2021 Transformation Report: Moving to Equity - Flipbook - Page 20
Propel Center will
help HBCU students
of today become
entrepreneurs
of tomorrow
Southern Company and Apple
joined educators and community
stakeholders in January 2021 in
announcing the Propel Center, a digital learning hub, business incubator
and global innovation headquarters
in Atlanta for students of Historically
Black Colleges and Universities.
Both Apple and Southern Company are
founding partners, with the Southern
Company Foundation and Apple each
contributing $25 million to this effort.
20
Transformation Report
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.
Propel is both a physical and virtual
campus that is 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 more than
100 HBCUs will be able to connect with
the brightest minds in the world, through
one-of-a-kind global opportunities.
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 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.
