‘A brand new future’ for South Florida’s only HBCU after it gets a $1 million donation

Computer science students at Florida Memorial University — South Florida’s only Historically Black University or College (HBCU) — use outdated and basic Dell computers to learn about artificial intelligence (AI).

Meanwhile, other students nearby at larger universities like Florida International University and the University of Miami dabble with cutting-edge servers with graphics processing units (GPUs) to do the same.

That inequality is exactly what JPMorgan Chase and Florida Memorial want to eliminate. On Thursday, the bank donated $1 million to the university to expand its technology programs.

“In a global world that relies on technological innovations to keep people connected and drive breakthroughs in fields like health care and manufacturing, we must prioritize helping young people access opportunities, and gain the right skills and experiences. That’s why today I’m beyond thrilled to announce that JPMorgan Chase is making a $1 million commitment to FMU,” said Tim Berry, the bank’s global head of corporate responsibility and mid-Atlantic region chairman, during a press conference at the university’s Miami Gardens campus.

Starting immediately, Florida Memorial will use the funds to give students more scholarships, hire more staffers and train them better, modernize classrooms and other facilities, and purchase newer equipment, said FMU’s President Jaffus Hardrick, who thanked JPMorgan for believing in his institution.

As Berry delivered the news, applause and cheers erupted from audience members. Among them sat Jabulani Mzee, a student at Florida Memorial, who later told the Herald the money “means a ton.”

“We do the most with the least. We don’t even have GPUs, which is what allows you to play with AI,” said Mzee, 30. “So this grant definitely represents a brand new future of us.”

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‘Underestimated’ HBCUs have potential, speakers say

JPMorgan donated the million as part of a $10 million grant it pledged in 2022 to Tech Equity Miami — a $100 million five-year philanthropic initiative focused on growing the technology sector in Miami and creating opportunities for underrepresented groups.

Leigh-Ann Buchanan, co-founder of Tech Equity Miami, emphasized at the event the effort to level the playing field.

One quarter of African Americans who earn science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) degrees do so at HBCUs, but these schools, she said, are “systemically under-invested in.”

“They are overlooked. They’re often underestimated. And we need to invest more in our HBCUs,” she said.

She also added that computer science students only represent about 8% of the current student body at FMU — or about 76 students — but that she wants to raise that to at least 20%.

FMU will invest the donation in three programs — computer science, information systems and cyber security — but the university could also use it to improve other tech-related studies like biology radiation, engineering and aviation.

“In the future, everything becomes technology,” said Samuel Darko, FMU’s interim provost and vice president for academic affairs. “We want our students to see it from that angle.”

Miami-Dade County’s Commission Chair, Oliver Gilbert, also spoke at the presser and repeated John F. Kennedy’s famous quote: “A rising tide lifts all boats,” meaning that if any American does better, all Americans do better.

“STEM and tech? That’s the new tide,” Gilbert said. “And this is helping Florida Memorial build a boat factory. This influences a community, shapes a county and moves a country forward.”