West Virginia gives Marshall $45M for cyber security training center
(The Center Square) – Marshall University will receive $45 million to build a new Institute for Cyber Security.
West Virginia Gov. Jim Justice was at the university on Tuesday for a ceremonial signing of House Bill 117, passed during the state Legislature’s recent special session, which he vowed would put Marshall at the forefront of cyber defense and research.
The new facility will be built in what is called the 4th Avenue Innovation District of Huntington in what will be a mixed-use area between the Huntington campus and downtown.
The center will have cyber security technology and training programs and be what is called a cyber locus, where industry throughout Appalachia will receive training, mentoring and information on cyber trends in an industry that has 700,000 job openings in the country.
“We have gone through some tough, tough times,” Justice said about Marshall and its past after telling a story related to the crash that killed most of the university’s football team on Nov. 14, 1970. “And today, we are putting another stake in the sand that will absolutely perpetuate this university beyond good sense.”
“I am proud that we are collectively, as a state, creating an opportunity for us to continue leading in our country,” said House Speaker Roger Hanshaw said.
Hanshaw said that West Virginia has, per capita, sent more citizens into the United States Armed Forces than any other state and this building will help the state continue to be a national leader.
