Tag Archives: Coding

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TSU’s national coding hub welcomes 12 new HBCUs to be community centers

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s national coding hub is welcoming 12 new HBCUs to be community centers as part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative.

The schools will become community centers for Coding and Creativity as part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative and Tennessee State University’s HBCU C2. The teaching and learning initiative is designed to empower Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to expand technology and creativity experiences within their institutions and broader communities. 

“In expanding the partnership to include the twelve new HBCUs we are on track in reaching our goal to empower all 106 HBCUs with the digital competencies and technology skill sets to meet the job demands for our global digital workforce careers,” said Dr. Robbie Melton, associate vice president of the TSU SMART Innovation Global Center.

The new schools are: Alabama State University, Clark Atlanta University, Edward Waters College, Elizabeth City State University, Florida A&M University, Harris-Stowe State University, Lane College, LeMoyne-Owen College, Lincoln University, MO, Simmons College of Kentucky, Virginia State University, and Texas Southern.

They join nearly three dozen universities across the country serving as HBCU C2 community coding centers or regional hubs. Since 2019, participating HBCUs have offered new learning opportunities to thousands of degree-seeking students and community learners and expanded their impact through partnerships with local K-12 schools, community organizations, local governments, and more. 

As part of its Community Education Initiative, Apple is supporting the institutions with equipment and ongoing professional development to become the pre-eminent HBCU C2 community center to bring coding and creativity to their communities.

Faculty and educators will learn about coding and app development, and work with Apple to identify opportunities to incorporate its comprehensive Everyone Can Code and Everyone Can Create curricula, which utilizes the easy-to-learn Swift programming language. Support from Apple also includes mobile iPad and Mac labs, opportunities for student jobs and scholarships, and funding for staff. 

To learn more about TSU’s HBCU C2 initiative, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/hbcuc2/.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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TSU crossing international waters to bridge digital divide, offers STEM course to underserved high school students in Africa

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University announced Wednesday a dual enrollment partnership that gives students in west and southern Africa access to digital resources to develop their technology skills.

The partnership with the African Methodist Episcopal Church will allow high school students to take a coding course at TSU to introduce or expand digital literacy on the continent. Eligible high school sophomores, juniors and seniors will have the opportunity to earn both university and high school graduation credits that will start them on the pathway to degrees in STEM.

Students participate in program at TSU’s national coding center. (TSU Media Relations)

“Tennessee State University is proud to be a part of this initiative that seeks to reach across international borders and give students an opportunity to expand their knowledge, and gain important career development skills,” said President Glenda Glover. “Coding and app design are a large part of the global workforce, and we want to help make sure people of color, everywhere, are equipped with the knowledge and skills to be competitive, and successful. These are largely high school students that have the potential to become a part of the TSU student body.”

Bishop E. Earl McCloud, Jr., of the 14th and 19th Episcopal Districts of the AME Church, presides over the partnering institutions in Africa: African Methodist Episcopal University and Monrovia College, both in Monrovia, Liberia, and Wilberforce Community College in Evaton, South Africa.

Bishop McCloud said the partnership brings hope to students and their families that see education as a better way of life, and most importantly for those with the greatest need.

“Years ago, the late President of the Republic of South Africa (The Honorable Nelson Mandela) said in his autobiography, ‘for Africans it is not a lack of ability, rather a lack of opportunity,’ when addressing the needs of African students,” said McCloud. “Tennessee State University has answered our clarion call to help provide more opportunities globally. This learning extension provides hope. It awakens the eyes of those often left out and left behind.”

President Glover and Bishop McCloud’s message of hope and the importance of access to digital literacy immediately resonated with families. In a collective statement, the partners described the reaction of one of the parents during the recruiting process.

“She walked in our office, with tear-filled eyes, telling us of how her son has always wanted to learn the computer and that his dream is to become a computer specialist, but she had never thought it would be possible because she is just a petite trader selling in one of our local markets. But she now sees it will be a dream come true. This is just one of the many dreams this program will make a reality. This is just one of the many lives this partnership has impacted.”

Participating students must be at least a sophomore in high school or in college. The online coding course is scheduled to start in the fall. Other related courses will be available provided students’ desire to continue with their educational studies through TSU.

“This partnership acknowledges TSU as a global education leader in empowering underserved populations around the world with education opportunities, the knowledge of digital literacies, the basic technical concepts and skills of coding, and the inspiration to innovate in order to be international competitors in the digital workplace,” said Dr. Robbie Melton, Vice President of the Smart Technology Innovation Center at TSU.

