Salem State University to honor MIT Police Officer Sean Collier, a 2009 graduate of the school

By Lauren Dezenski, Globe Correspondent

Salem State University is celebrating the life of alumnus Sean Collier, the MIT police officer allegedly killed by the Boston Marathon bombing suspects, in a memorial ceremony this afternoon, the university said.

The ceremony will take place in front of the Bertolon School of Business building at 4:30 p.m. and is open to friends, classmates, and the Salem State community to remember “this brave and dedicated young man who is an inspiration to all of us,” the university said.

The school has also set up a criminal justice scholarship fund in Collier’s memory. Collier graduated from Salem State with honors and a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice in 2009.

Collier was shot to death April 18 while sitting in his cruiser in Cambridge, allegedly by marathon bombing suspects Tamerlan Tsarnaev and his brother, Dzhokhar. Tamerlan Tsarnaev was fatally injured in a confronation with police in Watertown and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev is currently in federal custody facing criminal charges that could lead to the death penalty.

A memorial service at MIT, held on April 24, was attended by thousands of law enforcement officers, Vice President Joe Biden and Collier’s family.