Lincoln University students will soon have new Chromebooks, upgraded classroom technology, and additional mobile wi-fi hotspots through a $2.9 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program.
The NTIA grant will be used through 2024 to help the HBCU expand its ability to offer remote instruction and will advance campus technology to enhance learning opportunities for current and future students.
“LU Connects: Connecting Lincoln University Students Through Enhanced Technology and Internet Access,” Lincoln University’s project chosen for the NTIA funding, will provide USB drives, mobile wi-fi hotspots, classroom technology upgrades, network switches and wireless access points, along with Chromebooks and backpacks to facilitate access to educational resources by LU students.
“By providing new technology and ensuring reliable, expanded internet access, this grant helps open doors for our students to learn to their full capability, reducing barriers they face,” said LU President John B. Moseley.
“At the heart of our Lincoln University mission is ensuring our students have access to educational opportunities, and we are proud to share — and ultimately achieve — that aim with NTIA’s Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. Together, we are helping more students succeed.”
The program addresses a lack of broadband access, connectivity, adoption, and equity at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), Tribal Colleges and Universities (TCUs), and Minority-Serving Institutions (MSIs), and in their surrounding anchor communities.
The Chromebooks will support students’ use of digital textbooks and completion of coursework online, and more than 40 LU classrooms will be upgraded to facilitate distance learning.
Students will be able to checkout hotspots for internet access while away from campus, and internet access on LU’s main and extended campuses will be bolstered through new network switches and wireless access points, which will improve connectivity and reliability.
Additionally, this grant will fund the hiring of a full-time student technology coordinator who will be responsible for managing the set-up and distribution of the Chromebooks and hotspots.
LUETA graduates seven recruits
Lincoln University graduated seven new law enforcement professionals at a commencement ceremony Dec. 14 in Pawley Theater on the LU campus. The newly minted officers make up the fifth class to complete the program of LU’s Law Enforcement Training Academy (LULETA). Lincoln launched its training center last year, the first historically Black college and university to house its own police academy.
The new graduates are Hannah K. Clark of Owensboro, Ky; David J. Franks II of St. James, Mo; Trenton D. Garber of Overland Park, Ks; Mercy M. Gonzalez of Hialeah, Fl; Caleb A. Rozar of Clarksville, Tn; Eric L. Snook of Holts Summit, Mo; and Zyan A. Thomas-King of New Orleans, La.
“We have a very great program, and our program is made great by the people who attend,” says Academy Director Chief Gary Hill. “It is also made great by our instructors.”
Upon completion of the program, graduates can meet the diverse needs of the communities they will face.
“We are proud that you all have answered the call, and you will demonstrate great leadership in the communities for which you were prepared to go serve,” Dr. Moseley says. “You will serve as a beacon of light in your communities.”
In the program, cadets receive direct, practical training in a variety of situations including domestic violence calls, traffic stops, burglary scenarios, crisis intervention and de-escalation techniques.
“Our nation needs your commitment to serve with unwavering bravery to diffuse situations with peace, pride and a higher level of community care,” Moseley said.
“I look at each of you, and I see great purpose, sacrifice, commitment, passion and bravery.”
