Google partners with Howard University to launch program for black engineers
Bonita Stewart, Google's vice president of global partnerships, says the tech industry barely talked about diversity when she joined the company around 10 years ago. On Thursday, she announced a deal that takes a step toward permanently changing that culture.
The company just unveiled a new partnership with Howard University that will see black software engineers from "historically black colleges and universities," better known as HBCUs, invited to study at a brand new program on the Google campus. They're calling it "Howard West."
"Howard happens to be my alma mater, so I am especially proud to share that our formal recruiting from the university has evolved into a residency for Black CS majors right here at the Googleplex," Stewart said in a statement announcing the partnership with Howard, a historically black university.
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The program will open this summer, though at first it will only be open to Howard University students. Google hopes to bring in students from other schools soon.
“Howard West will produce hundreds of industry-ready black computer science graduates."
Rising juniors and seniors in the computer science program at Howard are eligible to apply. Those who get in will head to California for three-month stints, where they'll learn from Google engineers as well as their own professors.
“Howard West will produce hundreds of industry-ready black computer science graduates, future leaders with the power to transform the global technology space into a stronger, more accurate reflection of the world around us," Howard University President Wayne Frederick said as part of the statement.
Frederick has high hopes for students at his university, but also hopes the program will get focus "the tech industry and other thought leaders around the importance of diversity in business and the communities they serve."
Black employees make up 2% of Google's overall workforce, according to figures released by the company. 59% are white, 32% Asian, 3% two or more races and 3% Hispanic.
Colin is Mashable's US & World Reporter. He previously interned at Foreign Policy magazine and The American Prospect. Colin is a graduate from Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. When he's not at Mashable, you can most likely find him eating or playing some kind of sport.
