The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) jointly announce the designation of six institutions as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAE/IAE) and the designation of seven institutions as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Research (CAE-R). This brings the total number of institutions participating in this highly regarded program to 106 CAE/IAEs and 47 CAE-Rs. Thirty-six institutions are designated as both CAE/IAE and CAE-R. The CAEs span 39 States, the District of Columbia and the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and are recognized leaders in the fields of information assurance and the expanding field of cyber security. All institutions receiving these designations are hereinafter referred to as CAEs.

NSA and DHS are also pleased to announce the completion of the pilot year of the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance two-year Education (CAE2Y) program. This program was established as a means of providing recognition to institutions that serve as models for two-year schools by providing innovative, comprehensive and multidisciplinary education and training in the Information Assurance/Cyber Security field. Six schools have received the new designation in this pilot year. Students attending these schools may apply for the scholarship programs after successfully being admitted to a four-year CAE institution.

Designation as a CAE (all programs) is valid for five academic years, after which the college or university must successfully reapply in order to retain the designation. Please see the attached fact sheet for lists of colleges/universities that were designated as a CAE/IAE and/or CAE-R or CAE2Y in 2010, and a comprehensive list of all 125 participating CAE institutions on iad.gov/.

NSA/DHS partnership was formed in 2004 in response to the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace of 2003. The CAE-R program was added in 2007 to encourage universities and students to pursue research, development and innovation in information assurance and cyber security. The program originally created by this partnership has continued to grow and become even more relevant and critical to U.S. national security today. Colleges and universities designated as CAE/IAEs and CAE-Rs are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through both the Federal and Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Programs. Graduates from Information Assurance programs at CAE institutions become the professional cyber security experts protecting national security information systems, commercial networks and critical information infrastructure in both the private and public sectors. These professionals are meeting the increasingly urgent needs of the U.S. government, industry and academia.

Contacts:
Individuals or institutions interested in additional information, please visit our web site, iad.gov/, or contact the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education program office via e-mail at AskCAEIAE@nsa.gov.

Media representatives interested in additional information regarding the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education Program may contact the NSA Public Affairs Office via email at nsapao@nsa.gov or by telephone at (301) 688-6524 .