We Must Be The Change - Magazine - Page 4
ACTION: Education and workforce
Southern Company, Apple joins forces
on incubator for HBCU students
Propel Center will serve as digital learning hub and
global innovations headquarters in Atlanta
Southern Company and Apple
announced a partnership in
January to launch the Propel
Center, a new digital learning hub,
business incubator and global
innovation headquarters in Atlanta
for students of historically black
colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Both Apple and Southern Company
are founding partners of the Propel
Center, with Southern Company
Foundation and Apple each
contributing $25 million.
"We know inequities exist in our
society, and it's up to each of us to
be more intentional in our efforts to
make a difference and bridge the gap,"
said Tom Fanning, chairman, president
and CEO of Southern Company. "We
know more must be done, and the
establishment of the Propel Center
is another important demonstration
of Southern Company fulfilling our
commitment to move our communities
to a more equitable future. Partnering
with Apple in this initiative is an
exciting way to connect future leaders
with these critical resources."
The $25 million investment from the
Southern Company Foundation will
help grow Black entrepreneurship and
provide much-needed technology
resources to the workforce of the future.
"We're proud to partner with Southern
Company on this groundbreaking
new project to build a global hub for
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WE MUST BE THE CHANGE
innovation and learning for the entire
HBCU community," said Lisa Jackson,
Apple vice president of environment,
policy and social initiatives. "This
important effort builds on our longstanding collaboration to advance
educational equity, and we are thrilled
to be working together to help
HBCU faculty create a best-in-class
curriculum and ensure their students
have access to cutting-edge skills and
opportunities."
This commitment is part of the
$50 million multi-year initiative
Southern Company and its subsidiaries
announced in 2020 to provide
scholarships, internships, leadership
development, access to technology
and innovation to support career
readiness for students attending select
HBCUs within the Southern Company
system's service footprint.
"We are incredibly encouraged by the
future possibilities presented through
our support of HBCUs," said Chris
Womack, president of Georgia Power.
"By investing in better outcomes,
we create new opportunities for
the students of today to become
the leaders of a more prosperous
tomorrow."
Propel is both a physical and virtual
campus designed to provide HBCUs
with shared resources to support their
work of preparing leaders to improve
our world. Via a physical campus
and digital learning tools, students
from 100-plus HBCUs will be able
to connect with the brightest minds
in the world, through one-of-a-kind
global opportunities. The students
will also be able to connect with each
other — a key component as they
become more civic-minded leaders
and entrepreneurs of tomorrow.
"Tech jobs offer lucrative salaries
and among the best opportunities
for growth, yet the workforce in the
nation's top firms still does not reflect
the country's diverse population,"
said Dr. David A. Thomas, president
of Morehouse College. "Black and
Hispanic professionals continue to be
underrepresented in STEM (science,
technology, engineering, and math)
careers. What students need are more
opportunities at the college level to
show and grow their skills in coding,
programming and data analysis in
partnership with industry leaders.
Apple and Southern Company are
committed to developing the talent
found at HBCUs and are committing
resources to help improve diversity
in STEM."
The physical campus will be located
in Atlanta at the Atlanta University
Center, a consortium made up of Clark
Atlanta University, Morehouse College,
Morehouse School of Medicine, Morris
Brown and Spelman College.
For updates, and to register your
interest in participating, visit
www.PropelCenter.org.