Ganpat Patel

Honorary Degrees
 
 

California State Polytechnic University, Pomona

Ganpat Patel is an alumnus of California Polytechnic State University, Pomona and patron-in-chief and president of Ganpat University in Gujarat, India. He has enjoyed a distinguished career in engineering, beginning with Lockheed Martin and Borroughs Corp. and later as president of Cherokee International, which he founded in 1987. His generous philanthropic activities include the creation of an endowment at the Cal Poly Pomona College of Engineering for a distinguished lecture series and laboratories that provide a home for the campus Baja race car teams. In India, Mr. Patel supports the Ganpat Voluntary Teaching Movement which has adopted eight villages in North Gujarat, Mehsana. He also established the Smt. Manjulaben Ganpatbhai Patel Science College as well as a hostel for girls to better support their education.

To honor his remarkable accomplishments, he was inducted into Cal Poly Pomona's College of Engineering Hall of Fame in 2015 and was recognized as a Cal Poly Pomona Distinguished Alumni in 2018. He serves as a founding member of the Cal Poly Pomona Philanthropic Board of Directors. Most recently, Mr. Patel was recognized with the Padma Shri award from the president of the Republic of India, one of the most prestigious civilian honors to be conferred by the country for his contributions in literature and education. His advice to students is: “Keep learning. Be flexible. Pick a field you're passionate about. Love what you do and do what you love." Mr. Patel graduated with a bachelor of science in electrical engineering and instrumentation, which was a new discipline in 1969, from Cal Poly Pomona. He earned a master's degree in electrical engineering from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1973.

In recognition of his exemplary and generous support of all students, the Board of Trustees of the California State University and California Polytechnic State University, Pomona are proud to confer upon Ganpat Patel an honorary Doctor of Science.