Utah State University's Center for Anticipatory Intelligence (CAI) has teamed up with data security giant Strider Technologies to launch the Strider Fellows program. The new initiative, backed by a generous $300,000 scholarship fund donated by Strider, is expected to bridge the gap between academia and the fast-paced world of intelligence and security.
In an event held on February 7th, Utah State University honored the Levesque brothers, Eric and Greg, founders of Strider Technologies, recognizing their contribution to the industry with the Intermountain Intelligence, Industry, and Security Consortium’s (I3SC) Outstanding Industry Partner of the Year award. The collaboration aims to swiftly adapt educational programs to equip students with the skills they require to succeed in today's intelligence workforce. However, the scholarship arrangement is not simple grant giving; rather, it includes work-based learning opportunities to truly enhance students' experiences, according to USU Today.
Jeannie Johnson, CAI's founding director, lauded the significance of the Levesque brothers' investment. They have reinvested in us, in our small community, in a very big way. The ceremony wasn't just a pat on the back for Strider Technologies but also a showcase of the growing importance of public-private partnerships and interconnected disciplines in the realm of security.
Caleb Dissel, a USU student studying data analytics and anticipatory intelligence, expressed his anticipation for the Strider program, revealing in a USU Today interview, “It was exciting to see that there is a professional space where our passion for intelligence work could be deployed to the private sector.” Another student, Cayden Opperman, who is already interning at Strider advised peers to ensure they are absorbing knowledge from diverse fields. “These lines are not so rigid in the real world, and you will benefit from understanding many disciplines,” Opperman said, as per USU Today.
