The United States Cyber Command (USCYBERCOM) selected the ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs (ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½) School of Modeling, Simulation and Training (SMST) to join its Academic Engagement Network (AEN) with USCYBERCOM. The network is focused on alleviating the nationβs cybersecurity workforce shortages.
The AEN includes USCYBERCOM Headquarters, Joint Force HQ-DODIN, the Cyber National Mission Force, and the servicesβ respective cyber commands.
βThis distinction further highlights ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs contribution to national security and our prestigious cyber program that has long been a top tier program at the university,β says Grace Bochenek, director of SMST. βWe are pleased to be part of the AEN and do our part to engage the next generation cyber professionals.β
There is a big demand for cyber professionals. For example, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistic reports a 33.3% growth in information security analystsβ jobs through 2030. The median salary for these jobs is $103,509. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is well positioned to help meet the demand.
βFor ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½, this is a major step forward towards our work in Cyber Education and Research,β says Bruce Caulkins, director of the Modeling and Simulation of Behavioral Cybersecurity program at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½. βThis partnership will be an excellent two-way street as we will benefit from the USCYBERCOM-led events, research collaborations and enterprise-wide internship opportunities for our students. USCYBERCOM, in return, will benefit from the wide range of expertise in cyber research and education, to include ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs cyber cluster, computer science department, and business department.β
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ also is home to the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster, which conducts about $6 million worth of cutting-edge research in this area each year. The university also has a four-time national championship cybersecurity team whose members are routinely recruited for full-time jobs by groups such as Amazon, Apple, Bishop Fox, Facebook, GuidePoint Security, Lockheed Martin, L3Harris, Microsoft, Northrop Grumman, Raytheon, SnapChat ,TravelClick, Uber and Walt Disney World.
Because of ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs expertise, the university has been awarded a $2.5 million U.S. National Science Foundation grant to help train the next generation of cyber professionals. ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½βs distinguished academic programs β including the information technology (IT) bachelorβs degree with the secure computing and networks (SCAN) minor β also led to designations from the National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (in 2016 and the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research in 2017. The new cyber security and privacy masterβs degree has been popular since its start in Fall 2021 term at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½.
βWe plan on leveraging the operational aspects of AEN while augmenting our undergraduate and graduate-level education, particularly our masterβs degree in Cybersecurity and Privacy at ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½,β says Yan Solihin, director of the Cyber Security and Privacy faculty cluster and interim chair of the computer science department.
ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½ is one of almost 100 universities, community colleges, service academies and federal graduate level colleges across the nation who are members of AEN.
Additionally, the Collegiate Cyber Defense Club (Hack@ΒιΆΉΣ³»΄«Γ½) has nearly 200 members that would be an excellent talent pool for PCTE projects to test out the technical and integrative aspects of the PCTE environment itself.
