Contact: Kawana McGough, Office of Communications, Public Relations and Marketing
Today, ۿ۴ýUniversity announced it has received a $5-million grant from Google designed to help expand pathways and opportunities for increased diverse representation in the STEM industry.
Ranked #4 nationally among HBCU’s by US News and World Reports, ۿ۴ýUniversity is one of 10 HBCUs to receive the one-time, unrestricted grant from the tech industry giant. The grant will support scholarships, career readiness preparation, entrepreneurship mentoring, technological infrastructure and curriculum innovations.
“I’m delighted to provide our HBCU partners with a $50-million unrestricted grant. These institutions are actively shaping the next generation of Black leaders and are helping build a more diverse workforce across all industries,” said Melonie Parker, chief diversity officer at Google. “This investment further solidifies our commitment to providing access and opportunities for underrepresented groups in tech.”
"I am so very pleased that Google chose ۿ۴ýUniversity as one of its partners for this program,” said Interim President Charlotte P. Morris. “Their $5 million gift will support the University as it bolsters its work in STEM education and moves forward into new fields in STEM and in business. This gift will have a lasting and profound impact on the course of the University's future."
This investment builds on Google’s Pathways to Tech initiative, which was announced in February of this year in conjunction with UNCF and Thurgood Marshall College Fund. It is designed to provide opportunities for African American ۿ۴ý to gain technical skills while pursuing careers in the tech industry.
“I am glad to see that Google decided to award a $5 million grant to ۿ۴ýUniversity to help create opportunities for increased representation in the STEM industry,” U.S. Representative for Alabama's 3rd congressional district Mike Rogers said. “STEM education is critical for the future of our nation’s workforce and I’m happy to see more investment in this area of study.”
Other HBCUs receiving grant funding include: Claflin University, Clark Atlanta University, Florida A&M University, Howard University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University, Prairie View A&M University, Spelman College, and Xavier University of Louisiana.
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