Dr. Johnnie C. Smith is executive director of Dual Credit/Dual Enrollment Partnerships at TSU and head of the Africa project. She said students will be provided with learning equipment and resources to ensure success.

“This is a great opportunity for international students to study at Tennessee State University,” said Smith. “I am pleased that President Glover and Bishop McCloud agreed to make this happen, and I am looking forward to expanding the TSU Dual Enrollment experience in other countries as well.”

The TSU-Africa partnership is part of the Smart Technology Innovation Center’s growing dual enrollment coding program that offers high school sophomores, juniors, and seniors the opportunity to earn college credits while enrolled in high school.

Tennessee school districts currently participating in the program include: Clarksville-Montgomery County, Cheatham County, Hamilton County, Haywood County, Jackson-Madison County, Lauderdale County, Metro Nashville Public Schools (MNPS), and Shelby County. Students also come from the states of Georgia, Maryland, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

The coding class is available to anyone interested in this field of study or as a one-time course. All high school students are welcome to be a part of the TSU Dual Enrollment program with course offerings from the Language Arts, STEM, and Liberal Arts. Please visit (https://bit.ly/3vnMFoO) for more information and to sign up for a class during the 2021 fall semester.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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How TSU connected with Apple and became a global coding hub for HBCUs

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University President Glenda Glover had a vision of bringing coding and creativity experiences to all the nation’s historically black colleges and universities and their communities. About two years ago, she, along with a team of community and administrative leaders, traveled to California to discuss the idea with Apple. The tech giant liked it.

TSU President Glenda Glover

“We shared our vision and our mission of empowering all the HBCUs with the digital literacy skills of coding,” says Dr. Glover. “We saw where the world was changing, which meant the workplace was changing, and a need for us to change the way we prepare HBCU students so they can be more competitive in the workforce.”

In July 2019, TSU launched the inaugural HBCU C2 Presidential Academy through its newly established Global SMART Technology Innovation Center. More than a dozen HBCUs were involved, and Apple provided equipment, professional development and training.

Apple CEO Tim Cook tweeted about the initiative: “Anything is possible when people come together with a shared vision. Thank you to @TSUedu for your leadership and enthusiasm in bringing coding to your community and HBCUs nationwide!”

That vision has continued to grow. Under TSU’s Global SMART Technology Innovation Center, there are now eight regional hubs, and community coding centers at 26 HBCUs. At least 20 HBCUs are on a waiting list.

“I can document that right now we have impacted 14,000-plus HBCU students and 5,000-plus community people (including faculty, staff, students and the community),” says Dr. Robbie Melton, associate vice president of TSU’s Center.

Dr. S. Keith Hargrove

Dr. S. Keith Hargrove is dean of the College of Engineering at TSU and a coding trainer.

“We are well on our way to impacting and expanding our HBCU reach to more institutions and communities, to promote the value of coding and using creativity tools for software development,” says Hargrove. “And we can’t wait to see the amazing things they will do with these new skills.”  

Statistics show 67 percent of tech companies are made up of less than 5 percent of black employees. In Tennessee, information technology employment grew by nearly 3,800 net new jobs in 2019.

At TSU, the university is giving its alumni and others affected by the coronavirus pandemic an opportunity to retool. In a continued partnership with Apple, it’s helping those individuals learn how to code and design apps through an “Everyone Can Code and Create” course offered online.

Michael Davis, Jr., a science teacher with Metro Nashville Public Schools, says he and his wife took the course and it was very beneficial. In addition to improving his own skill set, Davis says he wants to pass what he learns on to his students.

“This is so beneficial for me as an educator because I can share this with my students,” says Davis. “It’s so important that they learn this.”

Dr. Robbie Melton

Melton says the pandemic has helped reveal the importance of having digital skills.

“The pandemic has helped us realize the world is now digital and connected,” says Melton. “In order to function, regardless of your career discipline, you have to have digital literacy and skills to be competitive.”

Last month, TSU announced its partnership with Propel Center, a new global campus headquartered in Atlanta that will support innovative learning and development for the 100-plus HBCUs.

Apple and Atlanta-based Southern Company are investing $25 million to build the Propel Center, which will be based at the Atlanta University Center, the nation’s largest consortium of HBCUs including Clark Atlanta University, Morehouse College, Morehouse School of Medicine and Spelman College. Nearly 8,000 students are enrolled across the complex.

Students from participating schools will access Propel Center’s online digital learning platform from anywhere, and will also have access to the 50,000 square-foot center, equipped with state-of-the-art lecture halls, learning labs, and on-site living for a scholars-in-residence program.

