Zoom and Claflin University Launch Five-Year Strategic Partnership

Programs to include Internships, Scholarships, Curriculum, and Product Advisory

SAN JOSE, Calif. and ORANGEBURG, S.C., June 30, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Zoom Video Communications, Inc. (NASDAQ: ZM) and Claflin University today announced a commitment to a five-year strategic partnership. The video communications provider and Historically Black University have developed a multifaceted foundational program that represents $1.2M in educational and financial investments. Program components include:

• Internships: Paid internships during the school year, and paid internships as part of Zoom’s summer internship program
• Scholarships: Merit- and need-based scholarships for selected students
• Curricula Partnership:
  • Zoom-led virtual engagements focused on technical skill, career path and interview development topics with students throughout the academic year
  • A member of Zoom’s product and technology leadership team will join the Claflin Computer Science and Mathematics Professional Advisory Board
  • Inclusion of meaningful Zoom-focused projects within Claflin University’s capstone project program
  • Co-authoring of case studies to be embedded into the classroom for teaching purposes
• Board of Trustees: Aparna Bawa, Zoom COO, will join Claflin’s Board of Trustees
• Faculty & Student Advisory: ​Zoom will partner with Claflin University to identify tailored opportunities to obtain feedback and guidance from faculty and students towards making Zoom’s product more accessible and inclusive to its customers
• General Operating Fund & Alumni Engagement: Zoom will provide financial support to Claflin’s general operating plans and will also engage its alumni community in career development- and hiring-related efforts

“I want to thank my colleague Congressman Ro Khanna, whose relationship with Silicon Valley tech companies in his district and interest in supporting minority serving institutions led to this exciting partnership between Zoom and Claflin University. In 2018, he joined me in South Carolina on a tour of HBCUs to learn more about their untapped talent and unmet financial needs. The resulting partnership between Claflin and Zoom will demonstrate the mutual benefits of corporate investments in minority serving institutions and the profound impacts it can have on the students and the companies that help empower them. My hope is that this will be the start of more successful partnerships,” said Congressman James E. Clyburn, an HBCU graduate who represents Claflin University in Congress.