Becoming a CAE/IA - The Process
Centers of Academic Excellence Center Designations Benefits The Process Website:
Center Designations NSA Objective “To reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education in information assurance (IA)” “Producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines”
Center Designations Program Statistics 8 years old 66 CAEs NOTE: Only four CAEs in Northeast U.S.CAEs Application deadline – mid-December, annually
Center Designations CAEs in Northeast U.S. Massachusetts: o Boston University o Northeastern University o University of Massachusetts – Amherst Vermont: o Norwich University Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Connecticut - NONE
Benefits Formal recognition from U.S. government Prestige Publicity Scholarship eligibility Grant eligibility
The Process Course mappings to NSTISSI 40XX security series (two minimum) Filing of mappings for certification Post-certification, creation of CAE application materials Identification of gaps/missing elements Plan for remedies Filing Center application before mid- December deadline
The Process Course Mappings – estimates 40 hours per standard CAE application – 3 months (Pace Univ., GWU and NDU) 6 months (West Chester Univ.) 3 weeks for re-certifications (ESU)
The Criteria for CAE Status Criteria No. Description 1. Partnerships in IA education 2. IA treated as a multidisciplinary science 3. University encourages the practice of IA 4. Academic program encourages IA research 5. Curriculum reaches beyond univ. borders
The Criteria for CAE Status Criteria No. Description 6. Faculty active in IA R&P 7. State-of-the-Art IA Resources 8. Declared concentrations in IA 9. Declared Center for IA Education or Research 10. Full-time IA faculty
The Essentials College President / management team – full support for initiative Dept. Chairs – ongoing support; consistent message that the project has priority status Time-table – minimum deviation
The Journey… Not for the faint of heart Not for the undecided or uncommitted The Recipients: high honor with multiple, collateral, unanticipated rewards