To learn more about TSU’s HBCU C2 initiative, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/hbcuc2/.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and eight doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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TSU’s national coding hub welcomes 23 new HBCUs to be community centers as part of Apple initiative

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University’s national coding hub is welcoming 23 new HBCUs to be community centers as part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative. The announcement comes during Computer Science Education Week, Dec. 7-13.

The tech giant has been working with TSU for the past two years to launch and expand the school’s HBCU C2 initiative, which brings coding and creativity experiences to all 100-plus historically black colleges and universities and their communities.

Students discuss ideas at TSU’s national coding hub. (TSU Media Relations)

To date, there are eight C2 hubs across the nation, and now a total of 25 HBCU C2 centers. Stakeholders say the promotion of digital literacy, computational thinking, coding and creativity will help bring workforce development opportunities to students, faculty, and the broader HBCU communities.

“This partnership with Apple will empower our HBCUs with the knowledge and skill sets now required for the technological workforce,” said TSU President Glenda Glover. “Coding and app development are a growing part of the global workforce, and we want to help make sure people of color, especially our students, are equipped with the knowledge and skills to be competitive, and successful.”

Dr. Robbie Melton, associate vice president of the TSU SMART Innovation Global Center that oversees the initiative, said faculty leaders from the HBCUs will participate in Apple’s ongoing Community Education Initiative Learning Series to learn about coding and app design and development.

“As part of that ongoing professional development, educators will explore innovative ways to engage with learners using Apple’s comprehensive curriculum, which utilizes its easy-to-learn Swift programming language,” said Melton.

As part of its Community Education Initiative and this partnership, Apple is supporting HBCUs with equipment, resources, and professional development to help the new centers become the pre-eminent HBCU C2 Centers in bringing coding and creativity to their communities.

In June, Apple launched a new Racial Equity and Justice Initiative focused on challenging systemic barriers to opportunity for communities of color by advancing education, economic equality, and criminal justice reform efforts.

”Apple is committed to working alongside communities of color to advance educational equity,” said Lisa Jackson, Apple’s vice president of Environment, Policy and Social Initiatives. “We see this expansion of our Community Education Initiative and partnership with HBCUs as another step toward helping Black students realize their dreams and solve the problems of tomorrow.”

Earlier this year, TSU held a virtual HBCU C2 summit, bringing together nearly 300 educators from across the HBCU community. The goal of the program was to share best practices and hear from colleagues about workforce development, connecting with their communities, and to bring coding to students of all ages.

To learn more about TSU’s HBCU C2 initiative, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/hbcuc2/.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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TSU alumna and Amazon Teacher of the Year Shasta Charlton inspires students to be successful

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University alumna Shasta Charlton didn’t know much about robots. But that didn’t stop the first-year teacher and her students from building and coding one, and winning $50,000 from Amazon.

TSU alumna Shasta Charlton

Charlton, a computer science teacher and Robotics Club staffer at Whites Creek Comprehensive High School in Nashville, is a 2020 Amazon Future Engineer Teacher of the Year Award recipient. She is one of 10 individuals selected from among thousands of eligible teachers to receive the prestigious award, which includes $25,000 for the school and $25,000 in school supplies.

Charlton’s ability to relate to students helped get the attention of Amazon. When her school presented she and her students with the challenge of building and coding a robot, they did not back away.

“I don’t have a computer science degree, but I went home and I buried myself in YouTube videos and read every book that I could get my hands on to make this happen for them,” recalls Charlton, who also convinced the students to start a Robotics Club. “In about six months we had a fully working coded robot, and we actually ended up winning third in the state competition. I could have easily just said no, but instead, me and my students said we were going to buckle down and figure it out.”

Amazon award recipients were chosen based on a variety of criteria, which included their commitment to promoting diversity and inclusion within computer science education, a recommendation from a school administrator, and compelling, personal anecdotes about their school and students.

While she’s thrilled to be nationally recognized by Amazon, Charlton says she’s even more excited about the number of students she’s convinced to attend TSU in just her first year of being a teacher.

“I’ve really been trying to connect my students with TSU as much as possible,” says Charlton, who graduated from TSU last year with a degree in agricultural sciences. “I have four students this year who are going to TSU to major in some form of agriculture.”

Dr. John Ricketts is an Ag professor and extension specialist at TSU who encouraged Charlton to transfer to the university and major in agriculture when she was at Nashville State Community College. He says he’s not surprised at the success she’s having after just one year of teaching.

“She was extremely motivated as a student; she’s incredibly brilliant too,” says Ricketts of Charlton, whose concentration was in agricultural education. “When she went to Whites Creek, we knew that they had a home run. And frankly, it’s a home run for TSU because she’ll be sharing the good word about Big Blue.“

Dr. Chandra Reddy, dean of TSU’s College of Agriculture, agrees.

