Huntsville’s new magnet school seeking its first president

HUNTSVILLE — Huntsville is set to become home to the nation’s first state cyber and technology school in 2020, and officials are currently accepting applications for the school’s first president.

The search is open to interested candidates nationwide, and the last day to submit an application is Monday, Feb. 18. Those interested may apply at www.alabamaschoolboards.org/list-feeds-job-board/2019-1-14-president-of-the-alabama-school-of-cyber-technology-and-engineering.

Candidates can expect interviews to begin in late March or early April of this year, and the new president will begin work by May 1.

According to a news release, an ideal first president will have the following qualifications:

“The ideal candidate will have demonstrated ability to motivate and inspire students to act boldly, work collaboratively, and strive for excellence. He or she will be charged with gathering a team of academic leaders and technical experts to imagine, design, and create a unique residential learning environment for 7th to 12th-grade students from across the state that will serve as an example for Alabama and the nation.”

The Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, which Gov. Kay Ivey noted in her 2018 State of the State address, will be the third state-level magnet school and will aim to serve more than 300 students in grades seven through 12 by the 2024-2025 school year. Approximately half of the student population is expected to live in dorms onsite.

The school is scheduled to open at a temporary location in fall 2020, and the official location is expected to be complete by summer 2022. According to the news release, the board of trustees for the school consists of 19 members from across Alabama, including representatives of industry, state colleges and universities, as well as state legislators.

The Alabama School of Cyber Technology & Engineering Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded in 2018 that has helped to establish the school. According to the news release, the foundation’s mission is “to partner with industry, local, state, and federal government agencies, and advanced academia to aid in developing and executing a visionary strategy, raise funding, and build/manage the facilities for the school.”

In addition, the foundation will play several other roles in the school’s operation, such as helping to fund the school’s equipment and developing the curriculum, extra-curricular activities and margin of excellence programs.

Alicia Ryan, CEO of LSINC Corporation and 2019 recipient of the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber’s Distinguished Service Award, is credited with helping to establish the noteworthy school.

“This school has the opportunity to change the way we identify and educate our gifted children and to further establish Huntsville as a global cyber epicenter,” said Gary Bolton, the chamber’s immediate past chair, at the chamber’s annual meeting Feb. 6. “Thanks to Sen. Arthur Orr and [Ryan], the state cyber and engineering school came together very quickly.”

Following Ryan’s award at the chamber’s annual membership meeting Feb. 6, Bolton presented her with a $10,000 check for the school on behalf of Adtran. Bolton is the vice president of global marketing for Adtran.

“I definitely want to thank Adtran, and I hope all of you will also get more engaged because this is a very special event for us to bring a school here that helps economic development, as well as our children across the state of Alabama,” Ryan said at the meeting.

For more information on the Alabama School of Cyber Technology and Engineering, visit alabamasce.org.