Palm Beach State College recently announced was approved as a designated Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
The CAE-CD program focuses on providing a cybersecurity workforce to meet the needs of the nation, government, industry, and academia. Complementary in nature, the CAE-CD program focuses on technologies and techniques related to specialized cyber operations (e.g., collection, exploitation, and response) to enhance the national security posture of the Nation.
The stated goals of the CAE-CD program are to:
- Reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in cyber defense
- Produce a growing number of professionals with expertise in cyber defense disciplines
- Proactively increase understanding of robust CD technology, policy, and practices that will enable our nation to prevent and respond to a catastrophic cyber event effectively
- Contribute significantly to the advancement of state-of-the-art cyber defense knowledge and practice
The CAE-CD program is focused on several initiatives critical to the success of cyber workforce development. On the forefront, though, is addressing the need for qualified, skilled educators, who are the keys that unlock the door to a skilled cyber workforce. There is a recognized shortage of qualified educators, as the population of students continuing in cybersecurity to the doctoral or post-doctoral levels is shrinking, thereby limiting the number of those who can and will serve in the academic environment to teach. Schools consistently have multiple cybersecurity faculty positions open for long periods, and that is a critical limiting factor. Our recent partnership with the Palm Beach County School District underscores the colleges commitment to addressing this issue by providing faculty workshops and certification training to district and college faculty.
The designation process is a combination of elements related to the institution focused on outputs for determining academic achievement. This combination assures that the institution meets the desired characteristics of a CAE institution, and that the academic delivery to students is producing the qualified workforce needed by the nation. Palm Beach State College will receive the CAE-CD designation as a regionally accredited academic institutions offering cybersecurity degrees and/or certificates at the associate, and bachelor’s levels. Palm Beach State College will now receive prestige for its status as CAE-CD institution and represent the goal of vulnerability reduction in national information infrastructure. Promoting cyber defense in higher education and through research fosters critical cyber expertise and professionalism, worldwide. In addition to NSA and DHS, CAE funding is available from other sources such as the National Science Foundation. The programs as such include critical technologies surrounding cyber operations and specialties (collection, exploitation, etc.) that protect our national security infrastructure and are key elements for intelligence, law enforcement and military operations.
Institutions designated as CAEs in Cyber Defense:
- Are recognized by the federal government for their cyber defense programs and curricula
- Have curricula mapped to specified Knowledge Units, which align with the NICE Cybersecurity Workforce Framework, a cybersecurity language that educators, industry workers, and government organizations employ nationwide
- Have degree programs that are a top choice for students who want to learn the necessary knowledge and skills to succeed in the cybersecurity workforce
- Assist federal agencies by providing academic insight into cyber-related programs at DHS, NSA, and other federal agencies.
- Serve as a potential source and facilitator for government-academic researcher exchanges
- Facilitate the development of faculty and research leaders
- Participate in an extensive network of cybersecurity professionals, educators, researchers, and advocates to grow the cyber field
- Are privy to opportunities for student scholarships and grants through the Department of Defense Cyber Scholarship Program and the Federal CyberCorps Scholarship for Service Program
Don Gladney Ed.D
“We’ve been training students at the associate of science level since 2016,” said Dr. Don Gladney, interim dean, bachelor’s degree programs in PBSC’s 2022-2023 President’s Report.
“Our first-generation cybersecurity lab opened that year, and now we offer a Bachelor of Applied Science Degree in Information Management with a concentration in Security/Network Assurance that prepares people to manage and lead teams as opposed to just being a technician. The focus there is beyond tools and techniques, extending to developing policies, procedures, practices, audits, and the critical task of keeping senior management apprised of the state of security.”
Bachelor’s degree students practice finding and fighting on-line threats in a real-world atmosphere.
The cybersecurity lab enablesprofessors to simulate all sorts of virtual environments without creating a potential hazard. “They are using the same penetration testing and network monitoring tools that are currently used in the industry. When they leave us, degree in hand, they can walk into a workplace and be ready to start on day one.”
At the end of the term, students participate in a “capstone” class incorporating all they have learned to resolve a real-world problem. “What sets us apart is that our capstone projects are presented not only to faculty but to members of our advisory boards comprised of some of the people who will eventually hire our students. It’s a crowning achievement,
right before commencement,” Dr. Gladney explained.
Palm Beach State is also creating cybersecurity career pathways in partnership with the School District of Palm Beach County. “Some public high schools focus on cybersecurity, and through dual-enrollment, students can get an early start on certifications for their associate degrees.”
Some of the baccalaureate students’ training extends beyond the classroom, even involving other universities. “We have done some ‘war game’ exercises with students from Florida State, where teams compete to break into systems – monitored very closely, of course – in a virtual environment that’s safe and secure. Teamwork and learning can be fun!”