Rhode Island College earns top federal marks for cybersecurity program
Gov. Dan McKee and Rhode Island College President Jack Warner are seen at an event announcing the school's designation as a National Security Agency Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. (Photo by Alexander Castro/Rhode Island Current)
As higher education faces potential cuts to federal funding and grants, Rhode Island College (RIC) just received a prestigious recognition to help boost its cybersecurity program's access to federal money and support.
The National Security Administration (NSA) affirmed RIC as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense, the school announced at an on-campus event Monday. The NSA award is given to schools that meet high standards for cybersecurity education, and gives schools additional grant opportunities via the Department of Defense and the National Science Foundation.
Schools may choose from one of three specialties within the designation, and RIC's program falls under the 'cyber defense' banner. The specific program recognized at RIC is a Bachelor of Arts in computer science with a minor in cybersecurity. RIC's cybersecurity major, which was added to the school's offerings after the minor, is eligible to be considered for the NSA branding starting in 2026.
'This recognition tells the world that Rhode Island College is the gold standard for cybersecurity education,' RIC President Jack Warner said at the event. 'Our graduates will enter the workforce prepared to tackle the complex digital challenges of the next century.'
The cybersecurity minor is part of the school's Institute for Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies, which opened in 2023. Warner was joined by former U.S. Rep. Jim Langevin, who chairs the Institute, and a sampling of Rhode Island's elected officials, including all four of the state's Congressional delegates plus Gov. Dan McKee, state Sen. Lou DiPalma of Middletown and Marianne Raimondo, dean of the business school at RIC.
Langevin, who formerly sat on the U.S. House Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Protection, was praised by his former colleagues as a keen observer and early evangelist of cybersecurity's importance within government.
'This day should probably be known as Jim Langevin Day,' Sen. Jack Reed said during his turn at the podium. 'Jim was one of the first members of Congress to recognize the criticality of cyber in our daily lives.'
Delegates emphasized the need for a workforce well-trained in the art of defense. U.S. Rep. Seth Magaziner pointed to China, Russia, Iran and North Korea as significant sources of cyber threats. In his time on the Committee on Homeland Security as well as its cybersecurity subcommittee, Magaziner said he's learned a lot about other nations' interest in cybercrime.
'The Chinese government employs literally tens of thousands — not hundreds, not thousands, but tens of thousands of people — whose whole job is to go to work every day and try to hack into the systems of the United States,' Magaziner said. 'And when I say hack into systems in the United States, I don't just mean the Pentagon or government systems. I mean water, sewer, electrical grids, Air Force … just the scale of it is unbelievable.'
Langevin, himself a RIC graduate, acknowledged his emphasis on cyber during his time as a congressman.
'I cannot think of a more meaningful way to continue my career in cybersecurity policy than to help craft the way we train the next generation of cyber security professionals, cyber defenders,' Langevin said.
The federal designation is another show of support for the institute, following voter approval last November of a ballot question that authorized bond spending for capital improvements at RIC and University of Rhode Island. RIC is using its $73 million share of the nearly $161 million bond to turn Whipple Hall into a dedicated home for the institute, which will include new spaces for students to learn cyber defense techniques. That includes an IBM Cyber Range, which simulates cyberattacks so students can learn how to respond in real time. Construction is currently underway and is expected to be ready by the time the academic year starts in the fall.
After the speaking program, Suzanne Mello Stark, chair of the Computer Science and Information Systems department at RIC, called the designation 'really exciting…It means that we are vetted. Our students are vetted,' she said. 'So if they go apply for jobs in cybersecurity, they will see that they come from a school that meets the requirements of the National Security Agency.'
Stark pointed to the federal Scholarship for Service Program as one benefit of the designation. The program lets students get a scholarship, a stipend, and job experience working in government cybersecurity positions ranging from federal roles to tribal positions.
Douglas Alexander, the institute's director, said the designation was a bright spot amid recent funding woes nationwide. 'When it comes to the military and cyber security, I think we're all in agreement that this is an important program to keep going and to keep supporting the nation, and I don't think there's a lot of partisan politics involved in that,' he said.
And it's not just the federal government that needs workers with strong information technology skillsets, Alexander said. Smaller government entities often need competent IT professionals the most, and usually can't afford dedicated cybersecurity positions like larger companies can. Having previously worked in a municipal role in Warwick Public Schools, Alexander said he 'knows that feeling of being pulled in a million different directions.'
'The contrast between the commercial sector and the public sector is really stark, and we really need to do a lot to close the gap,' Alexander said. 'Really fundamental IT skills are also something that the state lacks, just in head count, just in personnel. The IT folks that we have are brilliant. I know a lot of them, and they are working really, really hard … but we just don't have enough of them.'
Students learn the ins and outs of basic network security in the school's cyber program, Alexander said, with the hope they'll be able to tackle positions ranging from municipal IT officer to cyber analyst at large corporate firms. And he hopes the new cyber range will facilitate more of these connections between industry, government and higher ed, especially once construction is complete and people know what the space is capable of.
'That kind of cross pollination … is our secret weapon here in Rhode Island, because we can all travel to one place in a day, unlike a lot of states, where you see each other once a year,' Alexander said.
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