Morgan State University has announced that it has received a total of $6.25 million in grants from two major tech giants – Apple and Google. The university is one out of the four recipient universities of the grants from Apple. The iPhone maker has released $1.25 million as part of its Apple Innovation Grant. On the other hand, the search giant Google has awarded $5 million to the university based out in Baltimore, Maryland.
The grants released by Apple and Google will be used to improve education at Historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) in the United States. The diversification of the Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM) program is also expected to be taken up with the grants.
“Apple’s investment in Morgan underscores a recognition in the proven ability of HBCUs to produce top talent that not only enhances workforce diversity, but also contributes to the advancement of innovation and global competitiveness in critical STEM fields,” said Morgan State University’s president David K. Wilson. “With this new Apple Innovation Grant, we can further enhance the resources available at our world-class School of Engineering and better prepare our graduates to secure highly sought-after careers in cutting-edge fields of engineering and make immediate and meaningful contributions.”
The grants will help Morgan State University and other such universities set up new labs for science and technology. The beneficiary universities will also be able to hold guest lectures to benefit the students. Other expected improvements in education is to be done by fellowships, better faculty training, and more such initiatives.
“The HBCU community is home to incredible Black talent and we are thrilled to work alongside these universities to enhance the opportunities for their students,” said Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy, and Social Initiatives Lisa Jackson. “We know many jobs of the future will be in innovative areas like silicon engineering and we want to help ensure the leaders of tomorrow have access to transformational learning opportunities.”
The faculty of Morgan State University have said that these new grants will help the university to bring positive changes to workforce development.
