Members of the Alabama State University leadership team, as well as officials from the Montgomery Housing Authority held a press conference in the President’s Conference Room, located in William Hooper Councill Hall, on Thursday, Feb. 15 at 10 a.m. to publicly reveal a new partnership with the Montgomery Housing Authority.
President Quinton T. Ross, Ed.D., announced the university will open a new digital literacy center for residents of the Montgomery Housing Authority’s Paterson Court.
This project is funded by a $2.9 million grant awarded by the U.S. Department of Commerce in March 2023. The grant titled BRACE (Broadening Access Through Community Connectivity and Education), will be used to empower local (MHA) residents who live in Paterson Court with learning digital literacy skills.
The digital literacy center will be another program for the university’s CommUniversity initiative.
“We’re excited about this kick-off with BRACE,” Ross said. “We’re connecting with the Montgomery Housing Authority, to provide technological assistance to help individuals who have not, in the past, had access to a lot of technology. Through this grant and through this partnership, Alabama State University will be on the forefront of reaching out to the community, providing opportunities for those who are not as fortunate.”
He continued.
“Paterson Court is the housing community right across the street (from the university) where individuals live. We’re giving them access to technology because we remember when COVID hit within the community. Because they did not have access to technology, the Montgomery Public School system had to put Wi-Fi on the buses, so the kids could board the bus, which was actually located in our parking lot in order to get their school work done and to work online. This is just an extension of really trying to advance and provide the necessary technological training to our community.”
MHA Board Chairman, John F. Knight Jr., LL.D., related the establishment of the center to Alabama State University’s history.
“I wonder what the Marion-Nine (the nine formerly enslaved men who founded the university in 1867) would say if they were here with us today witnessing how Alabama State is building upon their dreams and the foundation they began of increased literacy for Black citizens, and now including this innovative program of teaching digital knowledge to our community,” Knight noted.
Knight said that he would like to see this program for Paterson Court expanded to other MHA sites in the future.
Vice President for Institutional Effectiveness, Strategic Initiatives and Transformation Tanjula Petty, Ed.D., was the principal investigator for the grant and assembled the proposal that was sent to Washington, D.C.
“It was funded through NTIA, which is the National Telecommunications Information Association, and the Department of Commerce to expand broadband access, not only on the campus, but our neighboring community,” Petty said. “We want to expand individuals’ knowledge in the digital literacy realm, but we also want to expand workforce and career opportunities to those individuals because many of the jobs today involve technology, so that involves them.”
Petty revealed that the technology center will contain multiple workstations, including a graphic design station, homework station, 3D design station, job search and resume building station, virtual reality station, video production station, and a music production station.
“ASU plans to facilitate the objectives of the center via practical exercises, interactive sessions, and hands-on activities with Paterson Court residents, so they will gain foundational knowledge and practical insights, which will enable them to utilize digital tools and platforms responsibly and strategically,” Petty said.
According to Associate Professor of Education Kenly Obas, Ed.D., and coordinator of the applied technology program, when Petty presented the opportunity to him, he felt that he was a good fit for the digital literacy aspect.
“In many ways, I found that digital literacy is really an undercurrent for everything that we do,” Obas said. “Everything from how you manage your phone to how you get online. It’s really everywhere. It’s prevalent. It used to be that digital literacy was just like keyboarding and how you use a keyboard, but now it’s expanded. It’s everything from submitting applications online for a job to participating in an online interview with Zoom.”
He continued.
“I think the component that I’m working on will improve the lives of people by giving them opportunities to navigate their lives. So yes, it’s digital. We talk about technology, but at the end of the day, it’s how people can help themselves when it comes to applying online and feeling confident to do that in a dignified way.”
The moniker for Alabama State University is “Where history is made and Ross believes this partnership will go down in history.
“This is an historic moment for Alabama State University and for the Montgomery Housing Authority that oversees the operation of Paterson Court” he said, “because we are all involved in this laudable goal to help this community of residents obtain their need for a digitable broadband education, which will lift them up.”