Scholarship for Service - The University of Texas at San Antonio

University Of Texas At San Antonio, San Antonio TX

Investigators

Abstract

The objective of this project is to provide Information Assurance and Cybersecurity scholarships and employment opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students who are majoring in a cybersecurity field. The project's focus is on both recruitment and retention of students including student mentoring and a Student Champions outreach program. The University of Texas at San Antonio (UTSA) has received the National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education and Center of Academic Excellence in Research designations from the National Security Agency. UTSA offers both a major and a minor in Infrastructure Assurance at the undergraduate level and a concentration at the graduate level. It also offers concentrations in Computer and Information Security at both the undergraduate and graduate levels. The proposed project reduces the current personnel gap in cyber security for the national information infrastructure and it presents an opportunity for recruiting minority students. UTSA is a Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) with more than 58 percent of its students coming from groups underrepresented in higher education. With its ties to the large local cybersecurity industry, UTSA can help address the critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals the nation is experiencing.