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A Santa Clara University Center of Distinction
Miller Center Community
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Keith Warner, OFM

Keith Douglass Warner, OFM, PhD directs Miller Center’s campus engagement activities, including social entrepreneurship education, fellowships, and research. He designed and oversees Miller Center’s campus engagement strategy. He directs the Miller Center Fellowship, which provides a comprehensive program of mentored, field-based study and research for Santa Clara University juniors within the Center’s worldwide network of social entrepreneurs.

Written Articles

fellows
Blog
Keith Warner, OFM - April 18, 2022

Our New Cohort of Miller Center Lewis Family Fellows

Dear Friends of Miller Center,

I am delighted to announce our new cohort of Miller Center Lewis Family Fellows (formerly Global Social Benefit Fellows).

These 14 talented and visionary Santa Clara students come from such diverse academic departments as Public Health Sciences, Political Science, Marketing, Sociology, Child Studies, Environmental Studies, Neuroscience, Biochemistry, Bioengineering, Biology, Spanish Studies, Art History, and Economics. They were drawn to the fellowship because they want to learn about the potential of entrepreneurship to create broad scale impact and to discern whether they might be called to this kind of work.

The global pandemic continues to block international travel, and thus international action research this summer will primarily be conducted remotely, using digital technologies. However, we will send students to Baltimore, Maryland to work with Innovation Works, an organization working to reduce the city’s racial wealth divide through social entrepreneurship. This year’s international projects have strong themes of women’s economic empowerment, clean energy technology, and providing services that improve the health and overall quality of life.

Two teams of fellows are working with social enterprises Gham Power and Solageo that are bringing solar energy products and services to South Asia, and Africa. Two more teams are working with Business for Health Solutions and Nurture Africa, organizations that address public health issues in Africa by promoting healthcare services and services that improve quality of life respectively. Another team of two is working with Banka BioLoo, a social enterprise building water and sanitation solutions in India. The final team of two is working with Someone Somewhere, a social enterprise in Mexico that empowers artisans by creating jobs that value their skills.

Please join us in welcoming these new fellows to the extended Miller Center family as they pursue their passion for social entrepreneurship. Look for an invitation later this year for an event showcasing their research accomplishments.

A documentary about our award-winning fellowship program aired on the show Bay Area Bountiful in 2019. If you missed it, check out the 12 minute director’s cut below— it follows the transformational journey that fellows undertake.

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Blog
Keith Warner, OFM - November 12, 2021

Photo Essay: Welcoming Santa Clara Friends into Our New Home

In September, Miller Center moved into its new home on the fourth floor of the Sobrato Campus for Discovery and Innovation at Santa Clara University, and celebrated our space by hosting several open houses the week of October 11. Here you see we hosted about 30 faculty representing a diversity of departments on October 12, including Sally Wood of Electrical Engineering, Julia Voss, Heather Turner, and Stephen Carroll of English, Kumar Sarangee of Marketing, and Chris Bacon and Leslie Gray of Environmental Studies and Sciences. Our informal conversations included advancing social entrepreneurship education on campus. Among the wonderful features of our new home is our 75-foot long balcony, with an inspiring view of the Diablo Range.

On October 13, we hosted university staff from all manner of work units, with a special outreach to staff working with the science and engineering departments in the Sobrato Campus building. We took advantage of this gathering to share with our new neighbors a bit about our mission and work. Also joining us were Joanna Thompson, the Director of the Office for Multicultural Learning, and Ray Plaza of the Office for Diversity and Inclusion. Both Joanna and Ray have led workshops with our team to help us deepen our commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion over the past year. It was great to host them in person!

Students were the focus of our third open house, with Miller Center Fellows, Miller Center Interns, and students who have taken social entrepreneurship classes supported by Miller Center. Spencer Arnold organized a “spin to win” game, with the winners landing Miller Center T-shirts, Miller Center cellphone cardholders, social entrepreneurship books, and merchandise from our social enterprise partners. A special shout out to Stacey Sauber and Lydia Hultquist who organized these events as part of the Sobrato Campus week of celebration!

Photos by Eli Latimerlo, Miller Center’s Senior Director, Business Development

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Blog
Keith Warner, OFM - May 26, 2021

Zines for 2021 Miller Center Fellows!

We are pleased to present to you 8 zines for our 16 Miller Center Fellows this year! Each presents the team of fellows, the host social enterprise requesting an action research project, and the “country culture context” of the social enterprise, its mission and this project. We are particularly pleased with the video self-introductions by the fellows — each presents a bit of their own background and their aspirations for engaging our social enterprise partners. This year all international placements will be virtual.

These are the just the first chapters of these zines. Please click the zine cover to read the full content. On June 14 the fellows will pitch their research plans for the summer, and a recording of that will be included in the second chapter. As the fellows complete various milestones in the program they will report out results and reflection in these zines — we will share updated versions with you later this year!

We hope you can join us for the research pitch session on June 14! Request an invite here.

PUBLISHED - Access Afya (1)
PUBLISHED - DIG
PUBLISHED - EFI
PUBLISHED - IWB
PUBLISHED - NemoCare (1)
PUBLISHED - NUCAFE
PUBLISHED - OORJA
PUBLISHED - SBVP

The Miller Center Fellowship was formerly named “Global Social Benefit Fellowship”

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Blog
Keith Warner, OFM - April 30, 2021

2020 Miller Center Fellowship Completed Portfolios

We are honoured to share with you the completed portfolios for our amazing 2020 Miller Center Fellows.

