There is a severe deficit of manpower to support all the information security jobs that need to be filled all over the country, but especially in the Greater Philadelphia area, and Penn State Great Valley has the programs to help fill those voids. On top of which, veterans are transitioning to these job fields, but need assistance completing the programs.
“Veterans feel the need to defend and working in the information security field fills that desire to protect and serve others. I am proud that we as a company are in a position to further the career opportunities for veterans, and grow more information security workers in the Greater Philadelphia area,” stated Jeffrey Lipson, CEO of Layer 8 Security. Additionally, I am a proud alumnus of Penn State Great Valley and I’ve seen how well students turn out of these programs, so I felt confident that this scholarship will go to great use.”
Malvern-based Layer 8 Security has a connection to Penn State Great Valley that runs deeper than the physical proximity. CEO and co-founder Jeffrey Lipson earned his master of science in Information Science degree from the campus after serving almost six years of active duty in the Marine Corps. Last year, Lipson created cybersecurity units for the Marine Corps Forces Reserve, for which he was awarded the prestigious Legion of Merit; he credits the success of that project to the multidisciplinary nature of his Penn State Great Valley degree.
Given that connection, and the Lipson family history of giving to Penn State, Lipson and Layer 8 Security were eager to invest in Penn State Great Valley’s information science program. Prior to the start of the 2021-22 academic year, the company established the Layer 8 Security Scholarship in Information Science, an annually funded scholarship that provides $2,500 a year for five years.
Jeffrey Lipson, CEO of Layer 8 Security, has long been a proponent of furthering educational opportunities for all. He has been proactive in the Blue and White Scholarship at Villanova, a member of the Marine Corps Scholarship Foundation, as well as supporting Folds of Honor, which creates scholarships for the kin of fallen or severely injured service members.