Apple and Tennessee State University have joined to work on the HBCU C2 Presidential Academy, which is intended to expose students at historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) to opportunities in the app development industry.
The Tennessean reports the inaugural session of the HBCU C2 Presidential Academy was hosted on July 19 by TSU and is meant to expose students of color to coding and application development.
“The goal is to make sure HBCUs are not only up to date, but are creators and innovators of this new technology,” said Robbie Melton, TSU’s interim Dean of Graduates and Professional Studies and the initiative’s main facilitator.
For its part, Apple supplied the academy with its Swift programming curriculum for schools, including equipment, scholarships, and professional development services.
Melton said some students focused on an application on how to find parking at TSU. But the goal is for the students to take the skills learned and give back to their communities.
HBCU’s have their roots in the time before the Civil Rights Act of 1964, and were founded to offer educational opportunities to blacks during a time in history when they were shut out of attending predominantly white schools.