Patels provide $500,000 gift to create the Angela and D.S. Patel School of Engineering
Technology Endowed Scholarship Fund.
DAYTONA BEACH, FLA (December 13, 2023) – Daytona State College will name the School of Engineering in honor of Ormond Beach
philanthropists Angela and D.S. Patel, following a unanimous vote by the DSC District
Board of Trustees.
The naming marks formal recognition of the Patels’ support for the College, including
their gift of $500,000 to the Daytona State College Foundation to create the Angela
and D.S. Patel School of Engineering Technology Endowed Fund.
“Graduates of our Engineering Technology programs go on to make great contributions
to society and the generous support from D.S. and Angela Patel will help a great number
of our engineering students pursue their dreams,” said Daytona State President Tom
LoBasso. “The Patels’ donation is a prime example of the kind of remarkable investments
in students’ lives our community is known for and we greatly appreciate their incredible
support of our mission.”
D.S. Patel was born and raised in Kharod, Gujarat Province, India and came to the
United States with financial support from his village to study engineering. He earned
a master of science degree in Mechanical Engineering from North Dakota State University
in 1968. Angela studied at Daytona Beach Community College in the early 1980s.
The Patels have lived in Volusia County for 35 years. They have used their business
ventures to support his home village of Kharod, providing infrastructure improvements
including school buildings, a computer/science building, a prayer hall, a trust fund
for the purchase of books and to provide scholarships for students as they seek an
education, and by bringing water to Kharod, which previously had no steady supply.
“We have given monetarily to many organizations and institutions that we believe will
help make a difference in individual lives and the world,” said the Patels. And, desiring
to encourage each student enrolled in the Patel School of Engineering Technology,
the Patels said, “Determination and hard work make a difference. Apply yourselves
and become what you were destined to be.”
Approximately 470 students take courses as part of the Patel School of Engineering
each year. The scholarships will be available to new or continuing students in the
Angela and D.S. Patel School of Engineering Technology.
“We are deeply grateful to D.S. and Angela for their contribution and support for
the College through our Foundation,” said DSC Foundation Executive Director Tim Norton.
“Now in our 50th year serving the College, the Daytona State College Foundation continues
to enjoy strong support from friends like the Patels who are the financial engine
that makes possible expanding our world-class educational offerings, including engineering
technology programs.”
Programs offered through the Patel School of Engineering include a Bachelor of Science
in Engineering Technology (BSET), a Bachelor of Science in Information Technology
(BSIT), and advanced technical certificates in Construction and Design, Cybersecurity
and Cyberforensics, and Web Systems Software Development.
The BSET and BSIT programs are accredited by the Engineering Technology Accreditation
Commission of ABET, and Daytona State was redesignated as a National Center of Academic
Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency earlier this year.
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Offering more than 100 certificate, associate and bachelor’s degree programs, Daytona
State College is the leader in education and workforce training needs of Volusia and
Flagler counties and beyond. The College enrolls approximately 23,000 students a year
at its seven campuses, with graduates serving in critical fields including healthcare,
emergency services and public safety, business, education, hospitality, engineering,
project management, accounting, computer science, digital media, and more.
Daytona State has been recognized as a leader in higher education numerous times.
U.S. News & World Report ranks the College among the Top Tier Best Online Bachelor’s
Programs. The U.S. Department of Education’s College Affordability and Transparency
Center ranks DSC among the top 50 most affordable public four-year institutions in
the country, with less than half the tuition of the national average. And U.S. News
& World Report has ranked DSC among its Top Online Bachelor's Programs for Veterans
multiple times.
For information about supporting Daytona State College’s world-class programs through
the Daytona State College Foundation, see www.DaytonaStateFoundation.org [daytonastatefoundation.org] or call (386) 506-3195.
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