Cockrell School of Engineering &
UT School of Social Work
 Projects for Underserved Communities (PUC) is an
innovative project-based learning curriculum
designed to partner students with international
communities in development projects.
 Project teams are multidisciplinary, including
engineering and social work students. The hope is to
include more disciplines in the future (business,
nursing, education, etc…) to more comprehensively
address community issues.
 2009-2010
 Patriensa, Ghana
 Installed electric well at elementary school
 Health education in school
 Santa Cruz, Peru
 Installed water-conserving toilets and faucets
 Water conservation education in school
 2010-2011
 Patriensa, Ghana
 Launch of Patriensa Pure Enterprise
 Angola/Peru – Project design only
 Fall Semester (2hr) – Register for SW Conference
Course with Dr. Dorie Gilbert and attend PUC class on
Monday/Wednesday 4:00-6:00pm. This semester will
be focused on project selection and planning.
 Spring Semester (3hr) – Register for a Social Work
course with curriculum related to community
development. Weekly team meetings may still occur
as the project planning continues.
 Summer Implementation (1hr)– Travel to partner
community to implement project.
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Airline Travel Costs ($1500 - $3000)
Passport and Visa Fees ($150 - $300)
Medication and Immunization Costs (varies)
Travel Deposit in Spring ($300)
Course Registration Costs (UT tuition rates)
Student Spending Money
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Scholarships for International Travel
Fundraising activities (i.e. T-shirts)
Donation of Frequent Flier Miles
Family and Friend Support
Self-funded travel
 International Community Development
 Project Management
 Community Organizing, Education, and Research
 Cross-Cultural Immersion
 Cross-Disciplinary
Perspective in Community
Assessment
 Leadership Development
 Dr. Dorie Gilbert, Associate Professor, UT SSW
 dgm@mail.utexas.edu
 Laurie Young, International Office
 lauriebyoung@austin.utexas.edu