Raytheon, a defense contractor with a large presence in Huntsville, announced Tuesday that it is donating $4 million to the new Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE).
The company says the money is meant to “help prepare students for cybersecurity careers in government and industry.”
ASCTE was created by Alabama’s state government in recent years and is a boarding high school located in Huntsville that serves public school students who excel in the cyber and engineering fields.
Roy Azevedo, president of Raytheon’s Intelligence & Space division said, “Raytheon Technologies’ partnership with ASCTE, Huntsville and the state of Alabama will help our nation meet the demand for a future cyber and engineering workforce, while providing students with the education and skills they need to thrive in these careers.”
The school is operating on the campus of Oakwood University in Huntsville while its permanent campus on Research Park is constructed, a project with a planned completion date in 2022.
The president of ASCTE is Matt Massey, a former superintendent of the Madison County School System.
“The school offers an incredible opportunity for students to learn from leaders in STEM education, as well as subject matter experts within industry like those from Raytheon Technologies,” said Massey in a release on Tuesday.
“This initiative is exciting for the entire state of Alabama with even further-reaching impact,” he added.
The upcoming fall semester marks the first year the school will be operational. The school will have an enrollment of around 75 students. The goal is to expand t0 more than 300 students when the institution is fully functional on its own campus.
Alabama Governor Kay Ivey, long a champion of the ASCTE, remarked on Tuesday, “Leadership from the private sector will play a big part in maximizing the potential of the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering.”
“All of us involved in creating this unique school thank Raytheon Technologies for its generous donation and its leaders for their pledge of ongoing support,” the governor concluded.
Henry Thornton is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can contact him by email: henry@new-yhn.local or on Twitter @HenryThornton95
