The County College of Morris was again designated a national center of academic excellence in cybersecurity by the National Security Agency, the school announced.
In 2017, CCM became the first community college in New Jersey to be designated as such. It will now continue to have the designation, effective through academic year 2027.
The designation is presented every five years to institutions that can demonstrate they offer a cybersecurity curriculum aligned with national standards, contribute to providing a pipeline of professionals who can assist with protecting against cyberattacks and serve as a resource for the community in the area of information security.
The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense praised the school in its announcement.
“Your ability to meet the increasing demands of the program criteria will serve the nation well in contributing to the protection of the national information infrastructure,” it wrote. “A highly skilled cybersecurity workforce is a strategic national security advantage.”
Professor Colleen Bamford, chair of the Department of Information Technologies, said the school was thrilled to again be honored.
“We’re delighted to have our cyber and information security programs and initiatives recognized once again with this prestigious designation,” she said. “Along with offering strong degree and certificate programs, our department provides hands-on training opportunities for high school students through adults. Our goal is to both provide people with pathways to rewarding and well-paying careers and to assist the public with staying cyber safe.”
The department offers an Associate of Applied Science in information technology to prepare individuals to begin working in the field immediately or to transfer to bachelor’s level programs, along with a certificate in information/cyber security. Through a share-time program with the Morris County Vocational School District, the department also enrolls junior and senior high school students from across Morris County in the Cyber Security & Information Protection Program. Students in that program earn college credits and certifications to take advantage of high-demand career opportunities in information protection.
In 2015, the department established the Center for Cyber Security to serve as a comprehensive resource for students, faculty, staff and the community in the area of cybersecurity. It also has held GenCyber summer camps for high school students and participates in the annual national Hour of Code, where people of all ages can learn the basics of programming, along with offering other activities for the public.
