AICUP Defense and Security Survey:

(Harrisburg, PA) – Responding to the Pentagon’s new “National Defense Industrial Strategy,” the Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) set out to survey specific examples of how academic institutions propel US defense. The resulting “AICUP Defense and Security Survey,” a first of its kind, provides a comprehensive glimpse of how 85 independent nonprofit postsecondary schools play a vital role as partners to US defense in terms of technology research, innovation, relevant courses of study, ROTC officer training, and veteran support.

The AICUP Defense and Security Survey includes 20 pages of data and analysis plus additional notes and source citations. The preface features four helpful contextual background articles: “Pennsylvania’s Pivotal Role in National Defense,” “Pennsylvania’s Education Ecosystem is an Asset for Industry,” “Brain and Brawn: Academy-Defense Partnerships,” and “Building the Base: Responding to Changing Needs.”

For quick reference, the survey features a “By the Numbers” summary of key figures, as well as Survey Highlights by Region, showing items of interest for each of eight regions in Pennsylvania (Capital Area, Erie and Northwest, Lehigh Valley, Philadelphia Metro Area, Pittsburgh Metro Area, North Central PA, South Central PA, and the Scranton and Wilkes-Barre area).

5,000 GI Bill Students find their path at an AICUP member school each year. 99% of these schools work with the VA to educate veterans, 90% offer Yellow Ribbon Program additional funding, more than a dozen feature “veteran lounges,” and nearly 70% support ROTC officer training. One campus lab works with the Army to improve Artificial Intelligence defense capabilities, another innovates Autonomous Weapons Systems, and elsewhere, students use a 3D printer to make parts for the Army. 13 AICUP member schools are part of a space collaborative that partners with the DoD and Space Force. An aspiring “secret agent” can even enroll in the “Ethics of Spying” at one college, train to be a “Cyber Warrior” at one of nine colleges recognized for excellence by the National Security Agency (NSA), or apply for real-world experience at the Central Intelligence Agency through one university’s promoted “CIA Student Program.”

“Independent nonprofit higher education is a vital ally to our nation’s defense,” said AICUP President Thomas P. Foley, “not only in research and innovation, but also in building what FDR called ‘arsenals of democracy.”

Former Secretary of the US Treasury Robert Rubin even observed that: “America’s higher-education system strengthens our nation. Colleges and universities also help the United States maintain a geopolitical edge.”

“We’re proud to serve so many aspiring officers, active service members, and veterans,” added Foley. “AICUP member schools contribute $24 billion annually to the state GNP, add 1 in 31 dollars to the state economy, support 1 in 32 jobs in PA, and graduate 44,000 new Pennsylvania workers each year. These schools educate 52% of all four-year degree-seeking students in Pennsylvania and serve 5,000 GIs each year.”

View the full survey at the AICUP link, here:

https://aicup.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/11/Defense-and-Security-Survey.pdf

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The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities of Pennsylvania (AICUP) advocates for 85 independent nonprofit institutions of higher education. Learn more about AICUP online at www.AICUP.org