Austin Peay's Southeastern Grasslands Institute, Google celebrate collaboration
By: Public Relations and Marketing June 27, 2024
Dr. Dwayne Estes, the executive director of SGI, presents a celebration honoring the organization's partnership with Google. | Photo by Sean McCully
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – In honor of Google’s collaboration with Austin Peay State University programs like the Southeastern Grasslands Institute, APSU President Michael Licari presented Google with the 2023 APSU Philanthropist of the Year award on Wednesday, June 26. Google’s collaboration with the Southeastern Grasslands Institute allowed for the cultivation of not one, but two, prairies just outside the gates of the data center.
“Austin Peay State University is truly thankful for Google’s generous investment in the Southeastern Grasslands Institute and so many of our programs,” Licari said. “Google is a wonderful partner not just to APSU but to the entire Montgomery County community.”
Since the center was built in 2018, Google has contributed more than $2.1 billion to the Montgomery County community region and state. Partnerships with local organizations have done everything from promoting science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) education to helping small businesses get online.
The prairie revitalization is just one example of Google’s dedication to this community and its investments in APSU, serving as a lasting, visual testament to the partnership between the Southeastern Grasslands Institute and the Google data center.
“We are proud to be a part of the Montgomery County community,” said Google representative Angie Kozlowski. “It is an honor to receive this award today from APSU. Seeing projects like this prairie literally come to life has been incredible. We look forward to continuing our partnerships here and forging new ones over the years to come.”
The event also featured a clip about the Montgomery County data center from the Google video “Where the Internet Lives” and pictures of the revitalized prairie land.
About Google in Tennessee:
Google has called Tennessee home for six years since the Montgomery County data center was built in 2018. Google data centers help power popular digital services — like Google Cloud, Workspace (which includes Gmail, Docs, Sheets and more), Search and Maps — for people and organizations worldwide. As a pioneer in computing infrastructure, Google’s data centers are some of the most efficient in the world. Google has invested more than $2.1 billion in Tennessee to date and created jobs for Tennesseans in a variety of full-time and external supplier roles in the state. Google has also awarded more than $1 million to local schools and nonprofits in Tennessee since 2018. Learn more about Google in Tennessee at https://economicimpact.google/state/tn/
About the Southeastern Grasslands Institute:
The Southeastern Grasslands Institute (SGI) at Austin Peay State University is a leading entity in biodiversity conservation. It focuses on research, conservation and education related to Southeastern grasslands, which are among the most imperiled ecosystems in North America.
As a key branch of Austin Peay’s College of STEM, SGI collaborates with conservation leaders to address complex ecological issues through integrated research, consultation and grant administration. SGI’s impact spans a region that includes parts or all of 24 states, and the organization is dedicated to ensuring the Southeastern grasslands’ sustainability for future generations. For more information, visit www.segrasslands.org.