Funder: National Security Agency
Principal Investigator: Agnes Chan
Co-Principal Investigator: Alicia Sasser Modestino
Award: $250,000
Description: There is increasing evidence that the need for cybersecurity personnel in the private sector is outstripping the educational establishment’s ability to produce them. An analysis of Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) information revealed that in 2015 more than 209,000 cybersecurity jobs in the United States were unfilled and that job postings for such positions increased by 74 percent from 2010 to 2015. In an effort to attract more students into the cybersecurity field and in search for some standardization of training in the area, the National Security Agency (NSA) created the Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) in Information Assurance Education (IAE) in 1998, and Department of Homeland Security (DHS) joined in the effort as a partner in 2004.
While these programs have been quite successful in increasing the number of students interested in cybersecurity, a lack of skilled faculty members to educate the students has impeded the nation’s ability in building a strong cybersecurity corp. In this project, we will conduct an in-depth study of the educator shortage problem, including factors such as institutional support, specific areas of greatest demand, and incentives to teach. We will then work with cybersecurity stakeholders, government and private industries, as well as academe to identify strategies and programs that can entice trained professionals to participate in cybersecurity education.
