Stillman College's Cybersecurity Center Receives $500K Google Grant

TUSCALOOSA, AL — Stillman College on Wednesday announced its Cybersecurity Center has been awarded a $500,000 grant and additional support from Google’s Cybersecurity Clinics Fund.

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The college said the funding will be used to build a diverse pipeline of cybersecurity professionals and to help surrounding community organizations defend themselves against cyber attacks.

The grant is part of a $20 million collaboration with the Consortium of Cybersecurity Clinics that Google announced in June of this year.

Apart from funding, Stillman said Google is also offering volunteer mentorship from Google employees, Titan Security Keys, along with scholarships for the new Google Career Certificate in Cybersecurity.

“We are appreciative to Google for its support and for recognizing Stillman’s Cybersecurity Center as one that can truly make a difference in fighting these threats right here at home,” said Stillman’s Executive Director of Cybersecurity DEI Clinic Dr. Kevin Harris. “We look forward to the impact this grant will have on our students and in our communities, specifically for those public infrastructure organizations with limited resources, including non-profits, hospitals, local government agencies and small businesses.”

Stillman College pointed out that cyber-attacks increased by 38% globally last year and have cost the U.S. economy billions of dollars over the past five years.

With a growing need for professionals in the cybersecurity sector, the college said there are currently more than 11,000 unfilled cybersecurity job openings in the state of Alabama.

Stillman also said University Cybersecurity Clinics provide free security services in the same way law or medical schools offer free clinics in their communities, offering students the opportunity to learn and improve their skills, while helping to protect critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, and energy grids.

The college says it will also use Google’s grant to help offer free cybersecurity services to community organizations and small businesses in the mid-south, particularly minority-owned businesses in Alabama and Tennessee.

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