Tuskegee University benefits from new Intel grant program

(Press Release) – Shaping a more diverse technology industry requires rethinking our sources of talent and broadening our recruiting pipeline to access available diverse talent. As part of its commitment to expanding its talent pipeline, Intel has announced that Tuskegee University is to receive a 3-year, US$450,000 grant as part of the Intel HBCU Grant Program – a US$4.5 million program to encourage students to remain in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) pathways at 6 historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Other participating HBCUs include Florida A&M University, Howard University, Morgan State University, North Carolina A&T State University and Prairie View A&M University.

Under the leadership of Gregory Murphy, a professor in Tuskegee’s Electrical Engineering Department, the university will seek to increase its enrollment, retention and graduation of African American students studying in the College of Engineering’s Electrical Engineering program and the Andrew F. Brimmer College of Business and Information Sciences’ Computer Science program. Funding from the Intel HBCU Grant Program will provide qualifying students with scholarships and networking opportunities among Tuskegee alumni who are practicing professionals in these disciplines.

The grant also will allow Murphy and his team — which includes Mandoye Ndoye, assistant professor of electrical engineering; Hira Narang, department head and professor of computer science; and Cassandra Thomas, assistant professor of computer science — to focus on 4 initiatives that will undergird their goals. These include advising students and engaging them in exciting research and design projects; launching a peer-tutorial program to augment retention and graduation rates; broadening students’ program participation through presentations, workshops and demonstrations; and exposing students to curriculum and laboratory development that emphasizes programming, robotics and embedded-systems skills.

As part of the 3-year, US$4.5 million Intel program, the company is awarding US$3.9 million directly to the HBCUs. The remaining US$600,000 will support workshops and activities that bring HBCUs and the technology industry together to ensure students are prepared with the relevant skills to enter the tech workforce.
The Intel HBCU Grant Program supports multiyear investments in computer science, computer engineering and electrical engineering programs, curriculum and labs. The three components of the grant program include funding for scholarships, student experiences and tech industry workshops.

The Intel HBCU Grant Program resulted from a collaboration between Intel and the HBCUs to address the historic gap in HBCU students pursuing STEM degrees. The National Center for Education Statistics reports that African American students are more likely to transfer out of STEM majors within their 1st year of college, and only 11 percent of bachelor’s degrees in STEM fields are conferred on African American students.

The Intel HBCU Grant Program is part of the company’s US$300 million Diversity in Technology initiative, which supports Intel’s bold goal of reaching full representation of women and underrepresented minorities in the United States workforce by 2020. In support of this goal, beginning in 2015, Intel increased the number of schools at which it recruits by 60 percent year over year. It also encourages more women and under-represented minorities to enter and succeed in technical fields through programs and investments with organizations that include the National GEM Consortium, Georgia Tech, the American Indian Science and Engineering Society, the Hispanic Foundation of Silicon Valley, CODE2040, and Oakland Unified School District — among others.

About Tuskegee University: Tuskegee University is a private, historically black university (HBCU) located in Tuskegee, Alabama, United States. The university was established by Booker T. Washington. The campus is designated as the Tuskegee Institute National Historic Site by the National Park Service and is the only one in the United States to have this designation. The university was home to scientist George Washington Carver and to World War II’s Tuskegee Airmen.
Tuskegee University offers 40 bachelor’s degree programs, 17 master’s degree programs, a 5-year accredited professional degree program in architecture, 4 doctoral degree programs, and the Doctor of Veterinary Medicine. The university is home to over 3,100 students from the United States and 30 foreign countries. Tuskegee University was ranked among 2015’s best 379 colleges and universities by The Princeton Review and 5th among the 2015 U.S. News & World Report best HBCUs. More about Tuskegee University is available at the school’s website.

Source: Tuskegee University