GCC is named a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense

Friday, November 22, 2019
Cyber Defense Award Ceremony photo

Today’s announcement places the GCC among a select group of regionally-accredited two-year, four-year and graduate-level institutions nationwide to receive this prestigious distinction. “Glendale Community College is proud to receive this designation. The fact that CAE recognizes our program is testimony to all the work that went in building an excellent cybersecurity program, it also acknowledges our expert faculty who are constantly updating their own knowledge in this ever-changing field.” — Terry Leyba-Ruiz, President, Glendale Community College The increasing amount of large-scale, cybersecurity breaches suggests that not only are the number of security breaches going up — they are increasing in severity as well. In fact, there are over 10 billion malware attacks during 2018 with 92% of the malware is delivered by email. While cybercrime costs organizations on average $5 million, the most expensive component of a cyberattack is the loss of data, which represents 43 percent of costs. (Source: Ponemon Institute). These statistics not only highlight the impact of cybercrimes but also the critical need for skilled professionals who can guard their organizations against these pervasive attacks. DHS and NSA jointly sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) program. Cybersecurity Programs become designated based on an evaluation of robust degree programs and close alignment to specific cybersecurity-related knowledge units, validated by subject matter experts in the field. CAE graduates help protect national security information systems, commercial networks, and critical information infrastructure in the private and public sectors. To meet the unique needs of the cybersecurity coursework, GCC committed to a full-scale investment in the program. In 2016, the GCC faculty and staff began designing and building the cybersecurity program, with the goal of becoming one of the most advanced cybersecurity program in Arizona. Part of the process was equipping a special classroom for the cybersecurity classes, which was later dubbed the Cyber Cave. In the Cyber Cave, students apply what they learn in order to protect network infrastructures, harden and configure Windows and Linux environments while gaining hands-on skills and techniques in ethical hacking. Upon completion, students are eligible for entry-level jobs in a multitude of IT and cybersecurity related positions. “The cybersecurity field is booming and it is predicted that there will be 1.5 million cybersecurity related job openings by 2021 and it is expected to grow at a rate of 32% over the next ten years. There is a great need for all levels of cybersecurity expertise. Glendale Community College’s Cybersecurity program helps to fulfill this need through hands-on training and innovative real world application.” — Martin Bencic Cybersecurity Program Director at GCC. To meet the workforce needs GCC offers several cybersecurity degree options for students: Associates of Applied Sciences Cybersecurity, Information Security, Information Technology, Linux Networking Administration and 10 different Certificate of Completion. The goal of the Center of Academic Excellence program is to increase the understanding of Cyber Defense technology, policies and practices that will enable the United States, companies and organizations to effectively prevent and respond to a catastrophic cyber event. The goal of Glendale Community College Cybersecurity program is to help meet these needs.