Three campus fixtures—La Salle TV, The Nonprofit Center, and the Multicultural and International Center—marked significant anniversaries. 

La Salle University is known for its core values.  One of them is service. 

Over nearly 160 years, the University has found many ways to serve its community, including the creation of organizations and centers that call campus home. These resources help students learn and grow by creating and strengthening a sense of belonging and help campus neighbors feel supported. 

La Salle TV, the Multicultural and International Center, and The Nonprofit Center at La Salle recently celebrated milestone moments in their separate histories at La Salle. Here, these fixtures share their journeys and histories, from initial ideas to full-fledged institutions. 

La Salle TV 

Located in La Salle University’s Communication Center is La Salle TV, an educational cable access television station that has grown from humble beginnings of a message board to full-fledged station with 24-hour programming. 

Tonya Ellis, ’95, M.A. ’02, La Salle TV’s station manager, saw the channel at its start in the 1991-92 academic year as a student. Recently celebrating 30 years on air, the station reaches more than 300,000 Philadelphia homes. And the programs, ranging from sports commentary to local news, and even a low-budget game show, come to life completely through student involvement under Ellis’ guidance. Students from any college or academic program on campus can join La Salle TV, Ellis said. And the skills they gain from learning how to write, shoot, host, edit, and produce a television program go a long way. 

Ellis said if students wish to pursue a career in television production or multimedia journalism, there’s a network of alumni and internships they can connect with. Steven Silvestro, ’20, joined La Salle TV as a first-year student and produced SportsLine for three-and-a-half years. Today, he is assistant editor at Glass Entertainment Group in Philadelphia. Silvestro said the experience he gained at the station was a solid foundation for his career. “It was my happy place,” he said. 

Greg Shannon, ’22, currently produces the game show on the channel, Q&A, and hopes to continue in the field of film and television after graduation. He pointed to Ellis’ mentorship as a strength for the La Salle TV team. “Everyone works together,” he added. 

The station’s evolution, through advancements in technology, its guidance from communication department, and ability to adapt to what people want to watch has helped fuel the channel’s success. Ellis said the involvement her job has in uplifting community voices also makes the experience invaluable to the staff and viewers. “We can be that hyper-journalism outlet,” she said. 

The Nonprofit Center at La Salle University

Building the capacity of nonprofits  to better support their communities is always on the mind of Kara Wentworth, director of The Nonprofit Center at La Salle. Established in 1981 by executive-in-residence Everett Frank and Joe Kane, a former dean of La Salle’s School of Business, The Nonprofit Center began as a management training program for social service agencies. 

Today, the Center has grown to assist a wide range of organizations with more than just management training, but also research and customized consulting and trainings on a range of topics from strategic planning to implementing diversity, equity, and inclusion. Karen Simmons and Laura Otten succeeded Frank and Kane, giving the reins to Wentworth in 2021. Through each director, the vision of The Nonprofit Center shifts. With Simmons, there was a focus on developing and expanding the programming to meet changing market needs. With Otten, expanding the center’s reach and making the center more independent became top goals. Now in the hands of Wentworth, she wants to create more collaboration between her team and clients making it feel more like a collective. 

Longstanding partnerships with The Nonprofit Center cover the Greater Philadelphia area and nation, including many nonprofits, foundations, community colleges, and corporations.  Partners have included the National Park Service, PECO, and hundreds of nonprofits and foundations of all sizes.One important goal for Wentworth, she said, is to involve the La Salle alumni community more. 

“We would love to have more alums involved whether you work with a nonprofit that is seeking support, a corporation honing social impact strategy, or if you might be interested in joining our consultant community” Wentworth said.  Alums can also take any of their open workshops at the member rate!  You can reach the Nonprofit Center team at nonprofitcenter@lasalle.edu to connect.

Multicultural and International Center

Director of Multicultural Affairs Cherylyn Rush has seen the ebb and flow of La Salle’s Multicultural and International Center over her 20-plus-year tenure at La Salle University.

While the Center’s programs have changed since its creation in the 1991-92 academic year, its mission remains the same: to support students with resources and raise cultural awareness on campus. Historically, the Multicultural and International Center has provided a variety of academic support and personal development services and events for students from diverse backgrounds. It also offers advocacy and advisement for U.S. minority students, international students, and students interested in studying abroad.

Dr. Joanne Jones Barnett founded the Multicultural Affairs Office in September 1991. The office later combined with the International education department, first led by Elaine Mshomba.

Through the Multicultural and International Center’s various leaders, traditions within the M&IC have been created—like the Multicultural Recognition Ceremony, through which students have the opportunity to celebrate their different cultures together, Rush states that the traditional programs and events creates a strong bond between the M&IC and the 10 student organizations under its umbrella. (These orgs include African American Student League, American-Asian Student Intercultural Association, and the Muslim Students’ Association.) She said many students feel a long-lasting bond with the center and continue to visit as alumni.

“Our students know there are people and resources at the M&IC that are here to help them succeed,” Rush said. “That impactful connection keeps our alumni close to us.”

And while there are still steps to take, Rush said she sees how the M&IC’s impact on promoting diversity and inclusion on La Salle’s campus has made it a safe space for its community. 

“Like any university, our campus community includes students, faculty, and staff from all walks of life, with representation from countless geographic regions and socio-economic backgrounds,” she said. “We as a university need to continue making progress on diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives in our community, and the M&IC will always serve as a resource and advocate for our community on related issues. Our work is to make La Salle’s campus as inclusive and welcoming as possible, and we are doing just that.” 

— Meg Ryan