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Press Release | May 15, 2008

NSA and DHS Announce the first Designees of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research, 2008

The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly announce the designation of the following universities as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE-R) for the years 2008 - 2013:

  • Auburn University
  • Boston University
  • Dartmouth College
  • George Mason University
  • Indiana University
  • Johns Hopkins University
  • Mississippi State University
  • Missouri University of Science and Technology
  • North Carolina State University
  • Northeastern University
  • Oklahoma State University
  • Polytechnic University
  • Stevens Institute of Technology
  • The George Washington University
  • The Pennsylvania State University
  • The University of Texas at Dallas
  • University of California at Davis
  • University of California, Irvine
  • University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
  • University of Maryland, Baltimore County
  • University of North Carolina, Charlotte
  • University of Pittsburgh
  • University of Washington

The need for robust IA technology, policy, and practices that will enable our Nation to effectively prevent and respond to a catastrophic event is paramount. The National Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Research Program was launched in September 2007 to address this need. The CAE-R program is an off-shoot of the current CAE program, and recognizes schools that foster an IA research focus in curriculum, as well as labs. The vision for this program is to establish a process that will present opportunities for IA research centers to drill deeper into much needed solutions to securing the global information grid and provide NSA, DHS, and other federal agencies with insight into academic IA programs that can support advanced academic research and development capabilities.

The designations of these CAE-R result in a total of 23 IA Research centers across 17 states and the District of Columbia.

Presentations will be made to designated Centers on 4 June 2008 during an awards ceremony at the annual conference of the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education. The conference will be held at the University of Texas at Dallas on June 2 - 4 2008.

The National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security jointly sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence Programs. This partnership was formed in April 2004, and responds to Priority III of the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace of 2003 that directs the Federal Government to foster training and education programs to support the Nation's cybersecurity needs, and to increase the efficiency of existing Federal cybersecurity programs. The President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace refers to cyberspace as the nervous system of our Nation's critical infrastructures, and indicates that the healthy functioning of cyberspace is essential to our economy and our national security. Securing cyberspace presents a difficult strategic challenge, and information assurance education is a critical component in successfully meeting that challenge.

Universities designated as Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education and Centers of Academic Excellence in IA Research are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through both the Federal and Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Programs.

Media representatives interested in additional information regarding the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Programs may contact the Public and Media Affairs Office at (301) 688-6524 or by email at nsapao@nsa.gov. Additional information is also available on the NSA website at /what-we-do/information-assurance/, or by contacting the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education program office via email at askCAEIAE@nsa.gov.