A new $250,000 corporate grant from Nutanix is funding an endowed professorship at North Carolina’s top-ranked public high school, expanding free, virtual computer science courses to rural and underserved students statewide.
Thousands of North Carolina high school students — particularly those in rural and economically disadvantaged communities — are set to gain broader access to rigorous computer science education through a new $250,000 corporate grant announced Monday by Nutanix, a hybrid multicloud computing company.
The grant establishes the Nutanix Endowed Professorship in Computer Science at the North Carolina School of Science and Mathematics (NCSSM), the nation’s top-ranked public high school. The endowment is expected to be matched by state dollars later in 2026, potentially doubling its impact.
What the Endowment Funds
The Nutanix endowment targets one of North Carolina’s most pressing education gaps: uneven access to computer science instruction. While the state now requires high school students to complete a CS course to graduate, local funding for teacher training remains sharply limited — especially outside urban centers.
The endowment directly supports two areas: teacher training initiatives and the development of open-source educational resources that schools across the state can use at no cost. NCSSM’s model relies on its existing infrastructure to push high-quality instruction well beyond its physical campuses in Durham and Morganton.
NCSSM Connect: Virtual CS in Local Classrooms
The primary mechanism for reaching remote students is NCSSM Connect, an outreach program that streams synchronous, high-definition video instruction directly into public high school classrooms statewide. Through NCSSM Connect, students in underserved communities can enroll in honors and Advanced Placement-level computer science courses that their local schools would otherwise be unable to offer.
Charles Robinson, who joined NCSSM in 2019 after years working in Durham-area schools as a CTE teacher and technology specialist, has been named the Nutanix Endowed Professor of Computer Science. He currently teaches exclusively through NCSSM Connect, reaching roughly 100 remote students each year through courses including Introduction to Computer Science, Intro to Artificial Intelligence and Computational Thinking, and Connected Computing.
Fall 2026 Launch and Next Steps
Implementation is already underway. Beginning this fall, Robinson will teach six NCSSM Connect courses under the endowed professorship. The school’s Engineering and Computer Science Department is also piloting teacher training programs in anticipation of the full endowment becoming available over the next three years.
The endowment also builds on NCSSM’s existing Ryden Program for Innovation and Leadership in AI, reinforcing foundational data science and ethical computing instruction across the state.
Why This Matters for Students
North Carolina’s CS graduation requirement represents a significant policy shift — but mandates alone don’t create classrooms, trained teachers, or course materials. The Nutanix endowment attempts to bridge that gap by pairing a sustained funding source with an established delivery network.
NCSSM itself charges no tuition, and the open-source curriculum model means resources developed under this endowment will be freely available to schools across the state. For students in rural communities who may never set foot on a university campus, virtual access to honors-level CS instruction could be a meaningful step toward college readiness and careers in technology.
Nutanix, which maintains a significant presence in Durham’s Research Triangle region, framed the investment as part of its global philanthropy program, Nutanix Spark, which focuses on STEAM education and community development. The company has been a technology infrastructure partner to NCSSM for more than a decade.
How Students and Schools Can Access the Program
NCSSM Connect courses are available to students at public high schools across North Carolina. The program streams live, interactive instruction directly into participating classrooms, meaning students do not need to travel to an NCSSM campus to benefit. All open-source curriculum resources tied to the endowment are available at no cost.
Public high schools interested in enrolling students in NCSSM Connect courses or accessing open-source CS resources can find details at ncssm.edu/ncssm-connect.
Source: Nutanix, Inc.