Northeastern State University

Beneficiaries of this project will include NSU students, faculty, and staff. Student beneficiaries include: 14,000 low-income NSU students, including undergraduate/graduate students; low-income, first-generation college students enrolled in the NSU US Department of Education Student Support Services program; low-income NSU students participating in high-impact Project INVESTS internships with the Information Technology Department and the Center for Teaching and Learning; low-income concurrently enrolled high school students and college-bound low-income and first-generation high school students enrolled in the NSU US Department of Education Upward Bound program; and low-income high school graduates transitioning to NSU through the institution’s Summer Bridge program. Faculty and staff beneficiaries include the IT Department staff trained and certified in advanced networking and cybersecurity skills; and NSU full-time faculty trained in advanced certification, trained in digital skill-building, and trained in Zoom Cart technology. Additionally, the projects will assist hundreds of community residents in NSU's anchor community in rural Tahlequah, Oklahoma annually through enhanced Wi-Fi service in campus building public spaces including the NSU Library Auditorium, and in campus parking lots where low-income families without at-home internet can congregate to access broadband service provided through the university.