Virginia Union University (VUU), a private HBCU, will team up with Apple to create a culture of innovation by providing first-year students with a technology bundle.
The initiative, called Mobile Learning, Mobile Life will provide incoming freshmen with an iPad Air, Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard Folio, Apple Watch, and AirPods Pro to support students’ education and campus life needs at VUU.
The initiative demonstrates the importance the university places on providing students with the best tools for the student to be successful in their college careers and prepare them for the digital age and workplace requirements of the future.
“Creating a Smart Campus at VUU is critical to the academic learning environment of a 21st-century student. Apple has the products, apps, and professional learning support that will allow our students to access books, classes, and research materials at their fingertips,” Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, president and CEO of Virginia Union University said in a statement. “Our collaboration goes much further than technology; Smart Campus will help as we prepare students to enter the workforce, putting them on the path to generational wealth.”
Each incoming freshman class will receive the bundle beginning with the freshman class of 2025. Additionally, VUU will offer Apple’s coding and app development curriculum to all students in an effort to prepare them for technology careers post-graduation. This initiative will also help grow the number of students of color in STEM professions.
The Mobile Learning Mobile Life Initiative will turn Virginia Union into a smart campus giving students and faculty the opportunity to better connect and engage during their higher learning experience.
“At Apple, we believe education is a powerful force for equity and opportunity, and we’re excited to work with Virginia Union University to support their new Mobile Learning, Mobile Life initiative,” Susan Prescott, vice president of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise and Education Marketing said in a statement. “We’re proud that Apple products will be an integral part of student life for VUU Panthers, and can’t wait to see where the future takes them.”
Earlier this month, Apple launched a $100 million racial justice initiative to increase spending with Black businesses and recruit HBCU students for technology classes and degrees.