A partnership aimed at advancing cyber security education and community outreach has recently been formed between Stillman College and Google.

As part of the collaboration, Google has awarded the school a $500,000 grant which will be coming from Google’s Cybersecurity Clinics Fund. The clinics made possible through this fund will provide free security services .

“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 Dr. Kevin Harris, Stillman’s Executive Director of Cybersecurity DEI Clinic. “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.”

Royal Hansen, Google’s vice president of Privacy, Safety, and Security Engineering said the funding will pay future dividends.

“These clinics have been designed to provide the next generation of professionals with the tools and resources they need to succeed in the ever-growing field of cybersecurity,” said Hansen. “We’re proud to lend a hand to help grow a strong security workforce responsible for strengthening and protecting our infrastructure for years to come.”

Stillman is the only HBCU in the country to be a member of the Consortium of Cyber Security Clinics.

There are more than 650,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., including more than 11,000 openings in Alabama, the college said.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News.