For Immediate Release
April 27, 2015

President McKay Joins Rep. Steve Israel at Cyber College Partnership Kick-Off

Congressman Steve Israel (D-Huntington) announced a new “Cyber College Partnership” between County Executives Bellone and Mangano, Long Island University (LIU), Nassau Community College and Suffolk Community College to develop Long Island into a national cyber security hub. The new initiative will focus on aligning curricula at Long Island community colleges and universities to address the growing demand for cyber security professionals throughout New York and the United States.

Long Island is home to more than a dozen colleges and universities. Fostering a close cooperation between these schools to educate the next generation of cyber security experts will help draw more industry leaders to Long Island. Providing a robust infrastructure across campus lines will also help provide students with more resources and programs to prepare for a successful career in the field.

Joining Rep. Israel and County Executives Bellone and Mangano are Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, President of Long Island University (LIU), Dr. Kenneth Saunders, Acting President of Nassau Community College and Dr. Shaun McKay, President of Suffolk County Community College.

“The cyber security sector will continue to grow rapidly as our world becomes more interconnected. We need to make sure we’re educating our students to fill these high-paying jobs, and that we’re keeping these jobs on Long Island,” said Rep. Steve Israel. “I applaud our county executives and college and university presidents for joining me in laying the groundwork to make Long Island the cyber security capital of America.”

Nassau County Executive Edward P. Mangano stated, "This initiative brings together academia, employers and government to establish a curricula that creates job opportunities for graduates in growing technology industries, such as cyber security. Our cyber security program will assist in growing Nassau's cyber security industry while providing graduates with well-paying job opportunities and developing tomorrow's technology to protect our nation."

“I applaud Congressman Israel’s initiative and efforts to enhance the cyber security and technology industries here on Long Island,” said Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone. “Here in Suffolk County we recognize the importance to build a prosperous outlook for our future. We must become a region that can attract the highly skilled young adults that are necessary to build an innovation economy. This plan is part of our overall goal to reverse the brain drain and to keep our best and brightest students in our region.”

“By modest estimates, more than 200,000 cybersecurity jobs in the U.S. are unfilled, and the talent needed to fill those jobs has been hard to come by. Congressman, we are prepared to help fill those jobs and protect our state and nation. At Suffolk we are about to build a first-of- its-kind-in New York State Renewable Energy and Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) Center that will house a new cyber security educational and development center. Suffolk County Community College can and will produce students with the cyber skills needed to combat and prevent cyber based attacks and high technology crimes,” said Dr. Shaun L. McKay, president of Suffolk County Community College.

“It is an honor to join Rep. Steve Israel, our county executives, and our fellow higher education institutions in this pioneering cyber security partnership,” said Dr. Kimberly R. Cline, president of LIU. “LIU is committed to this crucial initiative and ensuring that our students will be prepared to take leading roles in the growing industry.”

Nassau Community College’s Acting President Dr. Kenneth Saunders said, “As the world is increasingly interconnected, everyone shares the responsibility of securing cyberspace. As the demand for cybersecurity professionals grows, teachers must have the tools necessary to prepare the future cybersecurity workforce.

Cybercrime is one of the greatest threats facing our nation from a security and economic perspective. Long Island is home to a growing cybersecurity industry. By offering programs at local academic institutions, Long Island can keep up with this emerging economic opportunity for the region. In 2014, the number of detected cyberattacks jumped by 48 percent from the previous year according to a study by PricewaterhouseCoopers. Last year, there was an estimated 42.8 million cyberattacks. That is about 117, 339 every day. This presents an opportunity for companies in need of assistance by cyber security professionals that can help them better protect their infrastructure.