UK: All incoming freshmen to get iPads

LEXINGTON, Ky. (WTVQ) — First-year students at the University of Kentucky will get free iPads, thanks to a new initiative announced Tuesday.

The university says the Board of Trustees approved the first step in its goal of increasing graduation rates, “while preparing students for lives of meaning and purpose.”

The university says that first step is launching the Smart Campus digital strategy.

Under the plan, starting this fall, all incoming, first-year students will get an iPad Air, Apple Smart Keyboard and Apple Pencil.

By providing every student with iPad, the university says it is acting to “create a level playing field with technology for all students, given how important mobility is on campus and more broadly in society and, in particular, the workplace.”

According to the university, it will use $1.5 million from campus efficiency projects to fund the initiative.