The multinational tech company Intel will donate $5 million to North Carolina Central University (NCCU), to create a tech law and policy center.
In addition, Intel’s Executive Vice President Steven Rodgers will join the Historically Black College and University’s (HBCU) board of visitors to help direct additional resources and support for the school.
Intel will contribute legal and strategic expertise, faculty training, and
summer internships. Students will also work with company executives who will provide practical legal experiences, networking and mentorship. Two first-year law students from NCCU will also be selected for a summer associate program with Intel.“As a company and industry, we need to do better to ensure legal and policy jobs are available to all communities because talent is everywhere, but opportunity is
not. At the beginning of this year, we began to hold our legal counsel accountable to the Intel Rule, which states we will not retain or use outside law firms in the U.S. that are average or below average on diversity,” Rodgers said in a release. “And now, through this partnership, we will hold ourselves accountable for extending the talent pipeline. Our investment in NCCU is only the beginning, and we will continue our efforts to provide more equitable access to tech, legal, and policy careers.”HBCUs are significant to Black Americans in the law profession. According to the American Bar Association, 80% of Black judges and 50% of Black lawyers have graduated from HBCUs.
Notable HBCU alumni include Vice President Kamala Harris, voting right advocate Stacey Abrams, Louisiana Congressman Cedric Richmond, Atlanta Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms.
Intel will donate $1 million annually for the next five years. The first year’s funding will go toward supporting the recruitment and hiring of an executive director, and support staff. An additional $500,000 will support an endowed professorship. Another $100,000 will be used for need-based scholarships to help students facing financial hardships.