Congratulations Casey W. O'Brien!
Casey W. O'Brien, Executive Director and Principal Investigator of National CyberWatch Center, was selected as SynED's national December Cyber Hero for expanding access to cybersecurity education nationwide! SynEd is a national non-profit organization that identifies emerging best practices for effective articulation between employers, job seekers, and education providers. Congratulations to Casey on this well-deserved award!
Read SynED's full announcement HERE.
Cybersecurity Skills Journal: Practice and Research
NICE Framework Special Issue: Investigating Framework Adoption, Adaptation, or Extension
This special issue of the Cybersecurity Skills Journal examines the usefulness, benefits, and challenges associated with the adoption, adaptation, or extension of the NICE Framework in cybersecurity practice, to improve learning, and advance the state of cybersecurity capability maturity.
View the full resource HERE.
Four New Year Hacks for Your Cybersecurity Classroom
While it’s easy to get swept up in the madness these past 9 months have thrown our way, we are excited for the breath of fresh air the New Year shall bring. We are sharing four classroom hacks from fellow 2020 Innovations in Cybersecurity Education winners to help build your cybersecurity teaching arsenal and prepare for the 2021 semester!
Read these innovative blogs HERE.
Call for Submissions
With the sudden and universal transition to e-learning, cybersecurity educators have had to adapt and change the way they teach and engage their students. The innovations you’ve brought into your classroom that make your course effective and engaging during this unprecedented time should be celebrated, and shared with a broader audience! This year's Innovation in Cybersecurity Education submissions will explore the following: How can we best contribute to the needs and transformations that might occur for remote/online instruction in the COVID-19 world?
For more on the 2021 Innovations program, including how to submit, see HERE.
Benefits Abound With Free Membership to the National CyberWatch Center
Not an academic member of National CyberWatch? Benefits include access to a network of over 900 faculty; the ability to promote events to a national database of more than 10,000 contacts; and exclusive access to publications, events, and curriculum. Join today!
Learn more HERE.
Pathway to Advancement in Cybersecurity Education Webcast
Join National Cybersecurity Student Association and Cypress College on January 13 at 8 pm ET as they discuss Cypress College's Pathway to Advancement in Cybersecurity Education (PACE) program. Learn about the various program opportunities, certificate pathways and technological platforms they utilize. After the webcast, there will be a live Q&A with the hosts from Cypress College.
Register HERE.
Promote Your Online Academic Program
There is a growing number of academic institutions that are experiencing a substantial decline in student enrollment. According to a November 2020 National Student Clearinghouse Research Center survey, there has been a 16.1% drop in freshman enrollment. “Community colleges are showing the steepest decline (-18.9%), almost 19 times the pre-pandemic loss rate, followed by public four-year colleges (-10.5%) and private non-profit four-year institutions (-8.5%)." Academic institutions must find new and creative methods to attract and grow their student enrollment beyond pre-pandemic numbers.
Promote your academic program with the nation’s largest cybersecurity student association! Host an interactive, recorded informational webcast about your program(s) with our student audience. Craft targeted, personalized emails and posts via our social media channels. Advertise your program(s) on our website and much more. Partner with us today!

For more information contact Gus Hinojosa Jr. at ghinojosa@nationalcyberwatch.org.
WiCyS 2021 Call for Participation
Ready to share knowledge and experience with students, educators, researchers and professionals at the next WiCyS Conference in 2021 in AURORA, CO on September 8-10? The four tracks this year are Today's Technology and Challenges, Looking Ahead, Best Practices, and Career Development. The conference itself offers technical workshops, student poster competitions, panel discussions and lightning talks, among a bevy of other opportunities. Deadline to submit is March 1.
Learn more and submit HERE.
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