AU is the second private institution in Indiana and just the sixth member of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities to actively hold the designation.
"After several years of planning and exceptional work by our dedicated faculty and staff in implementing our cybersecurity initiative at Anderson University, we are very pleased and grateful to announce that we have received the official designation as a Center for Academic Excellence for Cyber Defense," AU President John Pistole said.
"With this designation, we look forward to expanding our cybersecurity educational and vocational offerings to a broader audience, addressing a key need in today's society."
According to a news release, AU achieved the designation through a five-year process. The school's cybersecurity program was required to meet certain benchmarks. The curriculum, officials said, was intentionally designed to expose cybersecurity students to a wide range of industry needs, from policy to technical skills.
The program aligns certain classes to specific knowledge units, and the university was required to demonstrate that a cohort of graduates successfully completed courses covering more than 20 knowledge units.
Beyond the curriculum, the CAE designation involved evidence of community outreach as well as institutional alignment with cybersecurity principles.
"We are thrilled to be recognized as a Center of Academic Excellence, which requires that we not only educate future cybersecurity leaders in the classroom, but also support the needs of state and local communities," said Dr. Matthew Preston, chair of the Department of Computer Science.
The cybersecurity major includes additional courses in computer science, political science, mathematics, and philosophy. Students are also required to pursue at least one cybersecurity certification, such as CompTIA Security+ or EC-Council's Certified Ethical Hacker.
"Receiving this designation was made possible by the hard work of many across AU's campus over a multi-year period," said Preston. "As the need for technological skills continues to grow, this designation affirms that we are well-positioned to graduate students with in-demand technical and policy skills that are fostered in an environment where Christian ethics are at the forefront."
©2023 The Herald Bulletin (Anderson, Ind.). Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
