MICUA

MICUA Matters

Spring 2011

Situated in Laurel, Md., midway between Baltimore and Washington, DC, Capitol College is positioned perfectly to serve multiple communities and organizations. With a close proximity to Ft. Meade, NSA, NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, and the future homes of the Defense Information Systems Agency and US Cyber Command (CYBERCOM), Capitol students, alumni, and faculty thrive in the immediate community. Capitol also works closely with the city of Laurel, Prince George’s County, various other Maryland counties, and the State of Maryland.

Nearly 1,110 students come to Capitol College (physically or virtually) each year and are provided a dynamic, practical, and career-minded education. As the only independent institution in the state focusing exclusively on engineering, information technology, computer sciences, and business, Capitol offers associate through doctoral degrees, and training for professional certifications.

Community matters at Capitol. Just as we educate future leaders to protect and serve their local communities and organizations, we continually reach out to educational partners in Maryland to further the interest, education, and success of young students in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields. Through the College Preparation and Intervention Program, the Capitol Scholars program, our Space Science Education and Public Outreach Center, Space Operations Institute, and the Innovation and Leadership Institute, we are constantly engaging the youth of the surrounding communities and fostering their academic growth.

We are also proud to offer our 300-seat auditorium, classrooms, laboratories, residence halls, and campus grounds to community groups on a regular basis. FIRST Robotics holds its annual Chesapeake Region Kickoff Event at Capitol, and the Prince George’s County Public School system holds in-service training days on our campus. Even the U.S. Secret Service uses our buildings for training in executive protection! The diverse and dynamic groups visiting and engaging with our faculty, students, and campus keep Capitol life lively and vibrant, and reinforce our stance on community outreach.

What good is having an expertise if you don’t share it? One of the ways we share our strengths with the community is through our Cyber Battle Lab (CBL). With six National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education in our State (as designated by the NSA and DHS), and many corporations working in the cyber arena, the CBL is now a community-wide service.

Confidential, sensitive, and personal data maintained in information systems are constantly under attack from cyber terrorists searching for government, business, and critical infrastructure intelligence. Skilled professionals in information assurance are essential for mitigating these cyber risks and are highly sought after in today’s workforce.

In March 2010, the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education was released by the Obama Administration to raise public awareness and enhance cybersecurity education in academia.

Capitol College has been answering the cybersecurity call for almost a decade. In August 2001, Capitol College anticipated these workforce needs and pledged its resources to educate future information assurance leaders by offering the nation’s first full degree program in network security. In 2010 the college launched its first doctoral program, the Doctor of Science in Information Assurance.

Part of the Capitol College mission is to prepare students to thrive in a changing world. Thriving means understanding and influencing that changing world through participation in its communities. Just as the College serves our communities, we expect our graduates will do the same, and more.