National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education
On April 17, 2008, NSU was re-designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education for the academic years 2008-2013 by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). NSU first received this designation in March 2005 covering the period through March 2008.
Securing cyberspace and information infrastructures is more important now than ever before. NSA’s goal in establishing centers of academic excellence is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education and research in information assurance (IA) and producing more professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines. This designation applies to the entire university.
Benefits of the program to NSU are:
• Prestige: national recognition for NSU in information assurance/security
• NSU will serve as a regional center of expertise in IA
• NSU students are eligible for scholarships and grants under two programs:
• DoD Information Assurance Scholarship Program
• Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program (SFS)
• NSU faculty/staff are eligibility for grants and contracts from NSA and DoD
At the date of NSU’s designation, NSA had established 55 such national centers of excellence in the U.S. The only other university with that distinction in Florida is Florida State University.
Examples of other centers of excellence:
• Carnegie Mellon University
• Dartmouth College
• Georgetown University
• Georgia Institute of Technology
• University of Illinois
• Johns Hopkins University
• University of Massachusetts
• University of North Carolina
• University of Washington
In order to apply, institutions must first obtain certification by NSA of their curriculum in information security. For NSU, this was accomplished in April 2004. The benefits of such certification are:
• NSU is included on NSA's list of referrals for students who seek training in the information security.
• Federal civilian and military personnel are able to take NSU’s security courses under government sponsorship and obtain special recognition under the certification.
• NSU is authorized to issue certificates using NSA’s logo to students who complete its certified courses.
NSU’s proposal for the National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education had to satisfy NSA's major criteria:
• Outreach/Collaboration
• IA treated as a Multidisciplinary Science
• University Encourages the Practice of IA
• Academic Program Encourages Student Research in IA
• Faculty Active in Current IA Practice and Research
• IA Resources
• IA Academic Program is Robust and Active
• Declared center for IA Education
• Number of IA Faculty and Course Load
Below is a very brief summary of NSU's capabilities and recent accomplishments in IA:
Academic Programs: NSU offers a master of science degree in information security, five master's degree concentrations in IA, two graduate certificate programs in IA, two Ph.D. concentrations in IA, and a range of IA courses in non-IA programs (law, business, criminal justice, biomedical informatics and undergraduate). Most IA courses are also offered online.
Research: Over the last few years, NSU faculty authored 20 papers in IA that were published in journals or presented at major technical conferences. Currently, 12 Ph.D. students are writing dissertations in IA, and graduate students have completed more than 40 IA research projects.
State-of-the-Art Resources: NSU recently created an IA laboratory intended to become a significant research and teaching facility. Its advanced computer system facilitates research in new IA technologies. The laboratory is also dedicated for use in partnerships with other institutions.
NSU looks forward to continuing its role as a center of excellence in information assurance and providing a greater level of service and expertise to the nation in this critical area.
