By UCM News Bureau,
July 18, 2022
Dr. Hyungbae Park and Dr. Belinda Copus from the 欧美视频 (center)
were presented the CAE-CD Designation Certificate by representatives from National
Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) Program Office, Cybersecurity
and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA), and FBI, Operational Technology Division.
WARRENSBURG, MO - The 欧美视频 (UCM) has been designated as
a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) by the National
Security Agency. UCM鈥檚 status was recognized at the National Initiative for Cybersecurity
Education (NICE) conference in Atlanta, Georgia on June 8, 2022, and is one of only
four universities in Missouri to hold the CAE-CD designation.
鈥淎t UCM, we are fully committed to meeting the growing demand for cybersecurity professionals
in the State of Missouri and our nation,鈥 said Roger Best, UCM President. 鈥淥ur Center
for Cybersecurity brings together disciplines from across the university to promote
cybersecurity awareness and best practices, interface with industry partners, and
engage our communities. We鈥檝e been blazing a trail in cybersecurity at UCM and are
grateful for this designation from the NSA and its reflection on the tremendous work
of our faculty and staff.鈥
The CAE-CD designation is awarded to regionally accredited academic institutions offering
cybersecurity degrees and/or certificates at the associates, bachelors, and graduate
levels. Programs designated CAE-CD have met the rigorous requirements promulgated
by the National Security Agency and have demonstrated that they are committed to producing
cybersecurity professionals that will reduce the vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure.
鈥淭here is a substantial, unfilled demand for cybersecurity professionals, and our
higher-education institutions cannot train professionals quickly enough,鈥 remarked
Jeff Robertson, Dean of the College of Health, Science, and Technology. 鈥淯CM has responded
with programs that bring together top faculty, industry partners, and solid curriculum,
and this recognition from the NSA validates our commitment to program quality.鈥
UCM鈥檚 cybersecurity programs were instituted in 2015 (BS) and 2016 (MS). The program
curricula provide foundational and hands-on training in technical, systems, human,
organizational, and societal aspects of cybersecurity, with courses that cover topics
such as cryptography, secure programming, network security, cloud security, web applications
security, cyber-physical systems security, information assurance, ethical hacking,
usable security, and computer forensics. The curricula are designed according to the
National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CDE) Education Program
Knowledge Units jointly sponsored by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department
of Homeland Security (DHS).
Belinda Copus, the Chair of the Department of Computer Science and Cybersecurity,
commented, 鈥淥ur Bachelor of Science and Master of Science cybersecurity programs are
developing professionals who will join the growing cyber workforce in service to our
society and all that we value. Students come to UCM for cybersecurity training because
they want to be part of the cybersecurity solution, and they want to learn from the
best. The CAE-CD designation demonstrates our quality commitment and reaffirms our
students鈥 decision to come to UCM.鈥
UCM is frequently named among the best universities in the country by U.S. News &
World Report and the Princeton Review, with the university鈥檚 Computer Networking,
Computer Science, Information Technology and Cybersecurity programs consistently recognized
as top performers nationwide year-over-year.