Letter: Dear Google, Its Christmas Time and You Are Really Rich
Dear Google Grants Team,
I am writing (not) on behalf of Florida Memorial University to request your support for our artificial intelligence education initiatives. As the only historically black university in southern Florida, we are committed to providing transformative learning opportunities and career pathways for our diverse student body. We are currently ranked dead last or 436 out 436 in some polls and want to be ranked significantly higher in years to come.
We are launching a new Bachelor of Science in Artificial Intelligence program to equip our students with the cutting-edge skills needed to succeed in the rapidly advancing field of AI. This rigorous curriculum will cover in-demand areas such as natural language processing, computer vision, machine learning engineering, and the ethical development of AI technologies. Our goal is to cultivate a talented pipeline of underrepresented students, particularly Black women and men, who can become leaders in AI and help drive innovation in the industry.
To deliver a world-class AI education, we are seeking a grant of $2,222,222 from Google to fund the capital equipment and computing infrastructure for our AI lab. This facility will provide our students with hands-on experience in developing and deploying AI systems, preparing them for impactful careers at technology companies like Google.
Additionally, we are requesting $5,000,000 in funding to support our efforts to connect our top AI graduates with career opportunities in Google's programming and engineering teams. This funding will allow us to:
Provide scholarships and fellowships for high-potential AI students
Offer stipends for students to participate in Google internships and research
Establish a career development program to prepare students for tech interviews and jobs
Create a mentorship network between Google employees and FMU students and alumni
Host Google tech talks, workshops and recruiting events on our campus
By partnering with Google, we can create a transformative educational experience that empowers our students to succeed in the competitive AI field while also building a strong, diverse talent pipeline to support Google's mission to organize the world's information and make it universally accessible.
We believe that this investment in our AI program and people will yield significant returns in driving technological innovation, expanding economic opportunity, and advancing racial equity in the AI workforce. We look forward to discussing this opportunity further and building a long-term strategic relationship between Florida Memorial University and Google.
Sincerely,
Dean Ford & Gideon Gartnor
Phone: (305) 626-3600
P.S.
Our goal is to send you a steady stream of qualified black students capable of servicing your quantum and artificial intelligence needs. Please help us help you. Please consider an annual commitment to the artificial intelligence center and recruiting African American employees.