Skip to content

Tigers United

Consortium and Partners

A coordinated university network advancing tiger recovery, anchored at Clemson University Tigers United operates as a Center of Excellence in Tiger Conservation: a coordinated network of land-grant universities and partners working to support implementation of the Global Tiger Recovery Program (GTRP) through research, training, technology transfer and capacity building.

Explore Our Work Membership and Giving About the Center

At a Glance

  • Model: A Center of Excellence is not a single place, but a coordinated network designed to align expertise and strengthen implementation at scale.
  • Anchor: Headquartered at Clemson University, with allied offices across partner campuses.
  • Global governance link: Serves as the United States home of the Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC), connecting Clemson to the global tiger governance architecture.
  • Land-grant advantage: Leveraging land-grant strengths in applied research, extension, education and capacity building.
ssociate director Hrishita Negi speaking at a podium in front of a graphic of a tiger with the words 'fiercely protect our mascot'

The U.S. Land-grant University Consortium

Tigers United brings together land-grant universities and conservation collaborators to accelerate implementation-focused solutions for tiger recovery. Partner universities include: • Auburn University • Clemson University • Louisiana State University • University of Missouri

consortiums school logos

How the Network Functions

Campus Coordination

Each partner university designates a lead faculty administrator responsible for recruiting, coordinating, and strengthening university engagement in consortium activities.

Allied Offices

Partner campuses host allied offices, reinforcing a distributed but coordinated footprint for sustained collaboration.

Global Partners and Range-Country Affiliations

Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC)

The Center of Excellence serves as the U.S. home of GTIC and is supported by an institutional director and professional staff who serve both the Center and GTIC.

Range-country affiliations

The Center establishes affiliations with institutions in tiger range countries to widen the network, facilitate working relationships, and build trust for long-term collaboration.

Implementation ecosystem linkages

The consortium’s coordination and partnerships are designed to complement range-country implementation mechanisms and strengthen the connection between global knowledge systems and local practice.

Governance

The Center of Excellence is guided by a Council of Provosts with representation from partner universities, alongside GTIC leadership and conservation professionals.

What Partnership Empowers

This consortium model strengthens the ability to:

  • Translate research into usable tools, decisions, and training for practitioners.
  • Strengthen human–tiger conflict solutions and coexistence approaches at the protected area–community interface.
  • Advance interdisciplinary problem-solving that integrates science, technology, policy, and community participation.
  • Accelerate extension-style communication and practitioner-oriented knowledge transfer across tiger landscapes.