Adobe Deepens Partnerships with HBCUs and HSIs to Democratize Digital Literacy and Creativity

SAN JOSE, Calif. — Today, Adobe (Nasdaq:ADBE) announced new and expanded partnerships with educational institutions and organizations including Bowie State University, Khan Academy, San José State University, the Thurgood Marshall College Fund and Winston-Salem State University to further democratize digital literacy and creativity and bolster the pipeline of diverse students in technology and creative fields.

In a digital-first world, creativity is a critical 21st century skill for students to not only express their ideas in a compelling and impactful way, but to apply creative thinking to solve everyday business challenges. Adobe is empowering students across backgrounds and disciplines with the essential creative and digital literacy skills needed to communicate visually, collaborate, innovate and ultimately thrive in the modern workforce. The World Economic Forum predicts creative and digital literacy skills are among the top 10 skills required in the workforce for 2025.

“To create products that solve challenging problems for people all over the world, companies need to attract employees with diverse perspectives and the skills required to transform today’s workplace,” said Brian Miller, chief talent, diversity and inclusion officer at Adobe. “Adobe is proud to partner with leading educational institutions and organizations to democratize digital literacy and creativity for future generations to pursue their career aspirations.”

Adobe has long-standing partnerships with educational institutions and organizations. As part of Adobe for All Week, an annual event that convenes Adobe employees worldwide to learn, connect and pledge meaningful change, the company has expanded its commitments to include:

• Continued investments in HBCUs and HSIs: Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and Hispanic-Serving Institutions (HSIs) educate predominantly African American, Hispanic and Latinx students in the United States, including many who identify as low-income and first-generation college students. The Adobe Foundation is expanding partnerships with HBCUs and HSIs by donating an additional $1 million each to Bowie State University, San José State University and Winston-Salem State University. The program, which will evolve to support more BIPOC-serving institutions in the future, aims to expose students to careers in technology and equip them with necessary creativity and digital skills. Institutions will be able to further invest in students through scholarships, new campus facilities, social justice initiatives, mentorship and professional development programs, faculty research collaborations and more.
• Cybersecurity Internship Program with Bowie State University: Recent reports show a lack of racial and ethnic diversity among professionals in the cybersecurity industry. Through collaboration with Bowie State University, a HBCU designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education, Adobe’s new internship program will provide its students with hands-on cybersecurity experience to accelerate representation.
• HBCU Ignite Scholarship: Through Adobe’s new partnership with the Thurgood Marshall College Fund (TMCF), the company is offering financial assistance of up to $15,000 each to 50 eligible students attending HBCUs and Predominantly Black Institutions (PBIs) for the 2022-2023 academic school year to create innovative products that solve important challenges in the world. The scholarship is designed to support students attending a TMCF member-school to further their studies and cultivate creative and digital literacy skills.
• Khan Academy Partnership: Adobe has donated $1 million to Khan Academy as its official creativity partner to increase access to creative and digital skills for teachers and underinvested students around the world. Building on its initial partnership last year, Adobe and Khan Academy are supporting the development of new, free online learning resources that foster creative and critical thinking skills, helping students reach their potential and be better prepared for college and career journeys. Together, Khan Academy’s learning resources and platform with the Adobe Education Exchange have already benefited more than three million students and 40,000 teachers.

Partner Quotes

“Adobe’s continued partnership and generous financial support enables us to further provide necessary training, internships and digital tools for diverse students to increase digital literacy across our data sciences and analytics, cybersecurity and digital media programs, while also pursuing professional creative and technology-focused careers,” said Dr. Aminta H. Breaux, president at Bowie State University. “The Adobe Foundation’s gift will help enhance student scholarships and campus facilities, student and faculty research and professional development opportunities so our students can successfully enter the workforce with invaluable digital skills.”

“In today’s world, creativity is essential, and especially so for STEM jobs,” said Sal Khan, founder at Khan Academy. “We’re excited that Adobe and Khan Academy can work together to help classrooms access high-quality resources that foster creativity. The learnings that students take forward in their education will extend to college, career and beyond.”

“San José State is excited to partner with companies like Adobe because we share a strong commitment to the success of our highly diverse students as well as the faculty and staff that serve them,” said Vincent Del Casino, Jr., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at San José State University. “As a HSI, in particular, the grant from the Adobe Foundation supports new forms of pedagogy that help students create a sense of belonging at SJSU, establishes educational practices that further close equity gaps for all of our students and embeds lifelong digital and creative literacy skills into their education that they can carry into any career in the future.”

“We are excited to partner with Adobe’s HBCU Ignite scholarship program,” said Dr. Harry L. Williams, president & CEO at Thurgood Marshall College Fund. “Adobe is another strategic partner for our organization. This is an important opportunity for Adobe to help HBCU students display their passion and talent while simultaneously enhancing their creative and digital literacy skills because it will help close the gap and address the inequitable representation in education.”

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Andrew Cha
Adobe
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