NEWS

Information Assurance program named a National Center of Academic Excellence by the NSA, DHS

May 10, 2011 | Business, Research and Development

The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have designated the Information Assurance program in Louisiana Tech University’s College of Business as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Systems Security Education. This recognition places the program among the academic elite in information assurance and as one of only 106 schools in the country to have been designated a National Center of Excellence in Information Systems Security Education.  Louisiana Tech is the only university in the State of Louisiana to achieve this distinction. The College’s information assurance programs have been certified by the Committee on National Security Systems Training Standards through the Information Assurance Courseware Evaluation Program for several national standards including Information Systems Security Professionals (4011), Senior Systems Managers (4012), and Risk Analysts (4016.) “This is a major accomplishment that recognizes our ongoing efforts to develop one of the nation’s best programs in information security,” said Tom Roberts, Clifford R. King Professor of Computer Information Systems and director of the College of Business’ Center for Information Assurance.  “It could not have been accomplished without a strong group of people working diligently within the College of Business and our sponsorship support from Argent Financial.” Other noted universities with this designation include Auburn, Arizona, Arizona State, the Naval Post Graduate School, the United States Air Force Academy, Florida State, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, the United States Naval Academy, Minnesota, Missouri, Rutgers, New Mexico, Syracuse, the United States Military Academy (West Point), Ohio State, Carnegie Mellon, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Oklahoma State, South Carolina, Texas A&M, and Georgetown. “This national recognition of our Computer Information Systems program in Information Assurance is another indicator that the programs in the College are on the cutting edge of business education,” said James Lumpkin, dean of Louisiana Tech’s College of Business.  “It is a delight to work with such innovative and dedicated faculty.” Louisiana Tech College of Business’ Information Assurance program received this recognition as a result of its ability to meet the education program criteria created by the NSA and DHS to provide a future workforce that contributes to the protection of the National Information Infrastructure. Program criteria includes outreach and collaboration with 2-year and minority colleges, a multidisciplinary approach to information assurance, an active agenda in information assurance research, and the Louisiana Tech College of Business’ robust information assurance education program.  Those programs include the College of Business’s Graduate Certificate in Information Assurance, MBA with an Information Assurance concentration, and information assurance efforts in the Computer Information Systems undergraduate program.