Students work on robot for competition. (Submitted photo)

“As a student, she was very active and passionate about her program,” says Reddy. “She is also typical of our agricultural education graduates who have been getting very high scores on the state education exams and are doing extremely well as teachers and leaders in the communities they serve.”

In 2009, Nashville State Community College and TSU formed a Dual Admission Agreement. It provided certain guarantees to students who committed to TSU early in their community college matriculation, such as priority advising and registration, as well as access to TSU’s campus.

Since then, the Tennessee Board of Regents instituted the Tennessee Transfer Pathways program, which superseded DAAs and provided guarantees to community college graduates statewide.

Dr. Sharon Peters, executive director of community college initiatives at TSU, says students at Nashville State continue to be on TSU’s radar.

“Nashville State should be our pipeline,” says Peters. “The majority of the students that leave Nashville State should be coming here, or considering us, particularly if they live in Davidson County.”

For more information about TSU’s College of Agriculture, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/agriculture/

For more about community college initiatives at TSU, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/commcolleges/

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 39 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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TSU Kicks off Dual Enrollment Program with Apple Smart Technology Partnership

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – High school students looking to get an early start on college now have a home at Tennessee State University.

Dr. Robbie Melton, TSU Associate Vice President for Smart Technology and Innovation, conducts a coding class at Kenwood High School in Clarksville, Tennessee. (Submitted Photo)

Through its National Center for Smart Technology, the university has launched a dual enrollment program with three major school districts in the state that offers high school juniors and seniors the opportunity to earn college credits while enrolled in high school.

Participating school districts are Clarksville Montgomery County School System, Metro Nashville Public Schools, and Shelby County Schools.

Jalen Driskell and Larry Perry, 12th graders from Shelby County’s Trezevant High School in Memphis, are excited about the opportunity to earn early college credits. The two were among 130 students also from Pearl Cohn High, and Clarksville’s Kenwood High School, who participated in the Apple Coding class last fall as part of the dual enrollment program.

Officials from the TSU Office of Smart Technology and Innovation join faculty and staff of Kenwood High School to kick off the TSU-Apple-Kenwood Coding initiative. (Submitted Photo)

“I learned a lot from the initiative, especially working as a team,” said Driskell, who hopes to major in engineering after high school. “Being enrolled allows me to move ahead in receiving my college credits and to do better with time management.”

For Perry, he said the coding class was a lot of fun and increased his interest in doing more college work.

“Coding allowed me to gain the experience with talking to others versus typing,” he said. “Receiving this college credit allows me to be prepared for my future.”

Dr. Robbie Melton, TSU’s associate vice president for Smart Technology and Innovation, said with the Apple partnership, TSU has created an amazing opportunity for high school students to start coding and creating.

“All over the state, as well as all over the country, students are interested in coding and creativity,” said Melton. “With this dual enrollment program, it is unique in the fact that students across the state of Tennessee can now embrace the skills of coding and creativity through dual enrollment. We are positioned to provide coding and creativity on site and online, for high school students to have a pathway to our computer science and “Everyone Can Code and Create” curriculums at TSU.”

Dr. Johnnie C. Smith is the executive director of the TSU Dual Enrollment Partnerships. She said students who participate in the program must meet the TSU admission’s requirement. They must be beginning juniors with a GPA of 2.75 or better, and must have recommendations from their principals or guidance counselors to participate. In addition to the Apple coding curriculum, she said the program offers general education courses, as well as engineering and English composition. The courses are offered onsite and online.

“Like all other schools in the state, we are going after courses we know will count in different schools, like general education courses,” Smith said. “We are targeting students within the state of Tennessee. They will gain college credits to get a jump start on college and also use those credits to meet their high school requirements for graduation. We are really excited about the possibility of what this program can do at the institution.”

Some of the teachers whose students participated in the fall 2019 program said it was very beneficial and definitely makes the whole dual enrollment initiative more interesting.

“This program benefited our students by giving them the opportunity to learn the fundamentals of coding and inspired them to create something unique for a problem in their community,” said Abraham Wolfe, a high school AP Physics and Robotics teacher in the Clarksville Montgomery County School System.

Quanita Adams, a high school math teacher with Metro Nashville Public Schools, said, “The students enrolled in DE Coding this semester have tapped into a world that they may have not experienced elsewhere and produced amazing products in a short time.”

Herbert Vannostrand, a high school computer science teacher with the Shelby County Schools, agreed.

