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Press Release | June 11, 2012

2012 National Centers of Academic Excellence Designees Announced

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security have jointly announced the designation of 52 colleges and universities as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education, Information Assurance Research, and in Information Assurance 2-Year Education for the years 2012 through 2017.

The centers - now totaling 166 in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico - are recognized leaders in these fields. Program graduates often develop into cyber experts who help to protect national-security information systems, commercial networks, and critical information infrastructure in both the private and public sectors - meeting the increasingly urgent needs of the U.S. government, industry, and academia.

Specifically:

  • Seven institutions were designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) for the years 2012 through 2017.
  • Seven joined the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE/R) Program.
  • Eleven new institutions were identified as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance 2-Year Education (CAE/2Y).
  • Twenty-seven existing centers in Information Assurance Education successfully re-applied, maintaining their designation.

The complete list of centers and details about the selection process are available here. The 2012 designees are listed in the Fact Sheet below.

All of the designations are valid for five academic years, after which the college or university must successfully re-apply. The NSA-DHS partnership was initially formed in 2004 in response to the 2003 National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace.

Centers with the "Information Assurance Education" or "Research" designation are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the National Science Foundation's Scholarship for Service Program.

More information about the National Security Agency is available online at NSA.gov.

Fact Sheet

2012-2017 Designations

NSA and DHS announced the new National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) for the years 2012 through 2017:

Bellevue University Nebraska
Brigham Young University Utah
Florida A&M University Florida
Texas A&M - San Antonio Texas
Tuskegee University Alabama
University of Colorado, Colorado Springs Colorado
University of Rhode Island Rhode Island

Additionally, these seven academic institutions were newly designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE/R) for the years 2012-2017:

Dakota State University South Dakota
Florida Atlantic University Florida
Louisiana Tech University Louisiana
The University of Alabama at Birmingham Alabama
University of Arkansas Arkansas
University of New Mexico New Mexico
University of North Texas Texas

The following 11 community colleges, technical schools, or state or federally endorsed IA/Cyber training centers were designated as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance 2-year Education (CAE/2Y):

Bossier Parish Community College Louisiana
Francis Tuttle Technology School Oklahoma
Harford Community College Maryland
Ivy Tech Community College Indiana
Jackson State Community College Tennessee
Minneapolis Community and Technical College Minnesota
Montgomery Community College Maryland
Oklahoma Department of Career and Technology Oklahoma
Sinclair Community College Ohio
Snead State Community College Alabama
Valencia College Florida

The 27 institutions listed below have continued their commitment to providing quality IA education to students; they re-applied and were successfully evaluated against strengthened criteria, retaining the designation of National Center of Academic Excellence in IA Education. (The list includes the year that they were first designated as a CAE/IAE.)

Arizona State University, 2007 Arizona
Boston University, 2004 Massachusetts
California State University, Sacramento, 2007 California
Capella University, 2007 Minnesota
Champlain College, 2007 Vermont
Dakota State University, 2004 South Dakota
Drexel University, 2001 Pennsylvania
Indiana University, 2007 Indiana
Kennesaw State University, 2004 Georgia
Mississippi State University, 2001 Mississippi
Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2007 Missouri
Norwich University, 2001 Vermont
Our Lady of the Lake University, 2007 Texas
Pace University, 2004 New York
Regis University, 2007 Colorado
Syracuse University, 2001 New York
United States Military Academy, West Point, 2001 New York
University of Advancing Technology, 2007 Arizona
University of Alabama, Huntsville, 2007 Alabama
University of Detroit Mercy, 2004 Michigan
University of Maryland, Baltimore County, 2001 Maryland
University of New Mexico, 2007 New Mexico
University of North Carolina, Charlotte, 2004 North Carolina
University of North Texas, 2004 Texas
University of Pittsburgh, 2004 Pennsylvania
University of Texas at Dallas, 2004 Texas
University of Washington, 2004 Washington