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"I applied for the scholarship because it was a way to support my education while also paying forward the service my family members have given to the country."

A milestone was recently achieved by a sophomore Cybersecurity major and the Saint Francis  University Cybersecurity program.  On May 2, 2025, Thomas Grove was notified that he had been awarded the Department of Defense Cyber Service Academy scholarship.  This is a first for the University and a testament to both the quality of the Cyber major at SFU and the motivation and dedication of Thomas. 

The DoD CSA scholarship is a prestigious award. It is only available to students enrolled in a validated degree program through a university that has achieved the Center of Academic  Excellence (CAE) designation from the National Security Agency.  SFU’s Cyber degree received this designation in 2023 through a grueling evaluation of not only the curriculum but also the faculty and the University’s cyber posture. It must provide evidence of continual improvement to support the redesignation process, which occurs every five years.   

In addition to University requirements, prospective scholars must maintain a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0  scale, be recommended by faculty for their academic potential and success, obtain letters of recommendation, be able to attain a government security clearance, and ultimately be sponsored by a federal agency.  Out of 662 applicants to the CSA program, Thomas was one of only 50 to be selected! 

With such demanding requirements, it’s not surprising that the rewards are just as great.  For each year that Thomas remains in the CSA program 100% of his college costs will be covered.   This will equate to two years of free schooling for Thomas.  But it’s not just the free schooling that appealed to Thomas.  “I applied for the scholarship because it was a way to support my education while also paying forward the service my family members have given to the country.  I've had family members in almost every branch of the Armed Forces, from my stepfather's  service in the Army during the Global War on Terror, to my grandfather's service with the Army  National Guard, to my great-grand uncle's service in the Navy during the Second World War.” 

The “paying forward” of which Thomas spoke is the service requirement of the CSA program.   Students receiving the CSA scholarship must “pay back” the free schooling by serving the federal agency that sponsored them.  This repayment through service means that Thomas has a guaranteed job as a civilian employee of a federal agency for at least the number of years for which the scholarship covered his tuition.  “The scholarship makes my post-graduate future a lot easier. The agency I'm assigned to is close enough to where I live that I won't have to move after graduation. Having a guaranteed job also cuts down a lot of future stress.”

Thomas got lucky with his assigned agency location, but not all scholarship recipients will get an employment location close to home.  Geographic mobility is one of the requirements of accepting the CSA scholarship.  Scholars “must be geographically mobile and relocate to the selecting agency for completion of the service obligation and internship periods”.  This could land students anywhere in the country after graduation, but it is a small price to pay for such a prestigious and beneficial opportunity. 

“Each year we encourage our students to complete the demanding application process,  explaining the great benefits of the program,” explained Dr. Kevin Slonka, Associate Professor of Computer Science and Cyber Security and the director of SFU’s Cyber Center of Excellence.   “We are extremely proud of Thomas and know he will skillfully represent Saint Francis and our  Cyber Security program upon graduation.  His work will allow the federal government to see that great students come from SFU and pave the way for many more CSA scholars.”  When asked what advice he would give to students applying for prestigious scholarships, Thomas recommended “finding something that will make you stand out from just graduating with the degree. For me, this is evident through my work on the SFU-1 Cube Satellite project, which demonstrates that I'm doing more than just the required coursework. I think that the professors  of the Computer Science and Cybersecurity courses do a great job of encouraging students to  go above and beyond, so I would heavily recommend working with them to find opportunities to  do so.” 

The application cycle for the 2026-2027 academic year opens in November.