“The Apple Coding curriculum provided my students with a clear, concise, up-to-date and fun program to learn the Swift programming language, as well as bringing relevant up-to-date information about how coding can affect change in their lives,” Vannostrand said. “I recommend this program to any computer science teacher and I am ready to teach the course again next year.”

Dual enrollment is just one of many initiatives undertaken in the last year under the TSU-Apple partnership. In July, TSU launched HBCU C2 “Everyone Can Code and Create,” a national initiative supported by Apple, which seeks to bring coding experiences to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and underserved communities. To date, TSU has impacted 32 HBCUs with the HBCU C2 Initiative. Also, in July, TSU launched the first community “Everyone Can Code and Create” initiative for youth on its Avon Williams Campus. The initiative is also part of the National Center for Smart Technology Innovations.

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State UniversityFounded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.

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New Tennessee State University Smart Technology Center Introduces Area Youth to Coding, Creativity

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University has launched the first community “Everyone Can Code and Create” initiative for youth on its Avon William Campus.

Thirty students from Camp Zion, a summer program at Mt. Zion Baptist Church, participate in “Everyone Can Code and Create” at TSU. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)

The initiative, which debuted July 23, is part of the newly established National Center for Smart Technology Innovations, created through the HBCU C2 Presidential Academy to bring coding and creativity opportunities to students across HBCU campuses, as well as Nashville students.

The exercise was for youth between ages 6 and 14. More than 30 students participating in Camp Zion, a summer program at Mt Zion Baptist Church, attended the workshop.

They experienced hands-on coding and creativity using iPads, robotic Sphero balls, and more.

Dr. Nicole Arrighi, professor of teaching and instruction at TSU, instructs middle school students in coding and creativity. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)

Eighth-graders Harmony Kennedy and Devin King were among those who attended. They said the exercises opened their eyes to technology they never knew existed.

“Coding is really cool,” said Kennedy, from Grassland Middle School in Franklin, Tennessee, who wants to either be a psychologist, a singer or an actress. “I like how you program and interact with technology to be able to one day change the future for good.”

For King, who wants to be a football player, he thinks coding will be very helpful in how he manages his career as an athlete.

“It (coding) is something I have been dreaming about,” the Joelton Middle School student said. “This is technology that certainly will help me on my journey in the sports world.”

Summer camp students from Mt. Zion Baptist Church team together to code and create at TSU. (Photo by TSU Media Relations)

On July 19, TSU launched the HBCU C2 Presidential Academy, which is supported by tech giant Apple. Leaders of 14 historically black colleges and universities – including Tennessee State – from across the country went away from the Academy with knowledge and skills in coding and app development from Apple’s comprehensive coding curriculum. As part of the initiative, TSU is also working with Metro Nashville Public Schools, Motlow State Community College and the Metropolitan Nashville Chapter of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, Inc. to expand coding opportunities to other students in the community.

According to Dr. Robbie Melton, TSU’s interim dean of Graduate and Professional Studies, and the initiative’s main facilitator, the youth camp is part of “an academy that starts from pre-school to the work world.”

“So, today we have Mt. Zion, next week we are going over to Hadley Park with their summer camp, and then start with Metro Public Schools, where we will have coding classes in the afternoons and on the weekends,” Melton said. “So, TSU is positioned to create and code everywhere you are with whatever group or population.”

She said the Camp Zion participants went through a series of creative activities using garage band and iPads to learn how to code robots, spheros, drones and other items.

“This will help them with their reading, writing and all of their school subjects across the board,” Melton said.

Dr. Nicole Arrighi, professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning, was among those who facilitated the youth initiative. Using the Garage Band, an application for the iPad, she helped the students in one session develop drum beats and “rap names” for themselves.

“The exercise gave them (the students) the opportunity to see how they can use their creativity to use an informal coding,” Arrighi said. “In this particular setting, the coding is in the layout of actual beats to actually make their own ring tone.”

For more information on TSU HBCU C2 go to http://www.tnstate.edu/hbcuc2/

Department of Media Relations

Tennessee State University
3500 John Merritt Boulevard
Nashville, Tennessee 37209
615.963.5331

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public university, and is a  premier, historically black university and land-grant institution offering 38 bachelor’s degree programs, 24 master’s degree programs, and seven doctoral degrees.  TSU is a comprehensive research intensive institution with a R-2 Carnegie designation, and has a graduate school on its downtown Avon Williams Campus, along with the Otis Floyd Nursery Research Center in McMinnville, Tennessee.  With a commitment to excellence, Tennessee State University provides students  with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders in every facet of society. Visit the University online at tnstate.edu.