(TNS) — Michigan's Davenport University received a five-year, $4 million grant from the National Science Foundation (NSF) to train and educate cybersecurity experts as part of its CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program, officials announced Thursday, Sept. 19.
Since 2011, Davenport University has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.
“With a large number of open positions and growing security attacks, the need to strengthen and address the cybersecurity talent pipeline is more important than ever,” said Davenport University President Richard Pappas, in a press release.
“This grant validates the quality education Davenport University provides and the confidence the federal government has in our ability to deliver the talent needed to address one of our nation’s most pressing issues in cybersecurity.”
Davenport’s CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program provides junior and senior students full-tuition scholarships, living stipends and additional monies for professional development and other education-related fees. Students are guaranteed a job following graduation with the federal, state or local government.
Under the grant, this program led by Davenport’s Lonnie Decker and Mark McKinnon and Andrew Rozema, of Grand Rapids Community College (GRCC), will provide 28 students with scholarships that cover their full-tuition, any education-related fees and living costs.
In return, graduates are guaranteed a full-time cybersecurity role at a government entity. The scholarship covers the costs of a student’s junior or senior year at Davenport. It also extends coverage to sophomores at GRCC, a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense.
The university is accepting applications now. Those interested in learning more about the scholarship may davenport university cybersecurity training grant
