86 students received new laptops thanks to a federal grant
The new laptops were provided through a federal grant from the National Telecommunication and Information Administration (NTIA), a division of the US Department of Commerce. The NMHU School of Education received the grant in September 2022, which led to the creation of the Technology Connected Communities (TCC) Project. The laptops were distributed on August 14, 2023, in Donnelly Library, and they will provide those eligible students with the technology they need for the new school year.
Community Outreach and Education Coordinators Crystal Arias and Nicole Walsh distributed the computers to students who demonstrated need according to the federal guidelines. And those students will continue to work with the TCC Project to share how the laptops positively affect their education and work in the coming year.
“Providing temporary access isn’t a long-term solution,” Walsh said. “By giving people devices they can keep permanently, the TCC Project is providing an avenue for NMHU community members to access tools, resources, and opportunities that exist online while at NMHU and beyond.”
The primary focus of the TCC project is working with local school districts to create culturally specific courses and content for high school students and community members, but another big part of the TCC Project is providing people with technology hardware in the form of laptops.
Dr. Marthann Schulte, Director of the TCC Project at NMHU, said: “Colleges and universities like NMHU are often the hub and heart of smaller, rural communities throughout the country. NMHU is instrumental in providing education to our local communities, including the tools needed to learn.”
For more information about the TCC Project, NTIA Grant resources and programs available, contact Dr. Schulte at marthannschulte@nmhu.edu or tcc@nmhu.edu.