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Virginia Union University announces ‘Smart Campus’ with Apple products for students

Virginia Union University, which is known for being a historically Black university, announced on Tuesday a partnership with Apple to create a new “Smart Campus.” There, students will be provided with a bundle of Apple products, including, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, and other accessories.

The Smart Campus is part of the “Mobile Learning, Mobile Life” initiative, which aims to drive technology adoption and prepare college students for “digital lifestyle and workplace requirements of the future.” Starting with the class of 2025, every first-year student will get an iPad Air with Apple Pencil, Smart Keyboard Folio, Apple Watch, and AirPods Pro.

The initiative comes from a partnership with Apple, which will work with Virginia Union University to provide not only the products, but also programming and app development classes for all students. The campus will also be integrated with Student ID, an Apple Wallet feature that lets students use their iPhone or Apple Watch to access dorms, the library, or pay for food at the university.

“Creating a Smart Campus at VUU is critical to the academic learning environment of a 21st Century student. Apple has the products, apps, and professional learning support that will allow our students to access books, classes and research materials at their fingertips,” said Dr. Hakim J. Lucas, President and CEO of Virginia Union University. “Our collaboration goes much further than technology; Smart Campus will help as we prepare students to enter the workforce, putting them on the path to generational wealth.”

Susan Prescott, VP of developer relations and enterprise & education marketing, reinforced that the company strongly believes in initiatives like “Mobile Learning, Mobile Life” to make technology part of students’ lives.

“At Apple, we believe education is a powerful force for equity and opportunity, and we’re excited to work with Virginia Union University to support their new Mobile Learning, Mobile Life initiative,” said Susan Prescott, Vice President of Worldwide Developer Relations and Enterprise & Education Marketing. “We’re proud that Apple products will be an integral part of student life for VUU Panthers, and can’t wait to see where the future takes them.”

More details about the Smart Campus project can be found on the Virginia Union University website.

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Avatar for Filipe Espósito Filipe Espósito

Filipe Espósito is a Brazilian tech Journalist who started covering Apple news on iHelp BR with some exclusive scoops — including the reveal of the new Apple Watch Series 5 models in titanium and ceramic. He joined 9to5Mac to share even more tech news around the world.