Cybersecurity program at CSN called a model for workforce development, innovation

Janette Suarez had her identity stolen in 2015 and decided to act.

She had recently left the U.S. Air Force and was looking for her next career, deciding she didn’t want to see others fall victim to the same fate with having their information compromised. She’s now a graduate of the cybersecurity program at the College of Southern Nevada — one of the first schools in Nevada to have its cybersecurity program recognized by the National Security Agency.

“Last year, there was (over) $2 billion in U.S. dollars from Americans that went to scammers’ hands, so that right there is a big number. …Everybody needs to know about cybersecurity so that they can protect themselves, and it comes down to also sharing with your family and friends so that our elders also don’t get scammed,” Suarez, 39, said.

CSN, UNLV and UNR are the only Nevada institutions designated by the National Security Agency as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity, joining a collection of over 400 other schools in the U.S. To receive this designation, institutions must meet “rigorous requirements” from the NSA that are considered “the gold standard for cyber security programs,” CSN said.

Only schools that have committed to “producing cybersecurity professionals that will reduce vulnerabilities in our national infrastructure” are given this title, the Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity says on its website.

CSN, which begins its fall semester Aug. 26, offers three cybersecurity degree programs and a certificate of achievement in cybersecurity with an emphasis on digital forensics. The degree programs consist of a two-year track that has specializations in compliance, digital forensics or network security.

As required by the National Security Agency, CSN’s two-year program must cover 11 areas including cyberdefense, system administration, data analysis and security design principles, cyberthreats, introductory programming and ethics.

Through CSN and its Cyber Security Center, students can find opportunities for industry certifications as they work on their degrees; join student clubs such as Women in Cybersecurity; and gain hands-on experience within the college’s cyber laboratory.

Interested high schoolers can even gain early exposure to cybersecurity and information technology through Career Technical Education and dual enrollment programs, which also allows them to earn college credits.

“Degrees are nice, pieces of paper are nice, and there’s a lot of value for that, but being able to demonstrate practical knowledge of skills versus just theoretical knowledge is incredibly valuable,” Paul Woodard, a CSN cybersecurity program alumnus and senior cybersecurity engineer said during a panel this month host by the college.

Woodard told audience members that some of his favorite aspects about CSN’s cybersecurity program were the supportive faculty, fellow students that he met through classes and cybersecurity clubs, hands-on training and connection to local industry leaders.

Three years ago, Congress established the Office of the National Cyber Director to “help bring together all of the federal components … that can contribute to our nation’s cybersecurity” and create “one coherent federal ecosystem,” said National Cyber Director Harry Coker Jr. in an interview at the time.

Coker was at CSN Aug. 9 to meet with students, witness the college’s cybersecurity program in action and commend the work that CSN and partner UNLV are doing to “build the foundation and the pipeline for our cyber workforce.”

And these future employees are much needed. There are about 500,000 open cybersecurity jobs across the country, and over 4,000 of them are in Nevada alone, according to the White House.

Last March, President Joe Biden’s administration released its National Cybersecurity Strategy to “make fundamental shifts in how the United States allocates roles, responsibilities, and resources in cyberspace.”

The plan hinges on defending critical infrastructure; preventing “malicious cyber actors” from attacking systems; building a more resilient workforce and research space; forging international partnerships; and shaping the market to encourage security and resiliency.

One of the biggest factors in creating “a resilient future” for cybersecurity is “developing a diverse and robust national cyber workforce.”

Four months later, the White House published its National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy, which Coker said was “a foundational document that focuses our collective effort on growing the cyber workforce. Since taking the position eight months ago, Coker has traveled across the nation to see and highlight some of the “best practices” that educational and workforce institutions are using to fuel the cybersecurity workforce.

Though Coker didn’t share specifics on what programs from CSN he’d like to build on a national level, he did highlight CSN’s high school partnerships; research experience for teachers; hands-on opportunities for students; and the Women in Cybersecurity club – all of which he said “should be adopted across the country.”

Suarez, who graduated in May, said she planned on gaining a few industry certifications before heading into the job field. From co-founding the Women in Cybersecurity club at CSN to securing an internship with the National Football League during the Super Bowl, Suarez believes the hands-on experience she gained during college and support from her professors is something “you would never get” anywhere else.

“This is the kind of innovative best practice that we need to scale nationwide,” said Coker during his visit to CSN last week. “The approach taken at CSN, stressing the importance of hands-on learning by integrating industry certifications, internships, and work-study programs – facilitating pathways into employment — or transferring to a four-year institution like UNLV — is what sets you all apart, and I commend you for it. You are absolutely part of the solution.”

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