14 The Hampton Roads Messenger


NSU Cybersecurity M.S. One of Nation’s 50 Best Programs


Education BY REBEKAH DAVIS Norfolk State graduate cybersecurity


University’s degree


recently won the award of “50 Best Schools of 2018: Online Master’s Degrees in Cybersecurity,” distinguishing


across the nation.


it from hundreds Dr.


Aurelia


Williams, professor and chair of the computer science department, and Dr. Cheryl Hinds, the program’s coordinator, said this award shows the quality of education provided to


students. “The other schools;


Cyber Defense Education with the introduction of the master’s in cybersecurity program received that began in 2015. “This recognition by DHS and NSA of the quality of our cybersecurity will


programs provide more scholarship recognition


provides current and prospective students with an assurance that the material covered in the program is comparable to


therefore, students can rest assured that the quality of the degree earned at Norfolk State University satisfies the expectations of employers,” Williams


said. CyberSecurity-


MastersDegree.org evaluated the 130 programs deemed as National Centers of Academic Excellence (CAE) by the National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland


Security designations, (DHS).


The online organization assessed the CAEs on three key elements: additional


focus


options and affordability. Norfolk State


University in has achieved


continuous recognition as a CAE since 2009 — first as a Center of Excellence


Academic Excellence


assurance and now as a Center for


information in


and internship opportunities for current students,” Hinds said. “Additionally graduates from CAEs will be recognized by employers as having been developed in a quality cybersecurity environment.” In addition to national designations, Norfolk State University’s master’s in cybersecurity many


degree more technical


provides elements


than other programs, Hinds said. Williams added that students use virtual machines to perform tasks they would in the professional world. That, combined with the program’s diversity, makes it one of the best in the nation, she said. “The program also welcomes those with nontechnical degrees who are willing to work hard and provide them with a skillset to compete in the cyber job market,” Williams said. “To date, we have had great success with our graduates securing professional positions.” This recognition is one of many that the program hopes to earn in the coming years as it continues to grow, work with local partners and provide competitive training to students.


Scholarship Watch


Volume 12 Number 7


April 2018


Teaching Our Youth the Code to Success


Brian Spear shows his son how to complete a level during the Hour of Code. Photo courtesy of Lincoln Military Housing


from 5:30 p.m.-6:30 p.m. at the Whitehurst


Norfolk, VA - On Mar. 13 Farm


Clubhouse,


Lincoln Military Housing began a year-long partnership with Norfolk Public Schools to bring a “Hour of Code” to military youth grades K-5. This night was the start of a series produced by Lincoln Military Housing and Norfolk Public Schools.


“Hour of Code” is a


phenomenon sweeping the globe with tens of millions of students participating in the program in over180 countries. During these nights of learning and fun, kids will work in parent-child teams to complete code.org puzzles and challenges


while learning concepts in coding.


College Ready Now Scholarship College Ready Now


This partnership is, in part, a result of a DoDEA grant aimed at


$5,000 Due: April 29, 2018


College Ready Now (CRN) identifies under-served high school seniors in low income communities who are in need of financial support to make their first year of college affordable. Once enrolled in college, CRN will continue to support scholarship recipients


core boosting children’s competency


in the increasingly popular field of coding while ensuring parents are given the appropriate tools to be able to continue to help their children with coding at home.


According to code.org,


there are currently 503,338 open computing jobs nationwide with computing jobs being the number one source of new wages in the United States. In addition to the influx of jobs, code.org also states that computer science is currently the second highest paid college degree. By bringing the “Hour of Code” to our military youth, Lincoln


Military Housing in


partnership with Norfolk Public Schools strives to bring a much needed skill set to Hampton Roads and place future generations on the path to success.


through a mentoring


program until college graduation. College Ready Now Inc. is offering a scholarship award to be given to one deserving high school senior from a charter school to help defray the high cost of post-secondary education. Criteria:


-Must have a minimum 2.3 GPA at the end of junior/term 1 senior year -Applicant must attend and be graduating from a Charter School -Applicant will be attending a 4-year private or public college degree program -Demonstrate financial need -Demonstrated commitment to community service -Quality of writing Applications must be submitted electronically via email. Contact Scholarship Director scholarships@collegereadynow.org


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