The Virginia Tobacco Commission on Thursday awarded a $190,000 grant to establish a new cybersecurity academy at the Southwest Virginia Higher Education in Abingdon.
In partnership with Old Dominion University, the Higher Ed Center will use the grant to fund the new Cisco Networking and Cyber Security Academy. The grant will be used to purchase equipment to start the academy.
Sara Williams, the grants program administrator of the Tobacco Commission, presented the grant to David Matlock, executive director of the Higher Ed Center, at the POWER UP SWVA cybersecurity and manufacturing summit Thursday.
“This is very exciting for the Higher Education Center, we believe this partnership with ODU and also our partnership with the community colleges system and the Virginia Tobacco Commission is a genuine game changer for our region,” Matlock said. “It’s going to be wonderful.”