The Covid-19 pandemic meant their field research experiences were curtailed. However, these 16 exceptional Fellows completed their Action Research projects 100% remote. The fellows demonstrated remarkable resilience during this crisis and learned to navigate the ambiguity of this present moment, all while pursuing projects that added value to the social enterprises.

The additional skills the Fellows learned during the pandemic uniquely positions them with new skills as they pursue their own paths in social entrepreneurship and beyond after graduation.

Peace and all good,

Keith

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Blog
Keith Warner, OFM - April 30, 2021

Announcing 2021 Miller Center Fellows

Dear Friends of Miller Center,

I am delighted to announce our new cohort of Miller Center Fellows (formerly Global Social Benefit Fellows).

These 16 talented and visionary Santa Clara students come from such diverse academic departments as Finance, Marketing, Communication, Public Health Sciences, Environmental Studies and Sciences, Sociology, Neuroscience, and Religious Studies. Seven of the Fellows are members of the University Honors program. They were drawn to the fellowship because they wanted to learn about the potential of entrepreneurship to create broad scale impact and to discern whether they might be called to this kind of work.

The global pandemic continues to thwart international travel, and thus action research this summer will primarily be conducted remotely, using digital technologies. This year’s projects have strong themes of women’s economic empowerment, climate smart agriculture, and teaching and training for social impact.

One team of three is deepening our partnership with Innovation Works in Baltimore. Two teams of fellows are working with social enterprises (Eggpreneur, NUCAFE) that are apprenticing Catholic Sisters in East Africa in the principles of social entrepreneurship, and another team is working with the Emerging Farmers Institute in Zambia. These three teams are contributing to the Sisters Blended Value Project. Four other teams are working with Access Afya, NemoCare, Development in Gardening, and Oorja Development Solutions.

Please join us in welcoming these new fellows to the extended Miller Center family as they pursue their passion for social entrepreneurship. Look for an invitation later this year for an event showcasing their research accomplishments.

A documentary about our award-winning fellowship program aired on the show Bay Area Bountiful in 2019. If you missed the show, check out the 12 minute director’s cut below— it follows the transformational journey that fellows undertake.

Kindness,

Keith Douglass Warner, OFM
Chief Learning Officer

2020KadAfrica-web
Blog
Keith Warner, OFM - June 25, 2020

2020 Global Social Benefit Fellowship Action Research Project Proposals

Learning how to pivot is a fundamental skill for all social entrepreneurs, and the Global Social Benefit Fellows have learned that by the necessary adjustments of our program this year. With international travel impossible this summer, our social enterprise partners have adapted their requests for practical research to projects that can be delivered remotely via WhatsApp and Zoom. Projects have shifted toward more global research teams (fellows and local social enterprise staff work collaboratively) and more social media strategy / marketing and communication projects. We have remained true to our foundational principle of providing value to our social enterprise partners, but pivoted in how we deliver that value. You can watch presentations of their research project proposals below.

That our fellowship can continue during a pandemic is a testament to the value that our social enterprise partners perceive in our fellows’ work. Six of the original host enterprises have continued with modified projects, and two additional social enterprises have come on board. Ours is one of the few international fellowship programs offered by Santa Clara University that has continued during the pandemic. Unlike other international student programs, our Global Social Benefit Fellowship is designed first to advance the mission of our GSBI social enterprise partners, and secondly to facilitate fellows’ learning. Our partners’ work on the frontiers of sustainable development is needed, now more than ever, and thus so too is the action research of our fellows.

Eggpreneur-web
Blog
Keith Warner, OFM - April 30, 2020

Announcing 2020 Global Social Benefit Fellows

Dear Friends of Miller Center,

I am delighted to announce our new cohort of Global Social Benefit Fellows.

These 16 talented and visionary Santa Clara students come from such diverse academic departments as Finance, Marketing, Communication, Public Health Sciences, Environmental Science, Ethnic Studies, and Women and Gender Studies. Seven of the Fellows are members of the University Honors program.

The COVID-19 pandemic means that their field research experiences, normally conducted June-August, have been postponed until the next academic year. A majority of the 8 GSBI alumni social enterprises hosting fellows have requested remote engagements, research projects that can be initiated now and conducted over zoom and with other distance technologies. The fellows have demonstrated remarkable resilience! They are learning to navigate the ambiguity of this present moment, all while pursuing projects that can add value to the social enterprises. The fellows are learning in real time the real world lessons in how social enterprises manage crises brought about by COVID-19.

Two teams of fellows are working with social enterprises (Eggpreneur, Teach A Man To Fish Foundation) that are apprenticing Catholic Sisters in East Africa in the principles of social entrepreneurship. These fellows are actively contributing to the Sisters Blended Value Project.

Please join me in congratulating the Global Social Benefit Fellows as they pursue their passion for social entrepreneurship — even as they have to navigate the uncertainties of this pandemic.

A documentary about our award-winning fellowship program aired on the show Bay Area Bountiful in 2019.  If you missed the show, check out the 12 minute director’s cut here — it follows the transformational journey that fellows undertake.

Peace and all good,

Keith

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