February 1st 2024.
According to a report from Fortune, Shaquille O'Neal, the legendary NBA player known for his accomplishments on the court, is making a big move off the court by investing in a startup called Campus. This startup is dedicated to revolutionizing community college education, and O'Neal is joining forces with other influential CEOs like Sam Altman of OpenAI and Jason Citron of Discord to address the issue of low graduation rates in community colleges.
Campus was founded by 29-year-old entrepreneur Tade Oyerinde, who set out to tackle the challenge faced by community colleges where less than 40% of students manage to graduate. O'Neal, expressing his dissatisfaction with this statistic, emphasized that his investment in Campus is driven by a desire to change lives rather than seeking financial returns.
In fact, O'Neal drew inspiration from a statement by Amazon's Jeff Bezos, who said that investing in things that change people's lives always brings a great return. O'Neal believes that access to world-class education is essential for everyone and is committed to being a catalyst for positive change.
Currently, Campus is an accredited community college with 726 students enrolled and is implementing innovative approaches to enhance the educational experience. The startup collaborates with professors from esteemed institutions like Vanderbilt, Princeton, and New York University to conduct synchronous classes. It also provides students with essential resources such as free laptops, internet access, and a dedicated success coach. Campus offers associate degrees in paralegal studies and AWS cloud administration.
O'Neal is amazed by the youthfulness of Campus founder and chancellor Tade Oyerinde and is optimistic about their collaboration. He even compared it to his iconic on-court connection with Kobe Bryant, saying that Oyerinde will be like Kobe and he will be like Shaq, and together, they will knock this thing out of the park.
This significant investment in Campus not only marks O'Neal's new role as an education advocate but also aligns him with a venture that is poised to make a transformative impact on community college education. It will provide students with the tools they need to succeed, and O'Neal is excited to be a part of it.
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