Connectivity They Can Count On: Claflin University's Tech Revolution With Cisco

By Scott McGregor

NORTHAMPTON, MA / ACCESSWIRE / September 13, 2024 / For most students attending college, a reliable internet connection is something they can count on. For students attending Claflin University, a small Historically Black College and University (HBCU) located in rural Orangeburg, South Carolina, reliable broadband access was more than a challenge, it was impacting the university's ability to deliver a high-quality education, and residents in surrounding communities didn't have reliable access to important online services such as education and healthcare.

Broadband challenges in rural South Carolina

Orangeburg has a population of around 13,300 residents. 21.9% of households are without Internet access, 14% of residents lack a smartphone, computer, or tablet, and more than 34% of Orangeburg's residents live below the poverty line. For students attending the university, they found connectivity was intermittent at best and often non-existent in dormitories or on the yard. The COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted these issues, revealing a myriad of challenges the school faced in educating its students remotely.

"When I first arrived at Claflin, we were in the middle of what you would call a broadband desert", said Dr. Arthur Doctor, dean of students at Claflin University. "Our students were struggling to have access to academic resources, but also, just being able to be a connected campus community, there were some struggles."

Born and raised in South Carolina, Dr. Doctor knows firsthand the connectivity challenges facing the region, and as a life-long educator he knew the impact the lack of broadband was having on his students' ability to attain a quality educational experience and access opportunities such as internships and jobs.

A model partnership

When the opportunity to work with Cisco and its ecosystem of partners to include Student Freedom Initiative to deploy 5G/LTE services on the campus and in the surrounding community, Dr. Doctor knew it would be transformational for the Claflin University Campus, its immediate neighbor South Carolina State University and nearby residents.

"We partnered with Cisco to launch an ambitious pilot program that will allow us to really connect our campus community in ways we've never been connected before, not only impacting our students and our administrators, but a nearby HBCU. And most importantly, the Orangeburg community that we've been entrenched in since 1869." said, Doctor. "Bridging the divide is more about people. It's about being able to connect them and Wi-Fi is at the core of that. As a society that's geared by technology, being able to have Claflin connected with the Orangeburg community through this partnership is transformative."

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