ServiceNow and Benedict College partner to create pathways to success

At ServiceNow, we’re committed to strengthening our relationship with historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs) and harnessing the outpouring of diverse talent. Now, more than ever, it’s incumbent upon corporations like ours to create new ways to attract, recruit, and retain diverse talent and spur economic development in communities around the country.

That's why ServiceNow is making a $1 million investment in Benedict College, a historically Black college in Columbia, South Carolina. Founded in 1870 by Bathsheba A. Benedict, the college is known as a leader in science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) degrees, including cybersecurity, engineering, computer science, and more.

The multiyear strategic partnership will equip traditionally underrepresented students with the digital skills needed in today’s workforce and help provide a strong talent pipeline into the ServiceNow ecosystem.

The first HBCUs were established nearly 200 years ago to educate African Americans, drive social change, and develop career pathways for the Black community. The list of political, civic, and community leaders who graduated from HBCUs includes Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Oprah Winfrey, Thurgood Marshall, Vice President Kamala Harris, W.E.B. Du Bois, Chadwick Boseman, Spike Lee, and many others. Influential graduates of Benedict College also include Septima Clark, Modjeska Simkins, and LeRoy Walker.

Ensuring diversity in the tech sector

Although HBCUs make up a small percentage of America’s higher education institutions, 25% of HBCU students graduate with degrees in STEM, reports UNCF. Compare that to 18% of total bachelor’s degrees in STEM in the US, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. In 2020, Benedict College was named by the Hundred-Seven as one of the Top 10 Smaller HBCUs for STEM.

“Embedding diversity, inclusion, and belonging in the fabric of everything we do at ServiceNow is essential to who we are as a company, how we grow, and how we innovate,” says Cheick Camara, senior director of platform engineering at ServiceNow.

“HBCUs have impressive graduation rates in the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics, and there is an incredible amount of HBCU talent that often goes overlooked or untapped. This partnership, among others, will help ServiceNow grow our ecosystem while ensuring a more diverse workforce as we continue on our pursuit to be the defining enterprise software company of the 21st century.”

Empowering students for success

The ServiceNow-Benedict College partnership will provide:

Access to technology and resources

• In an effort to narrow the digital divide, a ServiceNow Tech Center will be housed on the Benedict College campus. This state-of-the-art computer lab will have updated network infrastructure and new devices to provide students with critical access to technology.
  
  Additionally, all Benedict College students will have free access to ServiceNow ebooks, the Now Learning Platform, and registration to take ServiceNow certification exams.

Scholarship opportunities

• Beginning in the Fall 2022 academic year, five students per year who are currently enrolled at Benedict College and are focused in the areas of science, technology, engineering, the arts, and mathematics (STEAM) will be eligible to receive a $12,000 scholarship.

ServiceNow Tech Scholars Program

• The ServiceNow Tech Scholars Program will offer a curriculum that focuses on success in the tech sector, career preparedness, and technology skills to equip students for a potential career in ServiceNow or the broader technology industry. All scholars will have the opportunity to meet with a ServiceNow adviser, visit the ServiceNow headquarters in Santa Clara, California, and apply for internships at ServiceNow.
  
  Students who receive a ServiceNow-funded scholarship will be automatically enrolled in the ServiceNow Tech Scholars Program. Students attending Benedict College and other HBCUs in South Carolina will also be eligible to apply to the program.

ServiceNow NextGen Academy

• Digital skills are becoming a critical requirement for employment. However, the skills gap continues to widen. At ServiceNow, we see firsthand the challenges many companies face in addressing the talent shortage of qualified practitioners trained to support a ServiceNow deployment.
  
  The ServiceNow NextGen Academy at Benedict College is a two-month program designed to help participants actively take part in the digital economy and move directly into employment. It provides technical training, certification, and career opportunities within the ServiceNow ecosystem, including ServiceNow customers and partners. Recent graduates and former students of Benedict College and other South Carolina HBCUs will have the opportunity to apply to the ServiceNow NextGen Academy.

Preparing future leaders

“Our partnership with ServiceNow presents a tremendous opportunity for Benedict students, who will soon join the skilled workforce driving our nation’s economy,” says Dr. Roslyn Clark Artis, president and CEO of Benedict College.

“Benedict College is at the forefront of fueling education and innovation in STEM, and our efforts are in lockstep with ServiceNow’s goals to bridge the widening digital skills gap and grow a more diverse workforce. We applaud ServiceNow’s leadership in creating invaluable exposure to the tech ecosystem and establishing critical college-to-corporate pathways for underrepresented talent.”

ServiceNow is humbled to be able to make financial and program investments that will help prepare the next generation of the digital workforce for 21st century jobs and promote real, lasting change.

Learn more about how we’re embracing diversity and creating belonging in our Diversity, Inclusion, and Belonging Report.