Sumter, S.C., and Columbia, S.C. — Morris College, in collaboration with the South Carolina Institutes of Innovation and Information (SCIII), was awarded $450,000 to support the expansion of the college’s cybersecurity program and related initiatives. The announcement was made on June 12, 2024, by SCIII and Morris College officials.

The funding will be strategically allocated to hire a professor in Esports-Cybersecurity, a professor in Esports Video Game Design, a Professor in Esports Management, and also acquire advanced 3-D Printers, robotic upgrades, a Smart Board and laboratory and office supplies.”

In 2015, Morris College established a minor in cybersecurity. Over the past nine years, the college has created new academic offerings in cybersecurity, including a major, a two-year Associate Degree and two certificate programs in cybersecurity. Increased funding provided student scholarship opportunities and upgraded the institution’s Cybersecurity Lab.  Additionally, the college has experienced enrollment growth in its Cybersecurity program, responding to the demand created for this high-demand industry field; enrollment quadrupled in two years from the 2022 to 2024 academic years.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation 2023 Internet Crime Report, the Internet Crime Center received a record number of complaints from the American public: 880,418 complaints were registered, with potential losses exceeding $12.5 billion. This is a nearly 10% increase in complaints received, and a 22% increase in losses suffered, in 2022.

SCIII’s Senator John L. Scott, Jr.’s Institute of Network Information, Technology and Security (NITS) at Morris formally opened in 2022 and prepares cybersecurity students for future careers in the information technology and security industries. The institute is one of seven SCIII institutes operating at each of South Carolina’s four-year colleges and universities.

“The generous new funding appropriation from the State of South Carolina to Morris College through South Carolina Institutes of Innovation and Information will benefit aspiring cybersecurity industry leaders. These resources will help raise the profile of cybersecurity learning at HBCUs significantly and create a hub of excellence here at Morris College,” said Gwynth R. Nelson, Ph.D., executive director of South Carolina Institutes of Innovation and Information. “Training cybersecurity students on this campus provides

credentialed talent and experts for our state and beyond in a field expected to reach $266 billion in global spending by 2027.”

Radman M. Ali, Ph.D., professor and chairman of Natural Sciences and Mathematics and Director of the SCIII NITS Institute at Morris College, stated, “​​Morris College aspires to become a powerhouse of technology innovation in the state, the region and ultimately the nation. This funding will help us move one step forward in achieving this goal. It will expand our horizon, open for us new vistas, and will elevate our capacity to provide the training that will increase the number of students in Cybersecurity and cultivate their talent, thus preparing them to become the future Cyberguardians of the public and private institutions of our state, the region, and the nation.”