Jim Garrettson
The University of Maryland University College is presenting An Evening in Cyberspace, a black-tie gala that will bring together leaders from industry and government, scholars, researchers and practitioners to celebrate the university’s new cybersecurity programs and to fund scholarships for students entering these programs.
UMUC has positioned itself as a leader in cybersecurity education in the Greater Washington area, offering two master“™s degrees, one bachelor“™s degree, and three graduate certificates in cybersecurity to its currently more than 2,000 students.
The decision to start offering cybersecurity degrees came after the university realized the high demand for educated cyber professionals, Greg von Lehmen, UMUC, provost and chief academic, told GovConExec magazine in December.
With an average age of 32, many students are in mid-management and have extensive work experience prior to attending UMUC. Nearly 90 percent of students work full time, and many have security clearances.
The university has more than 100 adjunct professors involved in the program, many of whom hold full-time positions in the cybersecurity field. The curriculum itself has been created from the ground up, with expert input from a committee of industry leaders chaired by retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. Harry D. Raduege, chair of the Deloitte Center for Cyber Innovation.
Other cybersecurity luminaries who have provided expertise and insight on curriculum development include retired U.S. Air Force Lt. Gen. John Campbell of Iridium Communications; retired U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Betsy Hight, director of U.S. Defense Command and Control Infrastructure Practice, HP Enterprise Services; Mike McConnell, EVP, National Security Business, Booz Allen Hamilton; James F. X. Payne, SVP and general manager, National Security and Cyber Infrastructure, Telcordia Technologies, Inc.; and Bill Varner, president and COO of ManTech“™s Mission, Cyber and Technology Solutions Group.
The gala will be held April 2, 2011, at the Gaylord National Resort and Convention Center in National Harbor, Md. The evening will feature keynote speaker retired Air Force Gen. Michael V. Hayden, former director of CIA and NSA.
For more information about An Evening in Cyberspace, visit the event website.
