Part of HBCU’s ongoing commitment to ensure students have necessary tools to compete in a fast-paced tech world

(CHEYNEY, PA – Aug. 10, 2022) – As part of an ongoing commitment to provide students with the latest technology to perform at the highest academic level, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is providing all 625 students with personal laptops to use throughout their learning journey.

The university will distribute the Dell Latitude laptops to all current students when they arrive on campus for the fall semester and prior to the first day of classes on Aug. 22. Incoming students in subsequent semesters will receive laptops when they are registered and enrolled in classes. Students will receive IT support through Dell and can maintain the latest programs through regular software and maintenance updates.

“We must ensure every student is equipped with the latest technology throughout their learning career at Cheyney,” said Cheyney President Aaron A. Walton. “Cheyney students are competing with the best and the brightest in higher education, and we need to provide the tools that support them every way that we can”

Since the laptops will be equipped with e-textbooks, students will not have to purchase physical textbooks for their classes. According to the College Board, college students spend an average of $1,200 per year on textbooks and other supplies.

“Whether it’s learning in the classroom, working in one of our many labs, supporting an internship program, or communicating with the digital world, we want current and prospective students to know we are here to prepare them to succeed on every level,” said President Walton.

Cheyney previously provided students with tablets, but the university recognized laptops are more suited for students’ needs, including the advanced shift in virtual learning, communication and connecting digitally with professional development opportunities. The university is paying for the laptops with federal COVID-19 relief funding that was made available in response to meeting technology demands during the pandemic.

“The learning environment is constantly changing, and the pandemic accelerated the speed at which we must adapt to new technology,” said President Walton. “Higher education must maintain the same pace as professional industries in order for students to be prepared and succeed.”

With the increasing enrollment in STEM education courses at Cheyney and the opportunity for students to work directly in on-campus private industry labs and bio-med research, the laptops will greatly assist with these areas of learning.

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About Cheyney – Founded in 1837, Cheyney University of Pennsylvania is the nation’s oldest historically Black institution of higher education. Building on this legacy, the vision for Cheyney is to become the premier model for academic excellence, character development, and social responsibility among not only Historically Black Colleges and Universities, but in all of American higher education. The campus is located on 275 acres straddling Delaware and Chester Counties. Read more at www.cheyney.edu.