Dr. William M. Patterson
Dr. William M. Patterson earned his Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies from the University of Illinois and has served as an Adjunct Lecturer in the School of Information Sciences and the College of Engineering’s Technology Entrepreneurship Center. He is also a fellow of the Academy for Entrepreneurial Leadership. He has previously been an Assistant Visiting Professor in the Afro American Studies and Research Program. In 2018, he conducted a lecture on the topic “Decoding Dr. Dre: Exploring CS+X in Hip Hop, Cultural Engineering, and Technology Entrepreneurship.”
Dr. Patterson focuses on preparing students of various Hip-Hop generations to be civic-minded urban global leaders in cultural innovation, entrepreneurship, engineering, business, art, and technology. He challenges students by contextualizing applied learning methods that encourage students to re-think various forms of traditional scholarship from a variety of disciplines in order to address contemporary issues that impact urban environments around the globe. His work concentrates on linking the academy (higher education institutions) with public schools, corporate America, and social service organizations such as the Urban League, YMCA'S and Boys and Girls Clubs. "My biggest concern," says Dr. Patterson, "is the disconnect of the current educational law 'No Child Left Behind' and those that it is supposed to serve and benefit."
Partnerships and collaborative relationships are not new to Dr. Patterson. From programs such as Cyber Club, Nature's Playground, B.E.S.T., and First String, Inc. Dr. Patterson has been able to demonstrate the significance of educational and social development partnerships to enhance the educational awareness and social responsibility of at-risk students. An entrepreneur at heart, he has developed a myriad of scholarly initiatives utilizing Hip Hop, such as the IPOWERED: Higher Ed Remixed Lecture Series and the Hip Hop Xpress Urban STEM Lab. His course development canon includes: Service Learning from a Hip Hop Perspective, KRS: Hip Hop Artistry and Social Activism, C.R.E.A.M. (Cash, Rules, and Everything Around Me), Hip Hop and Social Entrepreneurship, and Hip Hop and African American Studies in the Age of Obama, to name a few.
Dr. Patterson is known on a national level for developing innovative ways to reach students, both educationally and socially. He has been keynote speaker, researcher, program developer, and youth trainer for the past ten years at National Urban League, NULITES Youth Summit, Indianapolis Circle City Frontiers, Inc., and a host of public schools and youth serving organizations around the country. Dr. Patterson is a strong advocate for teaching youth how to take control of their multi-media image. By developing programs such as B.E.A.T.S. (Bridging, Education Arts, Technology, Scholastically), Rhyme Clinic, and All Girlz Radio, many youths have been empowered to get involved in the mechanics of taking control of their life information as well as their social image.
Dr. Patterson's philosophies on advocacy through education have extended well beyond the elementary and secondary level. From developing and teaching courses with progressive pedagogy such as Service Learning from a Hip Hop Perspective, Black Leadership Development, and KRS-ONE: Hip Hop Artistry and Social Activism, Dr. Patterson's methods for reclaiming today's youth are resonating well with college students who flock to his courses for dialogue and debate about how to best address social issues that are plaguing many of today's youth. Their energy, combined with the interest amongst faculty about Hip Hop culture, has inspired Dr. Patterson to investigate the development of the Center for the Study of Hip Hop Culture, a research, teaching, and service-learning initiative that will provide student and faculty research with a foundation of authenticism for engaging phenomenon impacting constituents born in the post-civil rights era.
Dr. Patterson is also married, and is the father of three children.