The National Organization of Minority Architecture Students (NOMAS) is dedicated to racial and cultural pluralism in the architecture profession. NOMAS is an academic, professional, and service organization that seeks to provide the collective voice of minority architecture students within the school by building a sense of community based on shared experiences unique to minority students. Through strong leadership, service, and networking with minority professionals, NOMAS serves as an anchor for the accomplishments of minority students.

 

The Illinois chapter was founded in 1978 by Ernest Clay. As a Project 500 student at Illinois in the mid-1960s, Clay was one of the first African-American students to enroll in the school, and he later became an accomplished architect and professor. It is on this spirit of accomplishment that the proud tradition of NOMAS seeks to build its foundation.