This article was originally published in the February 2015 edition of Making Waves.
Vice President Joe Biden took a first-hand look at Norfolk State University students’ skills and knowledge in stopping cyber attacks during a visit on campus, Jan. 15. Biden, along with Department of Energy Secretary Ernest Moniz, was at Norfolk State University to hold a round-table discussion on building a cybersecurity workforce and to announce a $25-million grant to support cybersecurity education.
Biden said that Norfolk State University is leading a 13-member cybersecurity consortium consisting of Historically Black Colleges and University (HBCUs), the Department of Energy National Laboratories and the Charleston County School District in South Carolina.
“The demand for cybersecurity professionals is growing 12 times faster than the rest of the U.S. job market,” said Biden. But he pointed out that there is a dire need for African Americans, women and other minorities to enter the profession. “Norfolk State, you are at the vanguard here,” he told the students.
NSU offers bachelor’s and master’s degrees in computer science with a concentration in information assurance.* A new online master’s program in cybersecurity has been approved by the State Council of Higher Education for Virginia and is expected to start at the University in fall 2015.
The University has been recognized by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as a national center of excellence in information assurance education since 2009.
*Go to https://www.nsu.edu/cs for the most current degree program information.