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For Immediate Release
January 27, 2022


Cyber Program Granted U.S. National Security Agency Designation

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.

 “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.

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:

 

Last revised: 1/27/2022.  For comments on this webpage, contact: The Director of Communications.