To accommodate the increasing diversity at educational institutions and to make diverse students feel welcomed, these institutions are working toward achieving multiculturalism and developing multicultural competencies among students. The multicultural competencies refer to the awareness, knowledge, and skills needed to work with others who are culturally different. Campus physical environment plays a role towards developing multicultural competencies among students but, but few studies examined this relationship. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to explore relationship between physical design elements of campus (i.e., art, signage, interior design, architecture, landscape design and graffiti) and multicultural competencies of university students. To examine this relationship, Astin's Input Environment Output (I-E-O) model (1993) was adopted to create theoretical framework.The study employed mixed methods. Quantitative data was collected through a questionnaire survey in first phase of the study and qualitative data through a design charrette in the second phase of the study. The objectives of this study were: 1) to perform literature review about designed elements of campus, and their relationship to campus multiculturalism and multicultural competencies of students, 2) to establish a research framework using Astin's I-E-O Model to investigate the relationship between campus design elements (art, signage, interior design of buildings, architecture, landscape design, and graffiti) and multicultural competencies of students, 3) to conduct a survey of college students regarding their perceptions of environmental design elements and their multicultural competencies, and 4) to conduct a design charrette with college students and several other campus community members i.e., diversity experts, interior designers, construction management experts etc. to redesign a space on campusto enhance multiculturalism and multicultural competencies of students and to collect ideas about space design on campus to enhance multiculturalism.The findings of the study indicate that there is significant relationship between perception of physical design elements on campus and multicultural competencies of students. Several student characteristics are also significantly related to their perceived diversity support by campus design elements and their multicultural competencies. Age, Ethnicity and interaction of students with diverse people are significantly related to their perceived diversity support by campus physical design elements. Also, gender, ethnicity, nationality of students and their interaction with diverse people are found to be significantly related to their multicultural competencies.The study has both theoretical and practical implications. Theoretical implication by using Astin's I-E-O model to examine physical environment of campus and its relationship with student's multicultural competencies. Practical implications include the design suggestions provided by charrette participants regarding buildings design on campus to enhance campus multiculturalism and multicultural competencies of students.
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