This regional center for information technology (IT) security and data assurance serves a five-state area of the Midwest and focuses on a field which is critical to homeland security and which has a large demand for qualified workers. The center builds on a previous Advanced Technological Education project at Moraine Valley Community College, "Applied Internet Technology: Curriculum and Careers" (NSF Award No. 9950037; see www.fastlane.nsf.gov/servlet/showaward?award=9950037 and www.morainevalley.edu/nsf/), which concluded in 2002. The following educational institutions are collaborating in the operation of the center:
* Moraine Valley Community College (Palos Hills, Illinois) * Rock Valley College (Rockford, Illinois) * University of Illinois at Springfield (Springfield, Illinois) * Lakeland Community College (Kirtland, Ohio) * Washtenaw Community College (Ann Arbor, Michigan) * Inver Hills Community College (Grove Heights, Minnesota) * Madison Area Technical College (Madison, Wisconsin)
Other organizations from business, industry, and government are also advising the center and participating in its activities.
The center is collecting, adapting, and enhancing curricula in cybersecurity, offering certificate and degree programs, and providing professional development for college faculty in the region. In particular, the center is establishing an A.A.S. degree and a certificate in IT security and data assurance; a concentration in IT security and data assurance within a B.S. degree program in computer science; an Internet-accessible laboratory environment that demonstrates and simulates security technologies; "train the trainer" summer workshops and externship opportunities for faculty from regional community colleges and four-year institutions; an internship program for students in the A.A.S. and B.S. degree programs; and a comprehensive outreach and support program to increase the number of students from underrepresented groups who pursue IT careers.
