Kathleen Wilson Robinson, Ph.D.
Research Professor
Kathleen Wilson Robinson (BA, Moody Bible Institute; M.Ed., Texas Woman's University; Ph.D., Michigan State University) is a research professor. She is also an adjunct professor of community pediatrics in the School of Medicine at the University of South Carolina.
Her field is rural, integrated community development. Her work over the past forty years has largely been in the following areas: 1) development of community and regional systems of support for at risk families; 2) development of out of school children and youth organizations; 3) development of community-based literacy systems; 4) development of family centers; 5) systems-based approached to community planning and policy development; 6) social impact assessments of various community change projects; and 7) development of systems of support to grassroots and nonprofit organizations.
Prof. Robinson previously served as associate director at the Institute for Families in Society at the University of South Carolina (1995-1998). She was a tenured professor in the College of Agriculture and Human Resources (Department of Human Resources) and in the College of Social Sciences (Department of Urban and Regional Planning) at the University of Hawaii at Manoa from 1981-1994. She was a research associate in the Institute for Cultural Learning at the East-West Center (1978-1981) before joining the UHM faculty. From 1975-1978 she was a research associate in the Nonformal Education Institute at Michigan State working on a multi-million dollar USAID project in Indonesia to build the nation’s technical college system. She served as Vice President of Program and Publications for Pioneer Ministries, a faith-based, interdenominational, international club, camp and leadership development program (1970-1975). From 1967-1970 she was a science teacher in the Denton Texas school system. She founded and directed an out of school child and teen development and literacy center in two housing projects in Chicago, as well as founding and hosting a radio program at WMBI (1964-1970).
Prof. Robinson has testified several times before the U.S. Congress, several states’ legislative bodies, and the United Nations. She has served as a consultant to numerous state social service, health, juvenile justice, governor’s office, environmental, and municipal agencies. Internationally she has been a consultant to 28 international organizations, including several divisions of the United Nations, the U.S. Agency for International Development, the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis, ASEAN and the All Union (USSR) Academy of Sciences, Asian Development Bank, Asian Institute for Technology, Australian Commonwealth’s Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, Canadian International Development Agency, Chulalongkorn University Social Research Institute, European Centre For Social Welfare Policy and Research, German Development Bank, German Ministry of Education, Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture, and the U.S. Peace Corps. Within the United States, she has been a consultant to government, private sector and nonprofit agencies in several states.
She
has received numerous awards and recognitions
from her work, including several fellowships
and an Award of Distinction from the National
Association of State Universities and Land Grant
Colleges for her leadership of a national task
group to add new science understanding to what
was offered through schools and colleges of Agriculture
and Natural Resources across the U.S. She was
awarded the University of Hawaii Regents' Medal
for Excellence in Teaching and Research in 1990,
the highest award given at UHM. She also has
received awards of distinction from the U.S.
Peace Corps and USDA for her community development
work. She has received awards at the University
of South Carolina for her contributions to research
productivity and three faculty excellence awards
while at Clemson University. She received letters
of commendation from three states’ governors
for her work in enhancing various aspects of
human service delivery systems. Having traveled
and worked in 151 countries, she is a recognized
leader in rural community development in a variety
of national and cultural contexts.
Phone: 864.656.6284
Fax: 864.656.6281
Email: wilson5@clemson.edu