Bhisé Global Understanding Project

Bhisé Global Understanding Project

An expansive program exploring critical global issues and preparing the next generation of global thinkers and leaders.

The Bhisé Global Understanding Project is a multidisciplinary program focused on exploring critical global issues and educating students to think globally and be prepared for leadership roles in our world. The program–which welcomes and encourages the involvement and perspectives from across the University including business, the humanities, the sciences, the arts, and the health professions–encompasses:

  • 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 program will be rooted in creating an understanding of the world based on verifiable facts and will initially focus on the Indian subcontinent.

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

Tackling Timely and Timeless Topics

The Bhisé Global Understanding Project 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

The Bhisé Global Learning Experience to India

The Bhisé Global Learning Experience to India provides an immersive 10-day study tour of India, including New Delhi, Goa, and Mumbai. Guided by Adelphi faculty members, students visit businesses, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), healthcare facilities, environmental programs, Universities, schools and cultural institutions to gain a deeper understanding of the country—and to enhance their global mindset.

The program also includes curricular, co-curricular and extracurricular components for the entire Adelphi University community, focusing on Indian economics, politics, culture and society.

Participation in the program is limited to eight juniors and seniors, who are selected through a competitive application process. The 2023-2024 participants are:

  • Kelvin Abraham, a senior majoring in nursing
  • Lila Ariste, a senior majoring in biology
  • Joacim Carhed, a senior majoring in management
  • Carolina Chaves, a senior majoring in management
  • Khamkay Inthavong, a senior majoring in management and international studies
  • Alexandra Lee, a senior majoring in criminal justice and sociology
  • Michelle Sarker, a senior majoring in health sciences
  • Anna Varveris, a junior majoring in international relations

Additionally, each student will be conducting a research project during and after the trip, which will be presented at the 2024 Scholarship and Creative Works Conference in April 2024.

Faculty Fellowships and Research Grants

Support for scholarly research and creative work is a significant component of the Bhisé Global Understanding Project. 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 Project Speaker Series

The untold history of colonialism in Kenya was the subject of the inaugural lecture of the Bhisé Global Understanding Project’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. See upcoming Bhisé Global Understanding Project Speaker Series events.

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