SUNY Canton's Cybersecurity Program Receives National Security Agency Endorsement

Canton, NY (09/16/2022) — SUNY Canton's thriving four-year Cybersecurity Program has reached the next stage in its evolution with a new designation from the U.S. Government.

The college has received notification that the program had been selected for the prestigious National Security Agency (NSA) and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Program of Study Validation. According to NSA Program Manager Karen Leuschner, SUNY Canton's ability to meet the demands of program validation will help serve the Nation when contributing to the protection of the national information infrastructure.

"A highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national security advantage," Leuschner said. "The United States Government will continue to invest in and enhance programs that build the domestic talent pipeline, from primary through postsecondary education."

Program validation was overseen by SUNY Canton's new School of Science, Health and Criminal Justice Assistant Dean Elizabeth A. Brown, who was recently promoted from her role as the director of the college's Center for Criminal Justice, Intelligence and Cybersecurity (CJIC).

"NSA Validation will allow our students to apply for full scholarships to cover the cost of tuition and other expenses," Brown said. "After graduation, it will help make students even more competitive in the regional and national job market. Students graduating from SUNY Canton's program know they will be making a strong commitment to the Nation's infrastructure, and employers can have confidence in their skillsets."

Brown also said the new validation will allow the college to apply for grant funding to offer a free cybersecurity summer camp. The administrator worked closely with faculty members, including Lecturer Minhua Wang, and Associate Professor Kambiz Ghazinour, Ph.D., to secure the NSA standard.

"This is the first step in becoming a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through the NSA and DHS," Ghazinour said. "They give our students a lot of resources to equip them for careers in cyber operations to help protect our national security infrastructure."

Faculty and administration applied for the validation by proving academic rigor, strong assessment and graduate employment metrics. Currently, there are more than 200 students enrolled in the college's Cybersecurity program, which is available in both in-person and online formats. It is the second-largest bachelor's degree program at the college.

SUNY Canton joins several other colleges in New York who are similarly validated by the NSA, including Rochester Institute of Technology, the University at Buffalo, and the University at Albany. There are standing articulation agreements between Canton's CJIC and UAlbany's College of Emergency Preparedness, Homeland Security and Cybersecurity providing students with a fast-track to earn graduate degrees.

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SUNY Canton Cybersecurity major Kyle Meagher of Oriskany is pictured in the college's Advanced Information Security and Privacy Lab. The college just received word its Cybersecurity program has been selected for prestigious National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security Program of Study Validation.