National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security designate UH West Oʻahu as National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education

Dr. Matthew A. Chapman and student interns at the UH West Oʻahu Cyber Security Coordination Center discuss regional cybersecurity and cyber workforce development with guests from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Systems Center Pacific in San Diego, Calif.

Dr. Matthew A. Chapman and student interns at the UH West Oʻahu Cyber Security Coordination Center discuss regional cybersecurity and cyber workforce development with guests from Space and Naval Warfare Systems Command Systems Center Pacific in San Diego, Calif.

The University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu was designated a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education by the National Security Agency and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, becoming the first four-year university in the state to receive this prestigious honor.

The University offers a bachelor’s degree with a concentration in information security and assurance, the first of its kind at a public institution in Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. In response to national and state needs for graduates with education in cybersecurity, UH West Oʻahu, in cooperation with University of Hawaiʻi Community Colleges, state and federal law enforcement agencies, state security officials, and local businesses, developed an expansive security education program.

“We are honored to receive this distinction from the nation’s foremost experts in cybersecurity,” said UH West Oʻahu Interim Chancellor Doris Ching. “The University of Hawaiʻi – West Oʻahu prides itself in offering essential programs that fill a community need and provide our graduates with opportunities for fulfilling careers where they make a difference. Our information security and assurance program is a shining example of this.”

“Certification as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education is a tremendous honor for our program that will benefit our students for many years,” said UH West Oʻahu Assistant Professor of Information Security and Assurance, Matthew Chapman. “As our primary mission is to provide all students – including Native Hawaiian, local, and regional students – opportunities to prepare for employment in cybersecurity career fields, this certification recognizes our students as cyber defense subject matter experts, who will be leaders in protecting both Hawaiʻi and national critical infrastructure.”

UH West Oʻahu achieved National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education designation by meeting rigorous standards including the establishment of a physical and virtual center and website for cyber defense education. The University also demonstrated how its information security and assurance academic program fosters student-based cyber defense research and community outreach that is supported by experienced faculty who contribute to cybersecurity research.

UH West Oʻahu’s Cyber Security Coordination Center offers cybersecurity and information technology students the opportunity to work in a cyber operations center and coordinate cyber defense information with local ad regional partners. Students gain research experience as network defense subject matter experts, preparing them for future employment with the federal or state government as well as private industry. The center is student-run and supports information security needs in the community, research in modern cyber conflicts, and emerging cyber threats.

Dr. Matthew Chapman will receive the National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education certificate on behalf of UH West Oʻahu at the National Cyber Security Summit in Huntsville, Ala. on June 8.

Image courtesy of Brian Miyamoto