College Receives Second Accreditation Certificate from NSA
The College of Southern Maryland received its second National Security Administration (NSA) accreditation certification through the Committee on National Security Systems (CNSS) for cyber security education at the National Colloquium for Information Systems Security Education reception June 8 in Baltimore.
This certification is crucial for our students who want to take advantage of the expansion of information technology and cyber security jobs, said CSM Chair of Business and Technology Jeff Tjiputra, who along with Technology Professor Renee Jenkins, attended the reception. We will be building on this certification and applying for the Center for Academic Excellence certification which used to be available only to four-year colleges but is now open to community colleges, said Tjiputra.
Gov. Martin OMalley recently announced that CyberMaryland, an economic development initiative with guidance from more than 50 public and private sector information technology and security experts, highlights Marylands key role in supporting national cyber goals, according to a State media release, adding that companies such as Booz Allen Hamilton and Lockheed Martin recently announced adding up to 100 new jobs for information technology and cyber security fields.
CSM joins 13 Maryland colleges in offering NSA-accredited cyber security courses. CSM is ahead of community colleges nationwide, said Tjiputra.
Managed by NSA, CNSS was established in 1953, reaffirmed in 2003 and is responsible for assuring a technical base within the U.S. government and support from the private sector to enhance that technical base. CNSS works with academia to accredit college programs on cyber security, and in 2010 opened the accreditation process to community colleges to achieve Center for Academic Excellence accreditation. The College of Southern Maryland received the 4011 accreditation in 2009 and the 4013 accreditation this year. The college is applying for the Center for Academic Excellence designation in 2011.
Maryland is pushing to be a leader in cyber security innovation and we want our students to be a part of that, said CSM President Dr. Brad Gottfried. These are high-paying jobs that are in high demand right nowand far into the future.
CSM is a member of the National Science Foundation-funded CyberWatch, a consortium of higher education institutions, businesses and government agencies focused on building and maintaining information assurance and cyber security workforce.
Security is among the fastest growing professional career areas worldwide with career opportunities in government, business and industry. Security positions are available in network, internet, database, application and wireless security with job titles including security technician, security analyst, security associate, security administrator, security specialist, security consultant and security engineer.
For information on CSMs information technology programs, visit http://www.csmd.edu/academics/program/AAS.ISS/2010-2012.html.