CyberCorps Scholarship for Service (Renewal): Interdisciplinary Scholarship for Service for the Intermountain West

Idaho State University, Pocatello ID

Investigators

Abstract

In 1998, Idaho State University (ISU) was among the country’s first National Security Agency (NSA)-designated Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance (now Cyber Defense). ISU has offered the Scholarship for Service (SFS) continually since 2003 – over which time it has produced 100 cybersecurity professionals for federal government organizations. ISU SFS graduates have gone on to become Chief Information Security Officers (CISOs) in executive branch agencies, entrepreneurs, and academics, contributing to a robust cybersecurity ecosystem that supports national security and scientific community. This project extends ISU’s commitment to defend national security by producing qualified, adaptable and interdisciplinary graduates for federal employment over the next five years. In order to achieve its goal, ISU will select highly motivated, high-performing students from diverse academic backgrounds. Selected SFS scholars will engage in a cohort-based, education-professional experience. They will be engaged in solving complex cybersecurity challenges, including planning, designing, and carrying out an annual cybersecurity competition in regional institutions of higher education. SFS scholars will learn cybersecurity strategy, federal policy, risk management, and incident response from qualified faculty and staff in formal classroom settings. SFS scholars will be able to apply their knowledge to solve current and future challenges through research opportunities, cybersecurity competitions, and a final cybersecurity project. SFS scholars will interact regularly with ISU SFS alumni, who can provide scholarship recipients with relevant and timely insights about federal service in the cybersecurity field. SFS scholars will prepare for and take externally validated professional certification exams, such as Security+ and CISSP. ISU SFS scholars will serve as interns for and accept employment in the federal executive branch. This project is supported by the CyberCorps® Scholarship for Service (SFS) program, which funds proposals establishing or continuing scholarship programs in cybersecurity and aligns with the U.S. National Cyber Strategy to develop a superior cybersecurity workforce. Following graduation, scholarship recipients are required to work in cybersecurity for a federal, state, local, or tribal Government organization for the same duration as their scholarship support.   This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.