News Release
Contact
Suki Deen,
Public Relations Associate
320 DuPont Highway
New Castle, DE
19720
suki.r.deen@wilmu.edu
Wilmington University Students to Participate in U.S. Cyber Challenge
Tuesday, July 28, 2009 - New Castle, DE
Wilmington University students will be among 10,000 American youth participating in the new U.S. Cyber Challenge, a program introduced by the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The program, which was announced by Senator Carper (D) yesterday, is intended to encourage high school and college students to become more involved in careers in cyber security, as well as teaching students advanced skills in computer network security.
“Every month we read more and more about cyber attacks against private citizens, companies, and even our government,” Stated Sen. Carper in a press release, “Unfortunately, our country doesn’t have enough people who really know how to defend our critical networks from these types of attacks. I am proud that Delaware – once again – has been named as a state to help the United States continue be the most competitive and most secure nation in cyberspace today.”
The state of Delaware is one of three partner states that will work together to help lead this Cyber Challenge. Wilmington University and the University of Delaware have been chosen as locations for the Challenge and students from both institutions will be eligible to participate.
“We have been committed to preparing students for careers in Information Technology for some time now,” said Wilmington University President, Dr. Jack Varsalona, “Recognizing the critical shortage of cyber security professionals the nation now faces, we look forward to working with Governor Markell and Senator Carper to expand our cyber skills development programs.” The University offers undergraduate and graduate degrees that specialize in cyber security including the Master of Science in Information Systems Technologies with a concentration in Information Assurance that can be completed 100% online and the Bachelor of Science in Computer and Network Security.
The Cyber Challenge is a way to build a new generation of cyber security professionals who will be ready and willing to defend the country against cyber attacks. The young Delawareans who participate in this Cyber Challenge will also be given the opportunity to participate in Delaware Cyber Camps, earn internships with local employers, be recognized by Delaware’s top colleges, earn scholarships to attend cyber security classes and have the opportunity to compete for internships with the leading cyber security employers like the Department of Energy National Laboratories and the National Security Agency.
For more information on the U.S. Cyber Challenge visit www.csis.org/uscc. To learn more about Wilmington University’s involvement in the U.S. Cyber Challenge please contact Mark Hufe in the College of Technology at (302) 356-6869.