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Metropolitan State University of Denver (MSU Denver) seeks to increase diversity in the cybersecurity field through several different programs and initiatives.
Dr. Janine Davidson
MSU Denver has its own Cyber Security Center and offers cyber security as a major, said MSU Denver President Dr. Janine Davidson.
Cybersecurity firm Atos has an on-campus security operations center and hires students before they graduate, according to the school.
The third-largest public institution in Colorado, the school is both a minority institution (MSI) and a Hispanic institution (HSI), Davidson said. MSU Denver also now has about 500 DACA recipients, and Davidson said the school was the first in Colorado to offer in-state tuition to undocumented students who attended high school. It is school.
Davidson noted that cybersecurity programs should focus on recruiting women as well as minorities, arguing that both demographics are underrepresented in this area.
Richard C. Mac Namee, Director of Cybersecurity Center at MSU Denver, said: “And it is clear that diversity involves diluting it to the point where equity exists.”
As of this year, MSU Denver is also the National Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense for the National Security Agency (NSA). This means you can meet and comply with government agency standards.
“The NSA is the federal government’s primary agency when it comes to issues related to cybersecurity,” said Mac Namee. What are effective best practices in the field of cybersecurity?”
The relationship with the NSA goes even further. MSU Denver is one of 11 US colleges and universities participating in the NSA’s Cyber security Education Diversity Initiative (CEDI). CEDI aims to expand access to cybersecurity education at MSI and Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) and improve subject diversity. Through this initiative, the school received approximately $150,000 for partnerships between Mountain West Cybersecurity Consortium, Trinidad State Junior College, Outcalt Foundation, and the Colorado Department of Higher Education.
MSU Denver’s efforts to uplift its underrepresented community also extend to neurodiverse students, Mac Namee said. Affiliated with Teaching the Autism Community Trades (TACT), six people work in the center’s cyber range, learning the trade through hands-on experience.
Finally, the school works with younger generations, such as middle schoolers, Davidson said, referring to a summer science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) program for middle school girls.
“For me, a lot of this stuff is what we call career exploration, just showcasing what’s available to people,” Davidson said. go-to-college. In many ways, this means that many of these students are not exposed to a career field in technology if their parents do not work in that field. The students we partner with and support high schools know what avenues are for them. ”
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