NORTH MANCHESTER — Toyota said Tuesday it was donating $250,000 to Manchester University for a new intercultural center on the university’s North Manchester campus and to name a multipurpose space in the building.

Groundbreaking for the $1 million Jean Childs Young Intercultural Center is expected Feb. 1, with completion next fall, Toyota and Manchester said. Some work on the site began this month.

The building will feature a circular domed space named the Toyota Round that is to become a campus focal point for multicultural discussions and programming.

The center is named for Young, a 1954 Manchester alumna and former trustee and the wife of U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young. She was a teacher and was an advocate for education, children’s welfare and civil rights.

Toyota’s education community partnerships “help to develop programs that empower students to learn, achieve and succeed,” said Al Smith Jr., group vice president and chief social innovation officer for Toyota Motor North America, in the statement.

“Bringing the campus and communities together around issues of diversity and inclusion fits well with Toyota’s commitment to Diversity & Inclusion, which is grounded in our guiding principles: continuous improvement and respect for people,” Smith said.

“We are deeply grateful for this donation from Toyota Motor North America,” Manchester President David F. McFadden said in the statement.

“The Toyota Round will be a valuable resource for our students as well as the communities that surround us.”

Source: Journal Gazette