“Being in the Cyber Security program has allowed me to focus on learning about network security and has allowed me to enter into a new sector of the workforce. It's been awesome! The opportunities at Red Rocks have been amazing, from competing in the National Science Foundation's Community College Innovation Challenge, to going to industry events like the Rocky Mountain Information Security Conference.”
- Keya H., A.A.S in Cyber Security, December 2015
Cyber Defense Center Press
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
NSA, DHS Recognizes Red Rocks Community College as a Top Cyber Defense School
Diane M. Janosek, Deputy Commandant of the National Cryptologic School/National Security Agency (left) and Daniel Stein, Cybersecurity Education and Awareness Branch/Department of Homeland Security (right) present Joe Murdock, Red Rocks Community College Cyber Program Lead with the CAE2Y designation.
November 3, 2016
Kansas City, MO – Red Rocks Community College (Lakewood, Colorado) has been designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Two-Year Education (CAE-2Y) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The designation ceremony took place at the 7th annual National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education (NICE) conference.
Through the President’s Cybersecurity National Action Plan, the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Program is charged to raise the level of cybersecurity capabilities across the nation. NSA and DHS partner with academic institutions to enhance cybersecurity education nationwide and to develop the next generation of cybersecurity experts.
The goal of CAE program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in Cyber Defense and producing a growing number of professionals with cybersecurity expertise in various disciplines. Designation is valid for five academic years and selection is based on meeting rigorous criteria for cybersecurity-related degree programs.
The Peninsula Press, a project of Stanford Journalism, stated more than 209,000 cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. are unfilled; along with 1 million jobs globally reported by Monster. Students attending the CAE program at Red Rocks Community College can feel confident in the training they receive for an in-demand career field, and employers can feel confident in hiring them. CAE students are also eligible to apply for federally funded scholarships, some of which include a path to government employment upon graduation.
“Red Rocks Community College continues to demonstrate leadership by becoming the first community college in Colorado and one of only 40 community colleges nationwide to be awarded with this designation,” said Rep. Perlmutter (CO-07). “Cybersecurity is an incredibly important issue and I’m pleased to see Red Rocks taking steps to enhance cybersecurity research and education in order to improve our capabilities and better respond to domestic and global cybersecurity threats.”
For more information on the cybersecurity program at Red Rocks Community College, email Dave Nielson at dave.nielsen@rrcc.edu.
