Glendale Community College, part of the Maricopa County Community College District, is one of the few colleges in Arizona to earn the designation of National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education.

GCC will receive the official designation certificate at a formal recognition ceremony today.

The National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education is a joint program sponsored by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency. Both organizations reviewed GCC’s cybersecurity program and determined that GCC students are receiving rigorous instruction that is in line with the most current cybersecurity industry trends, and they are learning on the most technologically advanced equipment available.

The designation is one of the most prestigious recognitions for cybersecurity excellence a college can receive.

“The fact that CAE recognizes our program is a testimony to all the work that went into building excellent academics,” said Terry Leyba-Ruiz, president of GCC. “It also acknowledges our expert faculty who are constantly updating their knowledge in this ever-changing field.”

In 2014, to meet the unique needs of the cybersecurity coursework, GCC committed to a full-scale investment in the program. GCC faculty and staff began designing and building the cybersecurity program, with the goal of becoming the most advanced cybersecurity program in Arizona. Part of the process was equipping a special classroom for the Cybersecurity Classes, which was later dubbed “The Cyber Cave”.

In “the Cyber Cave,” students can learn how to protect desktop and networks, configure Windows and Lennox servers while gaining knowledge about cyber forensics and ethical hacking. Upon completion, students are eligible for entry-level jobs in the IT and cybersecurity industries.

According to Cybersecurity Ventures, "the cybersecurity field is booming, and it is predicted that there will be 3.5 million cybersecurity job openings by 2021."    

To meet workforce needs, the Maricopa Community Colleges offer several program options for students that include Information Security Technology Certificate of Completion and Information Security Associates of Applied Sciences.

The goal of the Center of Academic Excellence program is to increase the understanding of Cyber Defense technology, policies, and practices that will enable the United States, companies and organizations to effectively prevent and respond to a catastrophic cyber event.