Bowdoin College Launches Groundbreaking Digital Excellence Commitment

BRUNSWICK, Maine, Feb. 22, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- Bowdoin College's groundbreaking Digital Excellence Commitment (DExC) will provide every current student and all future students with a suite of the latest Apple technology and access to a full range of course-specific software designed to advance learning, inspire innovative teaching, and create digital equity across the student body in the use of tools essential for success in the twenty-first century. 

DExC will build on the success of Bowdoin's iPad Initiative by equipping all students with a 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by M1, an iPad mini, and an Apple Pencil, along with access to software used across the range of courses at the College, beginning in fall 2022. The cost of the program will be covered entirely by Bowdoin.

"During the pandemic we witnessed firsthand the power of a common technology platform for teaching and learning, along with the substantial and differential benefits that come with the combination of a MacBook Pro and an iPad with an Apple Pencil," said Bowdoin College President Clayton Rose.

"Our Digital Excellence Commitment allows us to level the playing field so that every student has the opportunity to fully benefit from the technology that plays an essential and growing role in the learning experience at Bowdoin. Our central mission is to deliver an exceptional liberal arts education along with the knowledge and skills students need to lead in our increasingly digital world."

Bowdoin students, faculty, and staff have been engaged with digital technology and tools for decades, and the COVID-19 pandemic has only amplified the importance of these digital skills. In summer 2020, the College issued each student an iPad Pro Wi-Fi + Cellular (activated and funded by the College for those students who had internet connectivity needs), an Apple Pencil, and an Apple Magic Keyboard.

"At Apple we believe education can be a profound force for equity, and that the right technology can enhance and extend teaching and learning," said Susan Prescott, Apple's vice president of education and enterprise product marketing.

"The expansion of Bowdoin's Digital Excellence Commitment is a testament to the College's forward thinking and the results already seen from providing its students with powerful Apple products."

While initially intended to ensure that every student had the tools necessary for learning in the remote environment caused by the pandemic, the experiences of Bowdoin students and faculty with iPad Pro and Apple Pencil during the past eighteen months spurred numerous and unexpected learning and teaching innovations.

At the same time, there has been the recognition that students and faculty continue to rely on laptops for certain aspects of their academic work—in particular, discipline-specific software and other needs—and that an inequity of access to these tools creates challenges for students and faculty.

Entering first-year students will receive all new equipment and software; returning students will use the iPad Pro and Apple Pencil they have already received, supplemented by a new 13-inch MacBook Pro powered by M1, with a full software suite.

Bowdoin's transformative Digital Excellence Commitment will ensure that every student has consistent access, dependable support, a shared learning experience, and the tools they need to collaborate, innovate, and thrive in a digital world.

Founded in 1794, Bowdoin is a residential liberal arts college with approximately 1,850 students from across the country and around the world. The College is committed to access and equity, and about half of all enrolled students receive need-based financial aid. Bowdoin is one of approximately twenty colleges and universities in the country that provide the combination of need-blind admissions with financial aid that consists only of student employment and grants—not loans—and is designed to meet the need of students over their four years.

For interviews with Bowdoin College President Clayton Rose and/or current Bowdoin students, contact Doug Cook, director of media relations, at [email protected].

SOURCE Bowdoin College