The internet cable firm Spectrum last week donated $25,000 to the Medgar Evers College (MEC) Educational Foundation. The school will buy computers for incoming MEC freshman students as well as pay for tutoring in its Academic Support Center with money from the Spectrum Digital Education Grant.
A program called SEEK, financed by the state of New York, was created to help students from low-income families, underserved communities, or schools who weren’t adequately prepared for college. Residents of New York State are eligible for the program at senior (four-year) City University of New York campuses if they don’t satisfy the standard requirements for entrance but have a strong academic record.
- Advertisement -
On May 4, the institution held its annual Percy Ellis Sutton Search for Education, Elevation, and Knowledge (SEEK) honors celebration. This is when the check presentation event took place.
Spectrum will donate $25,000 to our SEEK initiative. In order to help 65 students reach their full potential while earning their degrees, laptops will be acquired, according to MEC President Dr. Patricia Ramsey. “Up to this point, these young people have had to resort to doing schoolwork and homework on their phones, due to their inability to afford their own computers. This grant goes a long way in bridging the digital divide,” she noted.
According to a MEC representative, 20% to 30% of freshmen participating in the SEEK program alone have their own gadgets. The representative said, “Some students rely on their phones, others have borrowed laptops or iPads from the college’s laptop loaner program, and others complete their work on computers in the library or computer labs on campus.”
The grant is a component of the company’s $8 million, six-year dedication to promoting broadband technology and digital education in localities around the nation. One of two New York City beneficiaries of the Spectrum Digital Education Grant program is the Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation.
Additionally, the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation was given funding. Rahman Khan, group vice president of community impact for Charter Communications, Inc., which leads the Spectrum brand of internet, mobile, TV, and voice services, stated that “digital skills are critical for navigating everything from finding a job to going to school, to buying groceries–yet too many families still have not adopted internet at home.”
He explained, “Through the Spectrum Digital Education Grant program, we’re committed to supporting local initiatives like [the] Medgar Evers College Educational Foundation to promote digital literacy and inclusion, and help educate community members in New York City about the value of adopting broadband in their lives so they can succeed in today’s connected society.”
