Today, Claflin University announced it will become a regional hub for Coding and Creativity as part of Apple's Community Education Initiative and Tennessee State University's HBCU C2 initiative designed to bring coding and creativity experiences to historically black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and their communities.
"We are extremely excited and grateful for our selection as a partner with Apple's Community Education Initiative," said Claflin University President Dr. Dwaun J. Warmack. "Job market experts predict that career opportunities in coding and software development will increase exponentially during this decade. This partnership enhances the University's commitment to student success by preparing our graduates for careers relevant to today's job market. This partnership also aligns with our leadership of the UNCF-Carolina Cluster Career Pathway Initiative and its focus on producing career-ready HBCU graduates."
Claflin's STEM agenda (Science Technology, Engineering and Mathematics) includes its computer science program which launched in 2006. Since then, the program has produced exceptional graduates who have received internships and job opportunities at prestigious Fortune 500 and technology and engineering companies throughout the United States. In 2017, the program was accredited by the Computer Accreditation Commission of the Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology (ABET). Claflin is one of only three private colleges or universities in the state of South Carolina with ABET accreditation. Equally significant, Claflin is among very few UNCF (United Negro College Fund) institutions with an ABET-accredited computer science program.
Later this month, faculty from Claflin will participate in Apple's virtual Teacher Coding Academy to learn about coding and app development using Apple's comprehensive curriculum, which utilizes its easy-to-learn Swift programming language.
As part of its Community Education Initiative, Apple is supporting Claflin with equipment and professional development to help the university become the pre-eminent regional HBCU C2 hub to bring coding and creativity to Orangeburg.