Vice President Biden Announces $25 Million Cybersecurity Grant to HBCUs

Norfolk State University, a historically black college or university (HBCU), will be the lead site for a $25 million cybersecurity grant for Black colleges that will be announced today, Thursday by Vice President Joe Biden and the White House.

From the White House, “The Vice President will make the announcement as part of a roundtable discussion with a classroom of cybersecurity leaders and students at Norfolk State University. The visit builds on the President’s announcements on cybersecurity earlier this week, focusing on the critical need to fill the growing demand for skilled cybersecurity professionals in the U.S. job market, while also diversifying the pipeline of talent in the science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields. The event and announcement is also an opportunity to highlight the Administration’s ongoing commitment to HBCUs.”

The White House will bring together 13 of the country’s 107 Black colleges in order to work hand in hand with minority students to get the better of the “rapid growth” of cybercrime:

There is a “…growing need for cybersecurity professionals across a range of industries, from financial services, health care, and retail to the US government itself,” according to WhiteHouse.gov on the increasing amount of cybercrime in the country.

The full list of participating HBCU members are:

Virginia

Norfolk State University (lead)

Georgia

Clark Atlanta University

Paine College

Maryland

Bowie State University

North Carolina

North Carolina A&T State University

South Carolina

Allen University