Improving cybersecurity education and protecting the community through the development of a cybersecurity clinic

South Texas College received a $467,909 Project Grant from the National Science Foundation's STEM Education program (CFDA 47.076), effective August 1, 2025 through July 31, 2028. The award supports the establishment and operation of a Cybersecurity Clinic in McAllen, Texas, which provides free cybersecurity services to underserved local organizations while simultaneously delivering applied learning experiences to students nearing completion of cybersecurity or information technology degree programs. The clinic addresses a documented national workforce shortage of skilled cybersecurity professionals by enabling students to apply classroom knowledge to real-world cybersecurity challenges across multiple organizations, thereby developing both technical and professional competencies.

The project delivers three primary outcomes: increasing the number of cybersecurity professionals in Texas and nationally, enhancing the cybersecurity resilience of resource-constrained local organizations, and establishing a replicable cybersecurity clinic model for adoption by other workforce education programs. Operating under the guidance of experienced faculty, student clinicians provide services to diverse organizations, exposing them to varied cybersecurity threats and organizational needs while building collaborative skills through direct engagement with business owners and community leaders. This initiative effectively bridges the employment readiness gap by providing the job experience that employers require while simultaneously strengthening cybersecurity defenses in small businesses and community organizations vulnerable to threats such as ransomware.

Abstract

The national need for skilled cybersecurity professionals is well-documented. Although many two-year colleges have developed programs to train cybersecurity technicians, most employers will not hire candidates who lack job experience. Additionally, small businesses often do not have the resources to defend against devastating cyber threats like ransomware. To address these growing concerns, south texas college (STC), located at the southern tip of the state in the RIO grande valley, will establish a cybersecurity clinic that will be managed by experienced faculty and operated by students nearing completion of a cybersecurity or information technology degree. The clinic will offer free cybersecurity services to local organizations. In exchange, students will be given the opportunity to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world scenarios. The clinic will provide students with the opportunity to develop professional skills while helping the local community combat the increased number of cyberattacks. The goals of this project include: (1) increasing the number of cybersecurity professionals in the state of texas and nationally, (2) improving the cybersecurity resilience of local organizations that are under-resourced, and (3) providing technical education through the implementation and advocacy of the cybersecurity clinic model. Participation in the clinic will provide students with the opportunity to develop their technical skills, and learn soft skills through collaboration with business owners, organization leaders, and other students. Unlike a traditional internship, each student will work with different organizations as they provide the clinic's services. Students will be exposed to a wide range of cybersecurity challenges and organizational needs. The knowledge gained from this project will help other workforce education programs replicate similar initiatives. This project is funded by the advanced technological education program that focuses on the education of technicians for the advanced-technology fields that drive the nation's economy. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.- subawards are not planned for this award.