SU recognized again as Center of Excellence in Information Assurance Education

SU recognized again as Center of Excellence in Information Assurance EducationMay 17, 2007SU News ServicesSUnews@syr.edu

Syracuse University, including the School of Information Studies, was recently re-designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education. The certification will be active from 2007-12. A ceremony recognizing the achievement will be held at an awards dinner on Tuesday, June 5, during the annual conference of the Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education at Boston University.

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) Program is an outreach program designed and operated initially by the National Security Agency (NSA). The NSA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), in support of the President’s National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, now jointly sponsor the program. The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education in information assurance (IA), and producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines.

Each applicant to the program must pass a rigorous review demonstrating its commitment to academic excellence in IA education, which focuses on the strength of curriculum, research, faculty and resources. The institutions that are selected receive formal recognition from the U.S. government, and their students are eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program and the Federal Cyber Service Scholarship for Service Program (SFS).

Among other security-related programs, Syracuse University is home to the interdisciplinary Systems Assurance Institute, which is composed of researchers and students from the School of Information Studies, the L.C. Smith College of Engineering and Computer Science, Newhouse School and the Maxwell School. The School of Information Studies also offers a Certificate of Advanced Studies in Information Security Management that provides graduates with a comprehensive framework on which to base security decisions in their organizations.