An inclusive initiative exploring critical global issues and preparing the next generation of global thinkers and leaders.
Fostering global awareness and preparing students for leadership while addressing pressing global challenges.
The Bhisé Center for Global Understanding (formerly the Bhisé Global Understanding Project) is a multidisciplinary initiative focused on exploring critical global issues and educating students to think globally and be prepared for leadership roles in our world. The Center welcomes and encourages involvement and perspectives from across Adelphi University—including business, the humanities, the sciences, the arts, and the health professions—encompassing:
- Curriculum development
- Faculty fellowships and research grants
- On-campus programming including speakers and visiting artists
- Student travel experiences
Funded by a generous gift from Adelphi University alumnus Bharat Bhisé, MBA ’78, the Center for Global Understanding is rooted in creating an understanding of the world based on verifiable facts and will initially focus on the Indian subcontinent.
Extraordinary Minds: Student Campaign for Goa Conservation
As students in the Bhisé Center for Global Understanding, Caroline Chaves and Michelle Sarker devised their Greening Goa campaign after experiencing the natural beauty of India. They presented this at Adelphi’s Scholarship and Creative Works Conference last April.
Through greater education, this project will address the root causes of the breakdown of globalization, with the goal to reverse this recent trend. Understanding the different perspectives and roots of these issues is critical for our next generation of global leaders and ultimately could address the divisiveness we see in the world today.
Bharat Bhisé, MBA ‘78
CEO and founder of Bravia Capital
Facts vs. News
Facts vs. News: Navigating Truth in Today’s Media: A Conversation with Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Nicholas Kristof—the keynote presentation of the 2024 Scholarship and Creative Works Conference—was sponsored by the Bhisé Center for Global Understanding.
Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Nicholas Kristof was the 2024 keynoter at Adelphi’s 21st Scholarship and Creative Works Conference—speaking on the topic “Facts vs. News: Navigating Truth in Today’s Media.”
From Art to Healthcare to Human Rights, Faculty Members Contemplate the Consequences of Colonialism
Faculty from across academic disciplines came together to share their grant-funded research on the impact of colonialism on our past, present and future in a panel discussion at the 2024 Scholarship and Creative Works Conference sponsored by the Bhisé Global Understanding Project.
Tandra Chakraborty, PhD, professor and chair of the Department of Biology, discussed her laboratory research with students on the effects of ashwagandha, a traditional Ayurvedic supplement, as well as its use in India before, during and after British colonization.
David Pierce, assistant professor of art and art history, shared the meaning and purpose of his efforts to artistically rebrand the Vietnam National Fine Arts Museum, bringing culturally significant design elements to this French Colonial building.
Benjamin Serby, PhD, assistant professor in the Honors College, delved into his archival research related to the Russell Tribunal, also known as the International War Crimes Tribunal, which investigated te actions of the United States in Vietnam during the Vietnam War.
During an event that kicked off Adelphi’s April 2024 Scholarship and Creative Works Conference, panelists Benjamin Serby, PhD, Honors College assistant professor; Tandra Chakraborty, PhD, chair of the Department of Biology; and David Pierce, assistant professor of art and art history, spoke about “Research and Creative Works on Colonialism in South Asia.”
Tackling Timely and Timeless Topics
The Bhisé Center for Global Understanding will seek to explore issues such as:
- Globalization and De-Globalization
- Truth in News and History
- Definitions of Corruption and Ethics
- Colonialism and Slavery (and the role they have played in the economic inequality observed in the world today)
- Trade Routes and Cultural Development
- The World’s Oldest and Largest Democracies
- The Quadrilateral Security Dialogue, commonly known as the Quad, between Australia, India, Japan and the United States
Faculty Fellowships and Research Grants
Support for scholarly research and creative work is a significant component of the Bhisé Center for Global Understanding. Grants are aimed at increasing attention to issues of globalization, colonialism and postcolonialism in South Asia and across the world.
The project annually provides fellowships to two Adelphi faculty members, who lead the Bhisé Global Experience to India and teach a 360 seminar-style course on colonialism in the spring semester. The first two Bhisé Faculty Fellows—Rakesh Gupta, associate professor of decision sciences and marketing, and Chrisann Newransky, PhD, associate professor of social work—were named in Fall 2023.
Bhisé faculty research grants are awarded to seven recipients each year. Projects may focus on research, creative endeavors or new course development in any academic discipline. Grants for the 2023-2024 academic year went to:
- Charles Baker, professor of accounting and law
Examining Colonial Control through Chartered Accounting - Melanie Bush, professor of sociology
Coloniality and Decoloniality in India: Lived Experiences in India - Tandra Chakraborty, professor and chair of the Department of Biology
Investigation of Ayurvedic Medicine - Katie Laatikainen, professor of political science and international relations
A Comparative Analysis of Indian Multilateralism: From Non-Alignment to Multipolarity - David Pierce, assistant professor of art and art history
Branding of Vietnam Fine Arts Museum (holder of colonial artifacts) - Benjamin Serby, assistant professor in the Honors College
Human Rights Violations During the U.S.-Vietnam War - Monica Yang, professor and chair of the Department of Management
Corporate Social Responsibility in Pre- and Post- Colonial India - Kirsten Ziomek, associate professor of history
Korean comfort women “fighters” in WWII in India
Campus Events
Pulitzer Prize-Winning Author Launches Bhisé Global Understanding Speaker Series
The untold history of colonialism in Kenya was the subject of the inaugural lecture of the Bhisé Center for Global Understanding’s Distinguished Lecture Series in November. “A Global Reckoning: Colonialism and the Quest for Justice,” featured Caroline Elkins, PhD, a Harvard University professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning author. Joanne Corbin, PhD, dean of the School of Social Work, moderated the talk.
