21 HBCUs Receive $50,000 Apple-Thurgood Marshall Incentive Grants

Twenty-one Historically Black Colleges and Universities are the first to receive $50,000 grants from Apple and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF) aimed at increasing the number of highly trained minority technology professionals at Apple.

The Comprehensive HBCU Database Program grant will be used to help TMCF and Apple develop an expansive database that will capture essential information to identify Shaw students majoring in the STEM disciplines for various positions at Apple. Additionally, information from the database will be used to connect students with Apple recruiters and hiring managers. HBCU students and faculty will also be able to connect with leaders at Apple-sponsored networking events.

“Graduates with science degrees are in high demand,” said Shaw President Dr. Tashni Dubroy. “As this demand continues to grow we are preparing our students to meet the needs of this industry and employers like Apple by emphasizing our cornerstones of technology, entrepreneurship and sustainability. We thank Apple and the Thurgood Marshall College Fund for financially supporting this epic work and exposing our students to careers in the STEM fields,” Dubroy said.

The Comprehensive HBCU Database program is part of the Apple and TMCF Diversity Initiative. Last year, Apple and TMCF announced a partnership to identify, develop and harness talent from the nation’s HBCUs. The more than $40 million multi-year commitment by Apple is the largest corporate investment ever given exclusively for students and faculty of four-year HBCUs. It includes funding to build a talent database, internships for high achieving students, exposure to Apple’s campus and work environment, and funding of faculty innovation grants focused on developing successful ways to accelerate HBCU students into the tech field.

“The College is engaged in an ongoing effort to improve itself from the top to the bottom, so that our students have the best possible opportunity for a STEM career,” commented Dr. Chance Glenn, dean of Alabama A&M University’s College of Engineering, Technology and Physical Sciences (CETPS). “Support from the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Apple is another indication that we are on our way to achieving this goal.”

Johnny C. Taylor, president/CEO of TMCF, said additional funding opportunities will be announced in 2016 and will be available to HBCUs that are eligible based on their major offerings. Among the funding opportunities, he said, are 10 competitive faculty grants of $100,000 each focusing on research and/or developing innovative ways to boost strong tech talent.

Rrecipients of the Apple and TMCF HBCU Initiative – Comprehensive Database Program incentive grants:

Alabama A&M University
Alabama State University
Elizabeth City State University
Fayetteville State University
Grambling State University
Hampton University
Kentucky State University
Medgar Evers College
Morehouse College
Morgan State University
Norfolk State University
North Carolina A&T State University
North Carolina Central University
Prairie View A&M University
Savannah State University
Shaw University
Spelman College
Texas Southern University
Tuskegee University
University of Virgin Islands
West Virginia State University

Source: Shaw University, Alabama A&M University and Thurgood Marshall College Fund