College of Southern Nevada recognized for cybersecurity education

A student walks by the Student Services building at the College of Southern Nevada in Las Vegas. (Las Vegas Review-Journal)

The College of Southern Nevada is the first school in the state to be recognized by two federal agencies for its work in cybersecurity education.

The Department of Homeland Security and the National Security Agency recently designated CSN as a National Center of Academic Excellence in cyber defense education.

“It means that we’re meeting the rigor that those organizations require of us,” said Arthur Salmon, cybersecurity program director for CSN. “That’s going to set our students apart from all the other students throughout the state.”

As part of the program, CSN will collaborate with other schools in the state by sharing curriculum and serving as a resource. Salmon said the college is working with Great Basin College in Elko and Truckee Meadows Community College in Reno.

“We get additional funding to help other schools,” he said. “We can help the schools around us bring their programs to a higher level as well.”

The college plans to expand course and degree offerings, while obtaining feedback from private and public industries.

“The need for trained individuals is so high that if we did not expand our program we would not be able to fill the need,” Salmon said.

Contact Natalie Bruzda at nbruzda@reviewjournal.com or 702-477-3897. Follow @NatalieBruzda on Twitter.