Sprout Social, an industry-leading provider of cloud-based social media management software, announced a $100,000 annual contribution to the Howard University School of Business for the creation and management of their Center for Digital Business, as well as related business education offerings and programming, over the next two years. This contribution will help support the hiring of the Center’s Director, develop course curriculum, and provide Sprout technology to aid in student and faculty research.

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The Center for Digital Business will provide a space within Howard University’s School of Business to facilitate education, collaboration and innovation among students, faculty, staff and business leaders. Programming for the Center will focus on three key areas: academic offerings, experiential learning opportunities and support for job readiness.

Sprout Social’s technology will support three courses for the Spring and Fall terms, including Publication Management, Introduction to Social Media Marketing and Marketing for Startups. In line with the school’s efforts to create a pipeline of diverse professionals with relevant skills and real-world experience, Sprout will also provide mentorship to students and help judge student pitch competitions.

“At Sprout, we believe it’s critical to play an active role in the development of the next generation of Black business leaders,” said Cassandra Blackburn, Director of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion at Sprout Social. “Our partnership with Howard University underscores our commitment to this endeavor and reinforces our goal of advancing the equity and justice of historically underserved communities. We’re excited to be building a multidimensional relationship with Howard University and look forward to supporting students as they ascend into their professional careers within tech.”

Etoulia Burnett, Director of the Center for Digital Business at Howard University, said, “The Center for Digital Business is thrilled to have Sprout Social as a partner. As companies continue to integrate social media into their overall business strategies, it is important for students to get hands-on experience with technologies that prepare them to successfully design engagement solutions of the future. We look forward to a long-standing relationship.”

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