CANTON, New York (WWNY) – During a tour of SUNY Canton’s cybersecurity program on Monday, U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand announced a new incentive to increase the number of students in the field.
It’s the new Cyber Service Academy Scholarship Program.
“We urgently need to attract the next generation of cybersecurity and tech professionals to help keep our democracy safe and to keep our country safe,” said Gillibrand (D. – NY).
The program will pay for students’ tuition for the college year in exchange for working for the Department of Defense, which has 28,000 open jobs right now.
There are 24 colleges in New York that offer this program. SUNY Canton is the only one in the North Country.
“I think most of our young people should be asked to do public service after graduation as a great way to start their careers and the most urgent place right now is cyber,” said Gillibrand
Cory Liu is a cybersecurity student at SUNY Canton and will be eligible for the program next year.
“Really looking forward to the opportunity. Being able to use my talents and use what I learn in the classroom and transferring it into the real world is something I am really looking forward to,” said Liu.
The program is offered to students who are at least a junior in a 4-year program or in their second year of an associate’s degree.
SUNY Canton’s cybersecurity program is fairly new, starting about six years ago. But since its inaugural year back in 2018, it has seen the number of students grow from 50 to over 300. Officials feel this number is going to continue to grow with this added incentive.
“Especially mixing together with AI and data science. I think these are tools that our students can see that any sort of future employer is looking for these skills,” said Dr. Kambiz Ghazinour, cybersecurity professor.
The program is accepting applications until February 1 for students next school year.
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