SAN JOSE — Tech titan Adobe has widened its partnerships with San Jose State University and two other colleges, along with the schools’ students, with big grants to each of the educational institutions.
As part of the company’s “Adobe for All” initiative, the tech firm has provided grants to SJSU, Bowie State University and Winston-Salem State University, Adobe said Thursday.
Each of the three schools received $1 million from the Adobe Foundation, Adobe said. San Jose State is considered a Hispanic-Serving Institution, meaning more than a quarter of undergraduates enrolled full time identify as Hispanic. Both Bowie State University, in Maryland, and Winston-Salem State University, in North Carolina, are designated as Historically Black Colleges and Universities — schools established before 1964 with a mission to educate Black Americans.
With the latest rounds of grants from the Adobe Foundation, the tech company has provided a total of $9 million to the schools in recent years, or $3 million for each university over that time frame, according to Amy White, Adobe’s global head for corporate social responsibility.
The three universities will be able to increase their investments in “student services, campus facilities and infrastructure, social justice efforts, professional development programs and faculty research collaborations,” according to Adobe.
The tech titan’s partnerships with the trio of universities are being driven by a few key goals:
— Empower diverse, next-generation talent
— Broaden access to digital literacy and creative skills
These efforts include Adobe’s cybersecurity internship program and the company’s Student-Athlete Micro Internship program, or SAMI.
The SAMI program accommodates the demanding training schedule that’s required for student-athletes. SAMI also enables university athletes to showcase skills that can be transferred from the sports setting to a corporate environment.
Jaylan Lawson, an SJSU senior and a linebacker for the Spartans football team, says the Adobe SAMI program has helped him advance toward his chosen career in marketing.
“Football is my passion, but the SAMI program at Adobe allowed me to meet my athletic training needs while also providing a career development opportunity and exposure to the tech industry,” Lawson said.
Adobe and SJSU are economic and cultural pillars of downtown San Jose, making it logical that the two organizations would weave closer and stronger ties.
“It’s great to provide more support to San Jose State,” White said. “We want to help provide more faculty development, digital skills training, physical lab space and to make sure students have access to new courses.”
Adobe’s involvement with San Jose State is poised to help the school provide education in more inclusive ways, SJSU officials say.
“SJSU deeply values continued support from Adobe and the Adobe Foundation,” said Vincent Del Casino Jr., provost and senior vice president for academic affairs at San Jose State. “Their collaborative work with us is empowering the next generation of leaders and addressing educational inequities that face many students pursuing a college degree and career.”
The university believes its partnership with Adobe will bolster efforts to teach skills during a student’s college years as well as offer opportunities after a student has graduated.
“SJSU will continue embedding digital and creative literacy skills and practices into curriculum and programs across the breadth of our institution,” Del Casino said. “SJSU is also deeply invested in supporting students as they pursue career aspirations with Adobe’s internship and mentorship opportunities.”
The endeavors made possible through the grants, along with Adobe’s overall internship efforts, will help nurture and maintain an already robust pipeline of students who could be future Adobe workers, in White’s view.
“I feel really confident that as we develop these internships, we will see students not only experience Adobe as interns but also be employed at Adobe,” White said.