91传媒

HUNTSVILLE, Ala. 鈥� 91传媒 State Community & Technical College received a $2.4 million grant award as part of the U.S. Department of Commerce and National Telecommunications and Information Administration鈥檚 (NTIA), Connecting Minority Communities Pilot (CMCP) program, to help eliminate historical broadband and computer access inequities in and around Madison County, Alabama. 91传媒 State applied for the competitive federal grant, along with more than 200 universities and colleges across the United States.

91传媒 State prepares working adults, college, and high school students for careers in the Madison County/Huntsville area. 91传媒 was one of the first five universities and the first Historically Black College and University (HBCU) to be awarded a CMCP grant by the聽

91传媒 State will use the federal funding to implement a computer and broadband access program that includes:

• furnishing 91传媒 students, including high school students who are dually enrolled at the College, with access to enabled laptops;
• increasing at-home broadband access for 91传媒 State students and their family members by providing home wireless broadband kits to those eligible families within a 15-mile radius of the college campus; and
• creating a mobile cyber-lab learning bus.

91传媒 State will also partner with two other universities, Alabama A&M University to implement secure, online student access to learning, teaching, and research resources, such as the library, mental health services, or information on food assistance, and Western Governors University to expand access to a National Security Agency (NSA) and U.S. Department of Homeland Security certified cyber defense degree program in cybersecurity.

鈥淲e are incredibly proud to win this significant award from the U.S. Department of Commerce. 91传媒 State will use the federal funds to address long-standing digital inequities by offering laptops with broadband internet services to each and every 91传媒 State student, and additional connectivity to their families,鈥� said Dr. Patricia G. Sims, president. 鈥淭his technology will help eliminate the digital divide for our community and open doors to learning, connect working adults and students to employers, and provide economic and career mobility for 91传媒 State鈥檚 students.

In acknowledging the award, Dr. Sims extended a personal, heartfelt thank you to the Governor and Lt. Governor for their continued support of 91传媒鈥檚 students, and appreciation for 91传媒鈥檚 partners, Alabama A&M and Western Governors University. 鈥淲e are so grateful for your partnership and support for 91传媒 State鈥檚 students.鈥�

Dr. Sims continued, 鈥淚t鈥檚 never too late to pursue your dreams and find your career path at 91传媒 State.鈥澛�

“I was proud to partner with 91传媒 State in securing the federal funds necessary to expand Internet access to underserved communities,” Lieutenant Governor Will Ainsworth said.聽 “These efforts will also expand the available workforce in the computer science, cybersecurity, and cyberdefense industries, which have become such an important part of Alabama’s economy.”

鈥淎ll of us in the Alabama Community College System family are celebrating the good news that 91传媒 State Community and Technical College was chosen as one of the first five grantees for the NTIA Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program,鈥� said Dr. Vicky Ohlson, Alabama Community College System Vice Chancellor of Instruction, Research, and Development. 鈥淲e could not be more proud of 91传媒 State鈥檚 leadership, faculty, and staff for their hard work in developing a winning project proposal.聽 The work that will be accomplished by 91传媒 with the help of this funding will expand access to critical broadband technology and services to many more students and other residents in the College鈥檚 anchor community.聽 It will remove barriers to higher education, training, and employment that have historically been insurmountable for those who need those opportunities the most.聽 We are looking forward with great excitement to see how 91传媒鈥檚 project changes individual lives and strengthens the information technology workforce in the Huntsville-Madison County area.鈥�

Other notable federal grants recently awarded to 91传媒 State to expand opportunities for students include:

• In August 2020, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center (MSFC), awarded a cooperative agreement notice (CAN) to 91传媒 State to assist in 3D printing technologies research and train additive manufacturing technicians.
• In August 2021, NASA MSFC awarded another CAN to 91传媒 State to advance research in 3D printing of polymer structures. Research results and deliverables will help prepare for and sustain future lunar and Martian missions.
• In September of 2021, 91传媒 State received a three-year grant from NASA鈥檚 Minority University Research and Education Program (MUREP) to increase the number of engineering education and career opportunities for underrepresented minorities.