The Dr. Kiran C. Patel Center for Global Solutions is a results-oriented research center that contributes to solving world problems through the application of cutting-edge technology, innovative policy advice to governments and educational programs that enhance global sustainability. Established in 2005 through the generous support of Drs. Kiran C. and Pallavi Patel, the center focuses on improving the living conditions of the world’s most vulnerable citizens within a context of cultural and environmental sensitivity.
The Patel Center is dedicated to working with the university community to identify challenges faced by developing countries and then to create practical solutions. Interdisciplinary research techniques are employed that focus on the natural, social and economic environments within those countries.
The Patel Center is home to two interdisciplinary academic journals, Globalizations (Routledge) and Organization & Environment (Sage), that have enhanced its worldwide reputation as an applied research center. After accomplishing so much so quickly, it’s easy to see why the Patel Center is poised to be unstoppable.
A host of giving and naming opportunities exist within this exciting, forward-thinking global initiative—including research, training and exchange programs, ongoing sustainability projects, and the new Patel Center facility (USF’s first green building).
Student and Faculty Support
Undergraduate Global Research Scholars. The Patel Center encourages undergraduates to develop their research skills by focusing on global challenges. Your generous gift allows each student to earn credit toward coursework or independent study on campus while being mentored by a faculty member, followed by a capstone experience in a developing country.
In past years, Undergraduate Global Research Scholars have worked to address freshwater problems in the Monteverde Zone in Costa Rica, researched the impact of development along the Pacific Coast of Mexico and assessed water needs in Miches, Dominican Republic.
Global Graduate Student Training. The Patel Center hosts annual programs for students from developing countries that use Tampa Bay as a laboratory for learning best practices in confronting water and basic sanitation issues in growing urban environments. Your generous gift will help to underwrite the partnership between the Center and the Netherlands-based UNESCO-IHE (Institute for Water Education), the premier global center for graduate training of future environmental leaders.
Through faculty and USF graduate student exchanges, joint research projects and lectures, this strategic partnership promises to help create a world in which people manage their environmental resources in a sustainable manner—particularly in impoverished areas.
Faculty Research Fellows. The Patel Center appoints faculty research fellows annually to support research-based solutions to challenges identified in the United Nations 2000 Millennium Development Goals.
Research focuses on:
- Access to drinking water and basic sanitation in the developing world
- Impact of urbanization on emerging nations—nearly 75 percent of the world’s population lives in urban settings
- Adoption of sustainable community-based productive activities that preserve local ecosystems
Patel Center Facility
Constructed to meet the criteria of the prestigious Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification, the Patel Center is the first “green” building on campus. By pursuing its mission, as well as housing interdisciplinary and international programs, the Patel Center is well positioned to advance the university’s interdisciplinary scholarship goals. Such programs may include a Graduate Center for Sustainable Healthy Communities, the International Affairs Center, the Confucius Institute and a new Center for India Studies.
This modern facility, equipped with state-of-the-art teleconferencing and audio/visual communications capabilities, will include space for conferences and exhibits and a prominent lobby for receptions. Donor naming opportunities are available from $100,000 to $3 million.
Teacher Training Programs
Global Teacher Training Program. Our goal is to expand programming to train teachers from developing countries at USF. The Patel Center seeks to replicate the model it developed with the College of Education for a 2008 U.S. Department of State grant, bringing 35 teachers from the Dominican Republic and Haiti for a six-week training course at USF, followed by a capstone session in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 2009. Coursework will focus on democracy and diversity, teacher training and English language enhancement. Future courses may address sustainable development issues.
Global Schools Project – Local Teachers. The Patel Center collaborated with USF’s College of Education to develop the Global Schools Project, an initiative emphasizing global education in public high schools in Hillsborough and Pasco Counties and designed to enhance learning, academic performance and workforce preparation among students in participating high schools. Through comprehensive training and preparation, teachers will master and practice the skills necessary to teach students to succeed in a globalized world. This innovative teaching strategy includes kinesthetic and affective modes of learning, experiential learning and case study discussions on issues relevant to adolescents.
Global Citizens Workshop – Global Schools Project. The Patel Center facilitates discussion groups with teachers from area schools to share ideas about global citizenship. The participants incorporate workshop findings in lesson plans and then share them with their students.
Africa Faculty and Research Exchange
Development practitioners have identified the strong correlation between a country’s educational system and its ability to improve its citizens’ quality of life. In Sub-Saharan Africa, educational systems suffer from inadequate funding and a shortage of qualified teachers. Relying on the expertise, experience and established networks of USF, this initiative will address faculty needs at universities across Sub-Saharan Africa.
Global Scholars’ Exchange – University of Ghana. Many faculty members at the University of Ghana do not possess terminal degrees, and most do not have the time or resources to acquire them. The Patel Center is developing a faculty exchange program in which UG faculty will come to USF for four to nine months in order to complete a PhD while a USF faculty member, or qualified graduate student, will spend that same time period in Ghana covering the courses of the UG faculty member. The benefits are two-fold: the UG faculty will spend time at a U.S. Research I university and take advantage of its faculty and library resources, while the USF participants gain valuable experience teaching in Ghana. This program could easily be duplicated in other countries.
The Patel Center for Global Solutions is bringing the world to the University of South Florida and is making a world of difference around the globe in the process. Working together, we will build on this momentum. Working together, we will be unstoppable.
