undergraduate physics class. The number of Black students at the College of Sciences — known as the College of Physical and Mathematical Sciences (PAMS) at the time — was small, and they naturally found each other.
“Five or six of us would get together to study. The goal was to support each other academically and socially, and to interface with administration at the college,” Clark said. “Creating that community helped us each achieve more than we could have individually.”
The study group became the Society of Black Physical and Mathematical Scientists, and later the Society of African American Physical and Mathematical Scientists. The organization grew to include students of all STEM disciplines and cultural backgrounds, eventually taking on its current name.
The organization helped Clark and his peers build confidence and explore new opportunities.
“Having that support group showed us that we could succeed academically, but also that we had to make a path for others,” he said. “We started working with first-year and sophomore students who came to NC State wide-eyed.”
“People in the sciences have more options than they realize. STEM degrees are applicable to so many areas beyond labs.”
Clark went on to earn a doctorate in instructional systems from Pennsylvania State University. He has had a successful career in higher education, digital technology and children’s media, having held positions in organizations like Netflix and the National Science Foundation.
He remains involved with NC State, giving of his time and resources to improve the college experience for current students. Clark and Meredith Williams ’94 Ph.D., the first Black woman to earn a doctorate in physics from NC State, endowed a scholarship in honor of Wandra Hill, one of their mentors. Hill became the minority student affairs coordinator at PAMS in 1984 and retired as the assistant dean for multicultural affairs and student services in 2008.
“I hope SMS continues to help students academically and socially, and helps them realize their professional potential beyond NC State,” Clark said. “People in the sciences have more options than they realize. STEM degrees are applicable to so many areas beyond labs.”
Continuing to Cultivate Connection
Some of the lasting benefits of SMS have been mentorship and student access to college leadership. Simpson remembers the organization meeting in a small space in the dean’s office when she was a student.
“The dean would drop in and ask, ‘How can I be supportive?’” Simpson said. “College leadership began to see how valuable student input was. They also mentored us, and I will never forget that or take it for granted.”
Inspired by those informal run-ins between college leaders and SMS students, the college left room for dedicated student space when it moved into its current administrative building, the Bureau of Mines.
As advisor of SMS, Simpson continues to prioritize these aspects of the organization, building long-lasting relationships with students and ensuring their needs are heard by the rest of the college’s administrators. Jalen Franklin, a sophomore biological sciences major, is one of the students who has been able to connect with Simpson — and other students and faculty — through SMS.
Franklin learned about SMS in one of Simpson’s classes and now serves on the executive board as the organization’s representative. His responsibilities include securing funding and representing SMS at the College of Sciences Council.
He and the rest of the executive board focus on putting on events that will enrich the social and academic experience of SMS members. They host social activities like movie nights and career-centered workshops like resume building. SMS is also making it a priority to integrate service into their work. They’re hoping to start volunteering regularly as a student group with Feed the Pack.
SMS Through the Years
Franklin is a Park Scholar, which gives him a built-in community at NC State, but he’s grateful to have found a community within his college.
“Having a community at your college level, no matter how big or small, makes all the difference in terms of your NC State experience,” he said. “Through SMS, we can support each other through the challenges that come with being in a STEM major. It helps to have people who know what you’re going through.”
Connecting with students from across the college — and STEM majors across NC State — through SMS has provided valuable support for Franklin, but he’s also learned how to offer it.
“SMS has shown me how to lift people up and support them,” he said.
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