Florida's Nova Southeastern University has opened its Tampa Bay campus this weekend after completing the project in a record 17-month period, which was attributed to Indian American doctor and philanthropist Dr Kiran C. Patel.
"It was a mission impossible that's been made possible," said Nova Southeastern University president George Hanbury. Echoing similar view, Toby Manulak, vice president of Moss Construction said, "Moss has built a lot of projects but I don't think we've built one this fast."
The 325,000-square-foot campus in Clearwater will have Dr Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine, Dr Pallavi Patel College of Health Care Sciences and Ron and Kathy Assaf Collge of Nursing. The new campus enables NSU to increase its capacity to proeduce more doctors to address the growing need for physicians, particularly in under-served, multicultural and international communities.
Dr Kiran Patel, a longtime Tampa Bay cardiologist, entrepreneur and philanthropist, who contributed $250 million for the campus took upon his shoulder the task of building the project in a short period of 17 months and made it possible. The new facility will accommodate 1,200 student this fall with a cafeteria, physical therapy rooms, faculty offices overlooking a courtyard and lecture halls.
The NSU campus in Clearwater is expected to take in 2,000 students and employ 600 staff, creating a $550 million economic impact, making the Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine the largest medical school in Florida, and the third-largest in America.
Born in Zambia, Kiran Patel pursued his medical education in Gujarat and worked in Tampa Bay as cardiologist. His wife Pallavi Patel too was a doctor from Gujarat and the couple have remained in headlines for their philanthropy in the state of Florida for long.
The doctor couple have already acquired 50 hectares of land near Bharuch in Gujarat to set up a medical college hospital in collaboration with Nova Southeastern University's Tampa Bay campus. Eventually, they want to set up two more colleges in India in rural areas. Beaming lessons directly from Tampa and sending faculty to Indian medical colleges regularly are some of the visions they cherish.
Awaiting Medical Council of India's approvals, Kiran Patel said, "I hope the Indian authorities will be expeditious in their decisions and would not put unnecessary road blocks in the path." Once the project in India takes off, he plans to turn his attention to Zambia where similar medical institutions will be constructed. Serving the Janmabhoomi (Zambia), Matrubhoomi (India) and Karmabhoomi (US) is what Kiran Patel plans ahead.
