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Suffolk County Community College: Cyber Program Granted U.S. National Security Agency Designation

The NSA leads the U.S. Government in cryptology and cyber security.

Press Release Desk, News Partner

Press release from Suffolk County Community College:

January 27, 2022

Suffolk County Community College’s Cybersecurity Program has been awarded Program of Study Validation by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C). The certifying group is managed by the U.S. government’s National Cryptologic School at the National
Security Agency (NSA). The NSA leads the U.S. Government in cryptology and cyber security.

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“There are few priorities more pressing for our country than cybersecurity,” said
Suffolk County Community College President Dr. Edward Bonahue. “We live much of our
lives online, and I’m proud that Suffolk is training a workforce with the expertise
to ensure security for every kind of business and organization.”

“This is a great certification and puts Suffolk County Community College and our students
among an elite group of national institutions and programs,” said Academic Chair of
Engineering and Technology, Professor Peter Maritato who added that Associate Professor
of Cyber Security Susan Frank championed the effort for the College’s national certification.

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Frank said that institutions are designated based upon having a robust program and
close alignment to specific cybersecurity-related knowledge units, validated by top
subject matter experts in the field. Applications are reviewed by a team of government
personnel and peer reviewers before certification is awarded.

“Our comprehensive program is a result of faculty teamwork and provides students with
challenging labs and activities that simulate real world experiences,” Frank said,
and added that the national certification will provide Suffolk students with a pathway
to federal cyber security jobs.

The NCAE program’s mission is to create and manage a collaborative cybersecurity educational
program with U.S. higher education institutions that:

  • establishes standards for cybersecurity curriculum and academic excellence,
  • includes competency development among students and faculty,
  • values community outreach and leadership in professional development,
  • integrates cybersecurity practice within the institution across academic disciplines,
  • actively engages in solutions to challenges facing cybersecurity education.

Federal Partners include the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA),
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the National Institute of Standards and
Technology (NIST)/National Initiative on Cybersecurity Education (NICE), the National
Science Foundation (NSF), the Department of Defense Office of the Chief Information
Officer (DoD-CIO), and US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM).

The never-ending threat of cyber-related crime has created a high-demand for cybersecurity
experts, ethical hackers and professionals trained to identify, stop, and prevent
cybercrimes. Nationally, there are almost half a million open jobs in the cybersecurity field.

Suffolk County Community College’s Cybersecurity and Information Assurance program
prepares students for a career in the cybersecurity industry. The program emphasizes
network and computer systems security and information assurance concepts augmented
by current cybersecurity industry standards and techniques. For more information visit: https://www.sunysuffolk.edu/explore-academics/majors-and-programs/cybersecurity/

More about students’ success in the nationally recognized Suffolk County Community
College Cyber Security Program:

This press release was produced by Suffolk County Community College. The views expressed here are the author’s own.

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