Northern Oklahoma College (NOC) Enid and AT&T are teaming up to provide digital resources and accessibility to underserved and first-generation students.
The service provides free transit services, loaner laptops, and hotspot access. Students in financial hardship, Marshallese, Hispanic, or the first member of a family to attend college may qualify.
Vice President for NOC Enid Jeremy Hise said that NOC could not provide these services without the assistance of AT&T and the City of Enid.
“At Northern Oklahoma College, we are committed to helping our students overcome every obstacle standing in their way to earning a college degree,” Hise said. “We hope our students are able to obtain that degree debt free. Thanks to the incredible support from AT&T, we are able to assist more students by addressing their technological and transportation needs. We extend our sincere gratitude to Ms. Robinett and the great folks at AT&T for their generosity in helping provide life-changing educational opportunities to our students.”
AT&T’s Sandra Robinett, Area Manager for External Affairs explained AT&T’s work on the project.
“The team at NOC identified underserved and first-generation students who would like to attend NOC Enid to further their education and successfully complete college,” she said. “Providing laptops, internet hotspots, and free access to public transportation was key to help bridge the digital divide students may be experiencing. It was important to give these students additional resources to help them attend classes in person via transportation if needed, and support technology devices which would enable them to complete homework and research from any where.” Robinett said that AT&T’s $25,000 contribution enabled NOC to achieve success in improving education outcomes for these underserved students on the Enid campus, thus ensuring digital access for all.
The contribution also supports the NOC student program encompassing digital literacy where NOC personnel will provide mini-workshops on the use of the laptops and other services provided. Training would also include but not limited to website navigation, searches, email, using a PC, getting started with a computer, video conferencing (Zoom), mobile devices, online fraud/scams, accounts/passwords, digital connections, access to MyNOC portal, and more.
This contribution is part of the AT&T Connected Learning initiative, created as part of AT&T’s companywide commitment to help address the digital divide through internet accessibility, affordability and safe adoption.
“NOC is quite fortunate to have Sheri Snyder and Jeremy Hise on staff – true professionals and it was a pleasure working with them,” she added. “They are fantastic representatives of your organization and have a true passion for helping students, supporting the community, and building strong business relationships.”
Contact NOC at 580.628.6291 or ITHelpDesk@noc.edu for additional information.
*About Philanthropy & Social Innovation at AT&T
We’re committed to advancing education, creating opportunities, strengthening communities, and improving lives. As part of our companywide commitment to address the digital divide, we launched AT&T Connected Learning® to invest in connectivity and technology, digital literacy, and education solutions to help today’s learners succeed inside and outside of the classroom. Since 2008 we’ve committed to programs that help millions of students across all 50 states, Washington D.C and around the world, particularly those in underserved communities.