Undergraduate Scholarship for Service

The Computer Science Department at JMU recently became one of the few distinguished institutions in the country that is part of the Federal Cyber Service: Scholarship For Service (SFS) program. The award was made in September 2011 and will support three cohorts of students for the final two years of their study, starting in fall 2012.

Scholarship For Service (SFS) is a unique program designed to increase and strengthen the cadre of federal information assurance professionals that protect the government's critical information infrastructure. This program provides scholarships that fully fund the typical costs that students pay for books, tuition, and room and board while attending an approved institution of higher learning. In return, scholarship recipients agree to work for a federal agency for up to two years.

If you are interested in the graduate scholarship, please view the graduate scholarship requirements and application information

For each academic year, the scholarship provides
(for up to two years):

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• Full time student tuition
• Living expense stipend in the amount of $10,000
• Room and Board allowance of up to $6,000
• a book and fee allowance of up to $1,000

Scholarship Eligibility:

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1. Must be a United States Citizen
2. Must meet criteria for Federal Government employment
3. Must be able to obtain security clearance
4. Must be registered with the Selective Service System, if a male born after 12/31/59
5.  Must be a rising junior, graduating in two years
6. Must have a grade point average of at least 3.3 (major GPA) at the time of application

Student Scholar’s Responsibilities:

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1. Must register as an SFS scholarship recipient on SFS Program website.
2. Must search for internship and post graduation opportunities. Student must be able to do an internship with a federal agency during the summer, after the first year of study. Student is responsible to secure the internship position, with help from the program director.
3. Must attend the annual SFS Job fair/symposium (generally held in early January). This will help securing an internship and a position at a federal government organization.
4. Must post and maintain a resume on the Office of Personnel Management system. Student must view/edit resume and contact information quarterly.
5. Complete and submit a job search activity report to the SFS program office quarterly.
6. Must be taking the Information Security Certification track.
7. Must maintain full-time student status.
8. Must be able to graduate in two years from the start of the scholarship program.
9. Must be an active member of at least one of the student groups within the department that focus on Information Security (the Computer Forensics Student Group or the Cyber Defense Club).
10. Student scholars can’t work during the time they receive scholarship. They may be able to work for up to 8 hours, if approved by the scholarship advisors.

If a student fails to meet any of the responsibilities or obligations associated with the scholarship, or falsifies any information related to the scholarship, the student is required to pay back all monetary benefits received through the program.
For more information about eligibility and requirements, please visit the official SFS FAQ from the Office of Personnel Management.
We are currently working on the application process, so please check this page in the near future for any updates.

Application Requirements:

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Students interested in applying for the SFS scholarship must make sure that the following documents have been received by our office, by April 1, 2012, to be considered for the scholarship:

1. Applicant’s resume
2. A personal statement, indicating why student is interested in the scholarship and why she should be considered for the scholarship.
3. Two letters of recommendations emailed directly, by the references, to cs-sfs@jmu.edu , at least one from a faculty member who is familiar with the applicant’s academic performance.
4. Signed Scholarship Agreement Form, sent to Mrs. Kathy Laycock’s office.

Contact Information:

Florian Buchholz, Ph.D. Associate Professor, Computer Science Department Director, Digital Forensics Program 701 Carrier Drive, MSC 4103 James Madison University Harrisonburg, VA 22807 Email: buchhofp@jmu.edu Tel: 540-568-8815 Fax: 540-568-2745

M. Hossain Heydari, Ph.D.  Professor,  Computer Science Department     Director, Graduate InfoSec Program 701 Carrier Drive, MSC 4103 James Madison University  Harrisonburg, VA 22807 E-Mail: heydarmh@jmu.edu  Tel:    (540)568-8745 Fax:    (540)568-2745