New scholarship created for students thanks to corporate partnership

A new scholarship will become available this fall for a student entering their junior or senior year with a major in business, finance, data science, math, or technology.

Thanks to a new partnership with Offsite, the premier cybersecurity firm in Kenosha, the scholarship recipient will receive $2,500 toward their tuition, renewable for a second year, and will have the opportunity to job-shadow at Offsite.

The cybersecurity firm chose to partner with Carthage due to its strong educational foundation in the liberal arts. “IT is always changing,” said Joe Rickard, CEO of Offsite. “We invest heavily in employee training and certifications to meet the daily list of new threats. We want to reach students who have that thirst for knowledge and want to keep learning.”

With the explosive growth of the tech and cybersecurity fields, Offsite has doubled its revenue and employee base over the past two years. The company’s strategic location in Kenosha means that it can serve clients in both Milwaukee and Chicago without interruption in the event of a major grid outage or cyber attack.

Entry-level positions that may be available for Carthage students looking for internships or employment include IT managed service engineers, security analysts, and computer desktop support.

“We want our employees to have deep industry knowledge but to also know about 20 percent of what’s to their right and their left,” Mr. Rickard says. Students within the liberal arts who like to explore and collaborate with their peers are a perfect match.

Carthage President John Swallow is proud to be a connector in this instance. “I am delighted for this partnership, which recognizes so well how Carthage students are excited to bring their lifelong curiosity and their impressive depth of knowledge to growing local companies,” he says.

Carthage’s four-year career and professional development program, known as The Aspire Program, will help prepare interested students for internships. Carolyn Serdar, executive director for career and professional development, says, “This partnership will allow our students the opportunity to expand their knowledge with applicable problem-solving skills while building relationships with professionals in the field.”