MARCH 3, 2023 — The White House Office of the National Cybersecurity Director (ONCD) has partnered with UTSA to accelerate workforce initiatives prioritized by the office. As part of this effort, UTSA recently hosted the Academia Involvement in Community Cybersecurity Conference at the university’s new San Pedro I building in downtown San Antonio.
The goal of the conference was to help institutions of higher education (IHE) and school districts understand how they can impact the nation’s cybersecurity posture and workforce. More than 200 members of government, academia and industries attended the conference.
“Creating the future that we seek — one in which Americans are enriched, empowered and enlivened by connectivity instead of burdened by it — will require contributions by key stakeholders across the public and private sectors. With this in mind, I’m delighted to see that UTSA is hosting an event on the role that academic institutions can play impacting cybersecurity posture and workforce needs,” said Seeyew Mo, assistant national cyber director for ONCD Training and Education.
Conference attendees examined how academia can have a significant impact in their communities and learned how to create a culture of cybersecurity throughout their community. This included all sectors: government, industry, critical infrastructure, academia, non-profit organizations and citizens of all ages.
The UTSA Center for Infrastructure Assurance and Security (CIAS), which co-hosted the conference, takes a grassroots-level approach to cybersecurity programs that can advance community and organizational cybersecurity capabilities and collaboration.
“The CIAS has been advocating for whole-community cybersecurity programs for 20 years,” said Gregory White, the center’s director. “We’ve seen first-hand how academic institutions, whether at the high school or collegiate level, are key components to effective cybersecurity programs. Schools are pivotal in developing both a pipeline for cybersecurity professionals and establishing cyber hygiene for students and their families.”
The cybersecurity talent gap continues to be a topic of discussion nationwide. According to cyberseek.org, the United States currently has a workforce shortage of 755,743 cybersecurity professionals.
During the conference, IHEs and school districts from across the nation discussed workforce and cybersecurity initiatives that have positively impacted their communities and shared insights into resources available to academia.
“These collaborations are key to filling cybersecurity jobs and building an economy of resilience from the bottom up and the middle out. I hope that the event motivates leaders from across academia, industry and the public sector to further support or to become cybersecurity champions in their communities,” said Mo.
“We hope the ideas presented will spread across the nation through the NSA/DHS Centers of Academic Excellence network and that new ideas will be spawned,” added White. “Ultimately, this will increase community cybersecurity, which will improve overall security nationwide.”
In addition to Mo and White, conference speakers included DHS/CISA Assistant Director for Stakeholder Engagement Alaina Clark, DHS/CISA Texas State Cybersecurity Coordinator Ernesto Ballesteros, Women in Cybersecurity Executive Director Lynn Dohm, Ron and Cyndi Gula from the Gula Tech Foundation, and the Lead for Academic Engagement for the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education at the National Institute of Standards and Technology Davina Pruitt-Mentle, among others.
The conference, which was co-hosted by the CIAS and the UTSA Cyber Center for Security and Analytics, is also supported by the university’s National Cybersecurity Collaboration Center.
UTSA has long been recognized as a leader in cybersecurity. It is one of just a few universities in the nation—and the only Hispanic Serving Institution—to hold three National Center of Excellence designations from the National Security Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. It is also home to the only School of Data Science in the state of Texas.
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Come meet student organizations and learn about different volunteering opportunities at the Spring 2025 Get Involved Fair.
HSU Ballroom (HSU 1.104-1.106,) Main CampusGet Involved Fair is an opportunity for currently active student organizations to connect with the UTSA community. These organizations are able to communicate who they are and what they do to individuals seeking opportunities to get more involved with the university and their peers.
Assembly Room (1.338), Buena Vista Street Building, Downtown CampusThe Whataburger Resource Room at the Roadrunner Pantry has joined efforts with the campus community to put together the Move In Market! Come shop for some great items for your dorm room or apartment to get you started and set up for success.
H-E-B Student Union Ballroom (HSU 1.104-1.106,) Main CampusA Linguistics Time Capsule that was buried in 2000 will be opened and shared. It contains the predictions of UTSA linguistics students as to how the language would change by January, 2025. Students and faculty who contributed will be invited to the opening to participate in sharing their predictions and discussing how accurate some predictions were.
Denman Room (SU 2.01.28,) Main CampusHave you ever received an email invitation to publish in a journal you have never heard of with promises of lightning-fast peer-review and publication times? If so, you’ve probably heard of predatory publishing. During this workshop, participants will discuss this pervasive problem in academic publishing and how to spot the red flags through real-life examples.
Virtual (Zoom)Upon completion of this workshop, attendees will be able to: explain the history of Creative Commons, summarize the role of copyright law in the creation of Creative Commons, differentiate between different CC icons, identify the different layers and elements of CC licenses and tools, and list factors to consider when choosing a license for your project.
Virtual (Zoom)Join us for Coffee with Vets, a casual social event where veterans can come together, connect, and share camaraderie over a cup of coffee. This is a perfect opportunity to unwind, meet fellow veterans, and build community in a welcoming and relaxed environment.
Veteran Lounge (JPL 4.03.04,) John Peace Library, Main CampusThe University of Texas at San Antonio is dedicated to the advancement of knowledge through research and discovery, teaching and learning, community engagement and public service. As an institution of access and excellence, UTSA embraces multicultural traditions and serves as a center for intellectual and creative resources as well as a catalyst for socioeconomic development and the commercialization of intellectual property - for Texas, the nation and the world.
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UTSA is a proud Hispanic Serving Institution (HSI) as designated by the U.S. Department of Education .
The University of Texas at San Antonio, a Hispanic Serving Institution situated in a global city that has been a crossroads of peoples and cultures for centuries, values diversity and inclusion in all aspects of university life. As an institution expressly founded to advance the education of Mexican Americans and other underserved communities, our university is committed to promoting access for all. UTSA, a premier public research university, fosters academic excellence through a community of dialogue, discovery and innovation that embraces the uniqueness of each voice.
