Cleary University receives grant for first responder tuition in cybersecurity program

Cleary University has received a $35,000 grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation to fund tuition for first responders who enroll in the university’s Cybersecurity Management BBA program. The Motorola Solutions Foundation received more than 700 applications for grants for public safety education this year and Cleary University was one of only 100 to have received the grant.

According to an article on Cleary University’s website, Tom Egan, who serves as the university’s director of development, was quoted as saying of the grant award, “The Motorola grant will further supplement the tuition costs for many of our first responders. We are pleased to report that this is the second consecutive year we have received a grant from the Motorola Solutions Foundation to support our public safety students.”

The university launched a pathway program in partnership with the Detroit Police Department in 2021 in order to help department staff, officers, and first responders complete college degrees at an accelerated pace. The program takes into consideration credit for prior learning and life experience, including any certifications or other training the individual has done. Using these credits for prior learning, first responders are able to complete a bachelor degree in one year. The program has since expanded to cover first responders all over the state of Michigan, and since the program began, more than 700 people have earned a degree.

One individual who has taken advantage of the pathway program is Erica Roland, a Detroit police sergeant. She was promoted after finishing the program. She said of her experience, “Cleary is a place where education and success merge. Cleary gave me courage, confidence, critical thinking skills and the tools to be an effective leader at my job.”

The grant funding from the Motorola Solutions Foundation will help first responders pay for the Cybersecurity Management BBA program. This program has been specially designed for individuals to learn how to protect organizational information technology systems at their place of employment.

Alan Drimmer, PhD, the president of Cleary University, said, “It has been a dedicated vision of Cleary University to create programs that specifically meet the needs of workplaces and civic organizations, and we are so proud that our program has proven to be overwhelmingly successful, as acknowledged by organizations like the Motorola Solutions Foundation.”

For more information about Cleary University, visit the school’s website.