Howard University opens campus at Google HQ

Google and Howard University recently announced that they have partnered to create Howard West, a satellite campus in Mountain View, Calif. for black computer science majors. 

Howard University is a private research university based in Washington D.C. that historically fostered African Americans pursuing higher education.

It is considered one of the Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs), leading the nation in the most African American Ph.D. recipients.

Dr. Wayne A. I. Frederick, Howard University president, explained the purpose of the new satellite campus in a statement released by the school

“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,” he said.

Frederick also discussed how Howard’s partnership with Google was formed.

“We envisioned this program with bold outcomes in mind — to advance a strategy that leverages Howard’s high quality faculty and Google’s expertise, while also rallying the tech industry and other thought leaders around the importance of diversity in business and the communities they serve.”

Rising junior and senior computer science majors at Howard University can serve a three-month residency at the new California campus.

The residency includes a dedicated workspace at Google’s Mountain View campus and a generous stipend to cover housing and living expenses.

Furthermore, some students will secure internships at Google after the residency program.

Google and Howard University have a long, ongoing partnership with the Google in Residence (GIR) program, formed to connect blacks to the field of computer science. GIR sends Google engineers to Howard and other HBCUs as faculty.

Creating a satellite campus in Mountain View allows Google to increase exposure and prepare African Americans to work in the predominantly white and asian computer science industry.

With just one percent of Google’s technology force being black, it is no question that Google is aiming to diversify its workforce through outreach programs. Google Global Partnerships

Vice President and Howard Alumna Bonita Stewart hopes to provide HBCU students with opportunities to advance in technology.

“The lack of exposure, access to mentors and role models are critical gaps that Howard West will solve. We’ve also heard that many CS students struggle to find the time to practice coding while juggling a full course load and part-time jobs,” Stewart wrote in a Google blog. “Through GIR we’ve learned a lot about the hurdles Black students face in acquiring full-time work in the tech industry.“

Google hopes to expand its programs to other HBCUs. The tech giant is focusing on HBCUs because more than a third of African Americans studying computer science come from HBCUs yet many are unable to find a job in Silicon Valley.

Last year, Google hosted 50 tech interns from seven HBCUs. This summer, 62 interns from 10 HBCUs were accepted.

Howard West hosts anywhere from 25 to 30 interns, significantly increasing the number of African American students from HBCUs who get invaluable training from Google engineers. Google and Howard University expect to train 750 students over a span of five years.

Senior Ashley Ezema, a black student at Hopkins,  expressed her support for the initiative and hopes that Google will consider creating joint programs with other HBCUs.

“Overall it is a great initiative for increased black students in the tech field,” Ezema said. “I’m excited to hear about the outcome of this.”