Columbus State designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

Columbus State University has received a national distinction in cyber defense education that elevates the reputation of its program and allows its students to apply for more scholarships and grants.

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have designated CSU as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CD) for advancements made in the defense of the nation's information infrastructure, the university announced in a news release.

More than 100 institutions in the country have this designation now, but CSU and Kennesaw State University are the only ones in the state. Georgia Tech is among the 58 institutions designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Research.

The CAE-CD designation is reserved for organizations that promote cyber security in higher education and produce a growing number of professionals with expertise in cyber defense.

"Receiving designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education is great recognition for our program and a tribute to the support from the university and our business community," Wayne Summers, chairman of the TSYS School of Computer Science at Columbus State, said in a news release. "We are pleased to be part of the effort to defend our nation's cyber infrastructure."

The designation comes three months after CSU announced a $5 million gift from TSYS, the Columbus-based credit card and payment processor, which includes $2.5 to establish the TSYS Cybersecurity Center for Financial Services, plus another $2 million for an endowment to provide scholarships to cybersecurity students. The center is designed to attract nationally recognized faculty, fund new research assistantships and student scholarships, support faculty and student travel and finance special projects and initiatives.

CSU's cybersecurity program doesn't offer degrees yet, but Summers told the Ledger-Enquirer in an interview Friday that he has a meeting Monday to start planning for exactly that. CSU, however, does offer NSA-approved certification to information security professionals and information security officers.

So the new center and the national designation will combine to "expand our access to students and faculty," Summers said. "We'll be trumpeting out our scholarship opportunities, hoping to attract some of the best and brightest."

The CAE-CD designation, which is valid for five years before having to reapply, will make Columbus State students eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the U.S. Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program.

All of which is vital to workforce development, Summers said, because the cyber security industry has an estimated 8,000 job openings in the state but, this past year, the University System of Georgia produced roughly only 50 graduates who are qualified to fill those jobs.

"This will help us prepare the next generation of cyberwarriors," Summers said.

And cybersecurity isn't about virtual battles on only the national level, Summers added. Computer networks must be protected in businesses ranging from publicly traded companies such as TSYS to "mom-and-pop stores and even in our homes," he said.

Mark Rice, 706-576-6272. Follow him on Twitter@MarkRiceLE.

This story was originally published October 16, 2015 at 4:27 PM with the headline "Columbus State designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education ."