Kilmer Announces Grant for Tacoma Community College to Boost Cybersecurity Training
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, U.S. Representative Derek Kilmer (D-WA) announced that Tacoma Community College (TCC) won a National Science Foundation grant to educate and train cybersecurity professionals. The investment of $599,790 will bolster TCC’s successful Networking and Cyber Security associate degree program that prepares students for cybersecurity jobs. The award comes as the Office of Personnel and Management recently announced that two separate hacks of their system compromised the records of more than 25 million Federal government employees, contractors, and those close to them.
“Recent breaches have shown that hackers know how to punch through our cyber defenses,” said Kilmer. “This huge threat proves how important it is to continue building a cybersecurity system that can protect everything from our personal records to the electrical grid. Tacoma has recognized this and continues to build a thriving cybersecurity hub that can create jobs and play an essential role in beating back attacks. This grant allows TCC to expand a program that is already training a new generation of cyber professionals and proves that the nation is taking notice of what is happening in our region.”
“TCC is delighted to receive this grant from the National Science Foundation,” said TCC president Dr. Sheila Ruhland. “At a time when cyber security has become such an important part of our everyday lives, this grant will enable TCC to expand capacity to train cyber security professionals. The timing could not have been better, particularly as we target separating or retiring military personnel and veterans.”
According to TCC Networking and Cyber Security program chair Jeanette Smith –Perrone, the NCS program at TCC is unique. “The program focuses on helping students develop skills for technical acumen, team building, communication, conflict resolution, issue analysis, solution development, project implementation, and ethical decision making. The program has direct articulation to Bachelor degree programs without additional course requirements into Western Governors University,” said Smith-Perrone.
TCC will use the grant to:
- Increase the number of Networking & Cyber Security Associate in Applied Sciences Degrees;
- Support servicemembers looking to apply their military skills in the civilian workforce;
- And work with industry partners to directly place students and graduates in professional internships and jobs in the cyber field.
TCC’s campus is located near three military installations: Joint Base Lewis-McChord, Naval Base Kitsap, and the National Guard’s Camp Murray – which houses a strategic cyber-unit. The college has also been named a Military Friendly School by GI Jobs magazine.
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