CANTON - U.S. Senator Kirsten Gillibrand joined elected officials and educators to encourage SUNY Canton students to apply to the DoD Cyber Service Academy scholarship program, which provides full college tuition in return for public service in the Department of Defense (DoD) or the Intelligence Community (IC). Successful applicants will serve one year in the DoD or the IC as a civilian employee for each year of their scholarship.  

SUNY Canton is one of 24 New York institutions that qualify to host students through the program because of their designations as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity. 

SUNY Canton started the program five years ago with 36 students, and it has grown to about 300 students. 

SUNY Canton is the only North Country institution that currently has the program, but Gillibrand said SLU and Clarkson are also looking into applying for the scholarship program. 

 “The Cyber Security Academy offers an incredible opportunity for our students to gain hands-on experience and essential skills in today’s fast evolving cyber security. In addition we just launched our Bachelor of Science in Data Science and Analytics, which goes great hand-in-hand with our cyber security program,” said Kambiz Ghazinour, SUNY Canton Professor and Cyber Security Department Chair.

Gillibrand created the Cyber Service Academy scholarship program through her work on the Senate Armed Services Committee. With nearly 30,000 unfilled DoD cyber positions, it is more essential than ever that the U.S. create a pipeline for a talented, highly trained cyber workforce.  

“Thousands of unfilled DoD cyber positions leave our country with a severe shortage of personnel needed to protect the United States from adversaries like Russia. I developed the Cyber Service Academy scholarship program to help meet these needs and give our youth a path to good-paying jobs in government,” said Gillibrand. “This program will create a pipeline for a talented, highly trained cyber workforce, granting one year of free college for every year of subsequent public service. SUNY Canton is a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, and I encourage students to apply, earn free tuition, and serve our great nation.” 

Assemblyman Scott Gray stressed the importance of cyber security education while praising SUNY Canton for supporting the program.

“The World’s Conflicts have changed dramatically since the early 1900s. Today’s conflicts are being fought on a different kind of battlefield with computers and coding being used as weaponry.  One of America's top priorities is to fill thousands of positions in the cyber security industry in the coming years,” said Gray. “The Department of Defense is looking for some of the world’s most talented individuals to fill these cyber security positions and programs like this one at SUNY Canton allow for some of the North Countries brightest to take on the challenge. I would like to thank the SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran and US Senator Gillibrand for being strong supporters of this program and I look forward to seeing the future success of this program.” 

SUNY Canton President Zvi Szafran labeled cybersecurity as an essential part of protecting an individual’s privacy and enhancing national security.

“Cybersecurity is a rapidly growing field that is critical to maintaining each individual’s privacy, the continuity of all business transactions, and the nation’s security. At SUNY Canton, it's also our fastest-growing bachelor's degree program with nearly 300 students,” said Szafran. “We strongly support the Cyber Service Academy scholarship program championed by Senator Gillibrand as a vital step in ensuring the nation will have a well-trained workforce now and in the foreseeable future.”

When asked if the incoming Trump administration could affect the program, Gillibrand said “They can’t change the Cyber Academy because it is a law." 

“I intend to invite Trump here to see how the tech corridor is making a difference in jobs to show how the CHIPS and Science Act is actually making a difference in competing with China and creating “Great in America” right here. I would like to invite Trump to all the sites so they can understand intensely why this is good legislation and why he should continue to let those grants flow,” the senator stated. 

The Cyber Service Academy scholarship program includes: 

1. A scholarship covering the full cost of tuition, select books and fees, a stipend for room and board, purchase of a laptop, and more;
2. Areas of study including cybersecurity, cyber operations, digital and multimedia forensics, computer crime investigations, and more;
3. A service commitment for a period equivalent to the length of a recipient’s scholarship that starts after graduation;
4. Opportunities to serve throughout the DoD and the Intelligence Community. 

Interested students should go to www.gillibrand.senate.gov/cyberacademy and click on the DoD Cyber Scholarship Program link to apply. This page will continue to be updated as the DoD refines its application process. The application for the 2025-2026 academic year is open through February 1, 2025.