With gratitude, Hillsborough Community College (HCC) announced today that it has received the largest cash gift from an individual in the College’s 50-year history. Drs. Kiran C. and Pallavi Patel have donated $1 million to HCC for the Allied Health Building and scholarships for students enrolled in health science programs. This tremendous support will serve as the lead gift for the HCC Foundation’s 50th Anniversary fundraising campaign, HCC Rising: Together We Lift Our Community.
The facility, which is currently under construction at the Dale Mabry Campus, will be named the Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel Allied Health Building. With a projected opening in the fall of 2019, the three-story, 62,670-square-foot facility will feature classrooms and lab space, along with a simulated hospital allowing multiple health science programs to work together, creating conditions found in real-life situations.
“HCC is unique in filling the gap between high school and the university,” stated Dr. Kiran Patel. “It is a means for many people that are working and trying to obtain an education. HCC has a niche of filling the requirement of such a vast community who for a variety of reasons would have been left behind and unable to access a university education right away.”
Dr. Ken Atwater, HCC president, made the gift announcement at the annual Presidential Showcase event that was held on Thursday, September 13, which served as the official kick-off to HCC’s 50th anniversary celebration.
“The HCC community is humbled and grateful for the generous support and commitment of Drs. Kiran and Pallavi Patel who are extremely passionate about the transformational impact of education on the well-being of people,” stated Dr. Ken Atwater.
The generous gift to HCC highlights the philanthropic commitment of the Patels to better the lives of people through education in the Tampa Bay community, the state of Florida and throughout the world.
The Hillsborough Community College Foundation supports HCC in its mission to deliver affordable educational opportunities that help students become successful, productive citizens. Through annual scholarships, endowments, program and faculty support, and collegewide funding initiatives, the Foundation has awarded more than $12,000,000 since its inception and changed thousands of lives for the better.
Hillsborough Community College serves over 44,000 students annually at its five campuses located throughout Tampa Bay. The college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. For more information, visit hccfl.edu