Cybersecurity educationCarnegie Mellon recognized for excellence in cybersecurity education, research
The NSA and DHS have designated Carnegie Mellon University as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense Education and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense Research for academic years 2014 through 2021. As a CAE, Carnegie Mellon will continue to be eligible to participate in federal scholarship and research opportunities.
After a rigorous review process, Carnegie Mellon University has been issued designations as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense Education and a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance/Cyber Defense Research for academic years 2014 through 2021. The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly sponsor the Center of Academic Excellence (CAE) program and award the designations.
A certificate ceremony was held yesterday (18 June) at the Annual Colloquium for Information Systems Security Educationin San Diego.
A CMU release reportsthat the CAE designations are awarded based on a center’s abilities to advance cybersecurity research and to prepare students for future careers in defending and fortifying the nation’s information infrastructure. Carnegie Mellon’s curricular offerings and interdisciplinary research activities at Carnegie Mellon CyLabwere reviewed and met new CAE standards.
“Carnegie Mellon’s programs help to prepare the next generation of cyber defenders, as proven by the success of our alumni,” said Information Networking Institute(INI) Director Dena Haritos Tsamitis, who leads the university’s CAE initiatives. “INI graduates in cybersecurity are sought after by employers and receive multiple offers when job hunting.”
As a CAE, Carnegie Mellon will continue to be eligible to participate in federal scholarship and research opportunities. The CAE-eligible programs at Carnegie Mellon have included the National Science Foundation’s CyberCorps Scholarship for Service program and the Department of Defense’s Information Assurance Capacity Building Program (IACBP). Over the past decade, 157 Carnegie Mellon students have received $16 million in full scholarships and stipends through the Scholarship for Service program and have gone on to serve in cybersecurity positions with the federal government after graduation. The IACBP received $1.1 million in funding for a curriculum development and academic enrichment program that was delivered to faculty members at minority-serving institutions, including Historically Black Colleges and Universities and Hispanic-Serving Institutions
“The faculty and researchers at the College of Engineering dive deeply into the issues and often work collaboratively with their counterparts in computer science, policy, business and the humanities to tackle the complex challenges of cybersecurity,” said James H. Garrett Jr., dean of the College of Engineeringand the Thomas Lord Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering. “The designation will help to further advance our programs and offerings in the future.”
