Sandhills Community College has been named a recipient of the State and Local Cybersecurity
Grant Program (SLCGP) and has been awarded $192,325 to significantly strengthen its
cybersecurity posture and support the development of sustainable governance practices
across its IT infrastructure.
“Through this grant we will be able to support a full-time security analyst position
whose role will be instrumental in implementing proactive threat detection and response
strategies,” said Jonathan McLeod, CIO for the college who was instrumental in writing
the grant. “We will also be able to engage professional services to formalize IT policies
and procedures aligned with national standards such as NIST, CIS, and FERPA.”
The SLCGP is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS), specifically
administered through two of its agencies: Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security
Agency (CISA) and Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). These agencies jointly
manage the program to help state, local, tribal, and territorial governments strengthen
their cybersecurity capabilities and reduce systemic cyber risks.
The college is committed to maintaining the Security Analyst role beyond the grant
period, starting in 2028 and continuing to refine its cybersecurity framework. This
investment will help reduce incidents, improve audit readiness, and ensure compliance
with evolving standards.