Diné College and Tohono O’odham Community College received multi-million dollar grants to support their efforts to improve educational and economic opportunities within their tribal communities by improving Internet access, providing more hardware, and investing in information technology staff.
“We knew we had to extend our services beyond our campuses and centers to the Navajo Nation, and part of this funding will allow us to fund broadband services across the reservation,” said Diné College IT Director Ihab Saleh. in a press release. “We will also invest in our people, because it is the people behind the scenes that make any project work.”
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The grants were awarded by the US Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration as part of the Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program.
“America’s minority-serving colleges and universities are critical centers of learning that have too often been left behind when it comes to affordable high-speed Internet access,” Deputy Secretary of Commerce Don Graves said in a statement. a press release announcing the grant awards.
The Pilot Program Connecting Minority Communities is reserved for historically black colleges and universities, tribal colleges and universities, and minority-serving institutions to purchase broadband Internet access services and eligible equipment or to hire and train IT staff.
Diné College will receive more than $2.9 million in funding to support the university’s efforts to implement technology upgrades in the classroom, provide a community technology center, develop job training, economic growth, digital literacy skills, and internships or apprenticeships.
“Diné College remains the nation’s first tribal college and the institution continues to inspire Navajo students seeking higher education,” Navajo Nation President Seth Damon said in a news release. “The CONNECT NAVAJO project will provide high-speed broadband Internet to our students who need it most.”
The project aims to improve educational and economic opportunities on the Navajo Nation by improving Internet access, providing more hardware, and investing in IT staff.
“Reliable computer and Internet access is crucial to student success in the classroom,” US Senator Mark Kelly said in a press release. “This grant will ensure Diné College students have access to new laptops, mobile hotspots, print kiosks and professional development training.”
CONNECT NAVAJO aims to ensure that the Diné people can continue to reside in their homes on the Navajo Nation and benefit from access to technology that helps them gain academic credentials and enter financially rewarding and personally fulfilling careers, according to the program description of National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
“Today’s critical funding will make a huge difference for students on the Navajo Nation – expanding internet access, improving retention rates and moving one step closer to closing the digital divide,” said US Senator Kyrsten Sinema in a statement. Press release. “I am proud to help secure this much-needed investment for Diné College.”
Tohono O’odham Community College will receive more than $1.9 million in funding to support the college’s efforts to improve digital literacy skills, workforce training, economic growth, and community technology hub and upgrades.
Tohono O’odham Community College’s project to receive funding is called Hewel Wepegi Macidag kc, wog, or “Learning the Internet Road.” The project is designed to directly address the lack of broadband access, connectivity, adoption, and equity on campus and in the Tohono O’odham Nation.
“The overall goal of the program is to support economic development in the Tohono O’odham Nation through digital workforce development, improved community connectivity, and improved computer literacy,” the program description says.
The Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program was developed as part of the Internet for All initiative of the Biden administration that seeks to connect everyone in the US with affordable, reliable high-speed Internet.
“The Connecting Minority Communities pilot program allows these institutions to be a resource for access, digital skills training, and student and community workforce development programs to help level the economic playing field,” said Graves. .
Five grants were awarded as part of the CMC program, totaling more than $10.6 million in funding. The grants will be used to fund Internet access, equipment, and to hire and train information technology staff.
The applications were evaluated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration using a three stage process: Initial Administrative and Eligibility Review of Full Application Packages, Merit Review, and Programmatic Review.
The review criteria included the purpose of the project, the needs and benefits of the project, the feasibility and innovation of the project, the budget of the project, and then the evaluation of the project.
These are just the first five grants awarded, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration will continue to review more than 200 applications it received before the application closed on December 1, 2021. Awards will be announced on a rolling basis.