Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Makes Milestone Announcements
Published on June 28, 2019
The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering made a number of significant announcements today in Huntsville, marking a major step forward in plans to open the magnet school in Huntsville in August 2020.
In an event at Redstone Federal Credit Union, Senator Arthur Orr, President of the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering (ASCTE) Board of Trustees announced the interim site for the School would be located at the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Bevill Center. Scheduled for opening in August 2020, 10th and 11th grade students from across the state will be the first to attend the School at the UAH location.
“The University of Alabama in Huntsville is excited to be the interim location for the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering,” said Dr. Darren Dawson, the new President of the University of Alabama in Huntsville. “Our Bevill Center on campus will provide secure living arrangements for students, in addition to classroom space and food services. We appreciate the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working with us to meet their training needs elsewhere on campus so that the School could begin residency and education on our campus next year.”
Mayor Tommy Battle announced that the Huntsville City Council expressed its support for the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering by stating its intention to acquire a parcel of land in Cummings Research Park, to be donated to the School’s Foundation for the purpose of constructing and operating the School. The permanent location for the school is expected to be open in August 2022.
“The City of Huntsville is proud to be an ongoing partner in this cyber initiative by supporting Alabama’s cyber magnet school with a gift of property for a new campus. Once again, Huntsville will continue to be the epicenter for the state’s best and brightest to help Alabama and our nation meet the demand for a future workforce in cyber and engineering,” said Mayor Battle.
In the largest contribution to the School’s Foundation to date, Redstone Federal Credit Union President and CEO Joe Newberry presented a $3,000,000 gift to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Foundation to support the construction and establishment of the School.
“Education is a wonderful mechanism for bringing positive change to a community,” Newberry said. “This gift to the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering Foundation provides another opportunity for us to give back to our thriving communities. The benefits realized will continue for generations to come.”
Orr shared, “The ASCTE Board could not be more pleased with the continued and expanded partnership with UAH, and the tremendous gift by the City of Huntsville through Mayor Battle and the City Council to establish a permanent site in CRP for the school. Along with that, the equally significant support from the private sector with the pacesetting donation from Redstone Federal Credit Union that will go toward construction of the school on our new site. All in all, it is gratifying to see the Huntsville community, and in particular Redstone Federal, realize the importance of this school to the area and state as we establish a world-class institution.”
The independent residential magnet school will provide academically motivated Alabama students from across the state with educational opportunities and experiences in the rapidly growing fields of cyber technology and engineering. The school will also assist a broad range of teachers, administrators, and superintendents across the State of Alabama in replicating cyber technology and engineering studies in their own schools.
“These are exciting milestones for the future of education in Alabama and for young people across the state who dream of next-generation careers,” Governor Kay Ivey said. “The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering will be a unique institution, preparing students all across the state with the skills they need for jobs that will be in high demand.”
ASCTEF will be sharing additional announcements in the weeks ahead.
Additional information and continued progress for the School can be found on its newly launched website: www.ascte.org
This media release was supplied by The Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering Foundation.
The Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit corporation, was established in January of 2018 to benefit the School. The Foundation is intended to promote and connect the school with industry, academia and the government. It will serve the school to assist with funding for real property, equipment, and curriculum development as well as extra-curricular and margin of excellence programs. For more information on the Foundation, please visit www.alabamasce.org .
