OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. — Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) is proud to announce a new collaboration with Amazon-Machine Learning University (MLU) Educators Consortium and Amazon-Machine Learning University Transformation Alliance, a nationwide initiative helping college faculty integrate artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) into their curriculum, and work with executive leadership to build capacity for engaging AI in teaching and learning.
Through this collaboration, faculty from OCCC’s Social Sciences, Business and IT, and Community Outreach and Education divisions are receiving access to training, curated curriculum resources, and ongoing support designed to prepare students for careers in the fast-growing field of AI/ML.
“The collaboration with the Amazon MLU Educators consortium allows OCCC to integrate industry-aligned machine learning curriculum into our programs, empower faculty through shared resources, and equip students with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in the rapidly evolving landscape of artificial intelligence, said Sara Mathew, department chair and professor of computer science at OCCC. “Through this collaboration, OCCC continues to advance its mission to provide accessible and practical machine learning resources that connect academic learning and industry needs.”
OCCC is one of several institutions participating in this effort. The initiative aims to build inclusive AI education pathways. OCCC is honored to be among the few community colleges selected to participate in this groundbreaking program.
“The Machine Learning University — Educator Consortium & Transformation Alliance represents a pivotal step in democratizing AI education and shaping the next generation of tech innovators. By collaborating with educators and executive administrators at Oklahoma City Community College, we’re not just sharing knowledge — we’re building a more inclusive and dynamic future for technology education,” said LaDavia Drane, director of inclusive experiences and technology at Amazon. “This collaboration empowers faculty to deliver cutting-edge AI and machine learning curriculum, ensuring students across varied communities have access to the skills that will define tomorrow’s innovations.”
Launched in February 2025 with the inaugural MLU-HBCU AI/ML Teaching and Research Symposium, this extensive program provides ongoing support, training, and activities, including two four-day summer bootcamps covering machine learning and generative AI, intensive technical training in AWS AI/ML services, curriculum development resources and materials, access to AWS resources and programs for education, and an invaluable connection to an industry-academic AI/ML community of practice.
“This collaboration with Amazon-Machine Learning University strengthens our institutional capacity to lead in emerging technologies,” said Dr. Mautra Staley Jones, president of OCCC. “It not only equips our faculty and our Information Technology staff members with cutting-edge resources, but also positions OCCC as a nexus for accessible, high-impact AI education that empowers students from all backgrounds to thrive in the workforce of the future.”
This collaboration provides valuable resources and establishes Oklahoma City Community College as a leader in accessible, workforce-driven education. Equipping faculty, staff, and students with tools to navigate and shape the future of artificial intelligence, it reaffirms OCCC’s commitment to innovation and economic opportunity for the communities it serves.
About Oklahoma City Community College
Since its inception in 1972, Oklahoma City Community College (OCCC) has been the heartbeat of the metro, dedicated to empowering learners and strengthening communities. Serving more than 18,000 students in credit-seeking courses and more than 5,000 students in non-credit-seeking programs, we are committed to producing leaders. “Student Success, Community Enrichment” is our mission, and we offer 87 degree and certificate programs plus more than 50 micro-credentials that provide a foundation for further education or immediate career readiness. We remain dedicated to providing accessible, affordable, high-quality education that equips students to achieve personal and professional goals. OCCC is more than an institution; we are a community catalyst, fostering growth and success in our city, our workforce, and the lives of our students. Discover your potential at OCCC, where your future is our purpose.
About Amazon Web Services
Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. AWS has been continually expanding its services to support virtually any workload, and it now has more than 240 fully featured services for compute, storage, databases, networking, analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI), Internet of Things (IoT), mobile, security, hybrid, media, and application development, deployment, and management from 117 Availability Zones within 37 geographic regions, with announced plans for 13 more Availability Zones and four more AWS Regions in Chile, New Zealand, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, and the AWS European Sovereign Cloud. Millions of customers — including the fastest-growing startups, largest enterprises, and leading government agencies — trust AWS to power their infrastructure, become more agile, and lower costs. To learn more about AWS, visit aws.amazon.com.
About Machine Learning University
Since 2006, Amazon Web Services has been the world’s most comprehensive and broadly adopted cloud. Through its Machine Learning University (MLU) and Educator Enablement Programs, AWS is dedicated to expanding access to artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) education. These initiatives empower faculty and senior administrators — particularly at Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and community colleges — to integrate AI/ML into undergraduate instruction and research through hands-on technical training, open-access curriculum, and peer collaboration. By promoting inclusive and industry-aligned tech education, AWS is helping to cultivate the next generation of diverse and skilled technology leaders.
Media Contact:
Dr. Vita Pickrum
Senior Vice President for Institutional Advancement and External Affairs, and
Executive Director of the Foundation
405-682-1611 Ext. 7387
vita.pickrum@occc.edu
