PEORIA, ILLINOIS (July 13, 2023) — Bradley University has announced it is partnering with T-Mobile to establish a student-centric, digitally-connected campus, which will be powered by T-Mobile’s 5G Advanced Network Solutions (ANS).
T-Mobile is providing significant investments in broader network infrastructure and additional services to implement this initiative with Bradley. In fall 2024, as part of this multi-year collaboration, students, full-time faculty, and certain student-facing staff will receive a tenth-generation iPad, complete with a Bradley-branded keyboard case and an unlimited T-Mobile data plan with hotspot capabilities. T-Mobile’s 5G ANS will allow Bradley to utilize a hybrid mobile network that provides faster speeds, lower latency, and dedicated reliability to enrich Bradley’s learning environment and create an ecosystem supportive of academic and operational innovation.
This effort, which has a total value of more than $30 million, will be bolstered by Apple. Bradley will leverage Apple’s deep experience in education to populate every iPad with apps, offer training sessions, and determine best practices to generate truly impactful outcomes across campus.
“We are excited to leverage this technology within and beyond the classroom to improve digital equity on our campus and to aid our talented faculty and staff's ongoing efforts in fostering a highly-supportive and innovative learning environment,” said Christopher Jones PhD, Vice President for Strategy and Innovation for Bradley University. “Through the Digitally Connected Campus initiative, Bradley has the potential to become a genuine exemplar in contemporary higher education.”
Nationwide, the digital divide in higher education creates significant disadvantages for the more than half of college students who experience stress from unreliable internet or device problems. This new initiative will help bridge that gap and improve Bradley’s capacity to provide an equitable educational experience.
“We are honored that T-Mobile sees Bradley University as the campus to launch this flagship educational experience,” said Stephen Standifird PhD, President, Bradley University. “We are confident that by providing students an iPad along with an unlimited T-Mobile data plan, Bradley can differentiate itself by advancing a true sense of community and belonging through equitable digital access that is unmatched by any other university in the nation.”
The implementation of the 5G infrastructure will begin soon. The first devices will be distributed to full-time faculty early in the fall 2023 semester. As the 2023-2024 academic year unfolds, the deployment of devices will extend to “discovery cohorts” of students that will represent approximately 25% of the student body. There will then be a full launch in Fall 2024 to include students, full-time faculty, and certain student-facing staff. For more information on the Digitally Connected Campus, including FAQs, click here.
About Bradley University:
Bradley University is a top-ranked, private university in Peoria, Illinois, offering nearly 6,000 undergraduate and graduate students opportunities, choices, and resources to build their futures. Innovation, action, and collaboration drive Bradley students to generate ideas and create solutions that remake the world around them. Our comprehensive array of undergraduate and graduate academic programs includes business, communications, education, engineering, fine arts, health sciences, liberal-arts and sciences, and technology.
