Tag Archives: Dr.Robbie Melton

 Robbie Melton Appointed Founding Member of Center for Digital Education’s AI Council

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) — Dr. Robbie Melton, a leading authority in artificial intelligence and higher education, has been appointed a founding member of the Center for Digital Education’s Higher Education AI Council. Recognized as one of the 2025 Leading Women in AI, Melton serves as the provost and vice president for Academic Affairs, as well as the vice president for Technology Innovations at Tennessee State University. She also heads the TSU SMART Global Technology Innovation Center, a renowned hub for advancing AI research and applications in education.

Dr. Robbie Melton

In a congratulatory letter, Brian Cohen, vice president of the CDE, commended Melton’s contributions and emphasized the council’s role in shaping how higher education integrates artificial intelligence across various dimensions such as teaching, research, administration, and institutional strategies. “Your involvement presents a distinctive chance to collaborate and provide critical insights into the AI landscape,” Cohen stated.

The Higher Education AI Council is designed to serve as an essential platform for exchanging ideas and formulating strategies that will help institutions effectively navigate the rapidly evolving AI environment in an ethical manner, according to the CDE.

“I am honored to be a part of this esteemed group dedicated to transforming education through AI,” Melton said, highlighting TSU’s global influence in the field. She noted that, as part of the SMART AI for All Applied Research Center, which is recognized internationally for its excellence in AI applications in education, the center has trained over 10,000 faculty, staff, students, and community members across more than 32 countries.

She said the center serves as a testing ground for innovative AI tools and technologies, ensuring that TSU remains at the cutting edge of technological progress. “We are committed to enhancing AI literacy, refining institutional strategies, and advocating for the ethical and practical adoption of AI in education,” Melton noted. “Our mission is to empower all learners. With a global team of AI Educational Super Users, we aim to improve learning experiences and strengthen communities worldwide.”

As Dr. Melton takes on this new role within the Higher Education AI Council, her appointment adds to an already impressive array of accolades. Earlier this year, she was recognized among over 200 distinguished women at The AI SHOW @ ASU+GSV for her impactful work in advancing AI within educational technology and research. She is also a member of the Southern Regional Education Board Commission on Artificial Intelligence in Education.

For further details on TSU’s SMART Center, visit TSU SMART Center.

Featured photo: Dr. Robbie Melton, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs, was recognized among over 200 distinguished women for their work in advancing AI within educational technology and research. (Photo by Aaron Grayson/TSU)

About Tennessee State University

Founded in 1912, Tennessee State University is Nashville’s only public land-grant university offering 41 bachelor’s degrees, 15 graduate certificates, 27 master’s degrees, and nine doctoral degrees. TSU’s campus spans 500 acres. The university is committed to academic excellence, providing students with a quality education in a nurturing and innovative environment that prepares them as alumni to be global leaders. Visit tnstate.edu for more details.

TSU uses national coding hub to help Apple deepen partnerships with HBCUs, bridge technology gap in underserved communities

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (TSU News Service) – Tennessee State University is helping Apple deepen its existing partnerships with Historically Black Colleges and Universities by using its national coding hub to reach even more HBCUs, allowing them to expand coding and creativity opportunities to their own communities.  

TSU President Glenda Glover

Apple announced it is adding 10 more HBCU regional coding centers that will serve as technology hubs for their campuses and broader communities. This effort is part of Apple’s Community Education Initiative, designed to bring coding, creativity, and workforce development opportunities to learners of all ages. TSU now serves as the national hub for training and providing support to educators from these institutions.

“Tennessee State University is proud to be a national hub for this great initiative, as we give HBCU students and their communities access to an opportunity to expand their knowledge and gain important workforce development skills,” 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.”

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 HBCUs. 

Ten HBCUs, which have been working alongside Apple and Tennessee State University for the past year, will now become hubs to promote coding in their broader communities: Arkansas Baptist College, Central State University, Claflin University, Dillard University, Fisk University, Lawson State Community College, Morehouse College, Prairie View A&M University, Southern University at Shreveport, and Tougaloo College. Apple expects to double the number of HBCU partners by the end of this summer, expanding the network of schools offering coding, creativity, and career pathway opportunities.

Dr. Robbie Melton is TSU’s associate vice president of the SMART Global Technology Innovation Center and dean of Graduate and Professional Studies. She is also a champion of the HBCU C2 initiative. She is proud of what the program has already accomplished, and sees unlimited potential for the future. 

Tennessee State University’s Dr. Robbie Melton has been working alongside Apple for the past two years to bring coding and creativity to HBCU peer institutions, with goals to reach every HBCU. (TSU Media Relations)

“In two years, I want all HBCUs to be coding and creating,” said Melton. “In two years, you’re going to see many more people of color entering the STEM workforce — and in two years we’re going to double the number of Black women in technology through this program.”

 Each hub is designed to create a multiplier effect, building capacity at the HBCUs that extends beyond the campus through partnerships with local K-12 schools, community partners, local governments, and other community stakeholders. Melton views the added regional hubs as a key element of the program’s holistic approach. 

“A hub is a core of empowerment that goes beyond the campus,” said Melton. “It’s about going into the community, into the home, into businesses so that when people code, it becomes part of their lives and it’s helping them solve big problems. This initiative is going to help those who have been broken through COVID-19, broken through racism — and it’s going to empower them through knowledge and skills.”

Last month, Apple launched a new Racial Equity and Justice Initiativefocused 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.”

TSU held a recent virtual HBCU Csummit, 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 Cinitiative, visit http://www.tnstate.edu/hbcuc2/.

Department of Media Relations

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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 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.