Dakota State Uni and Army Cyber sign partnership agreement
Dakota State University (DSU) and Army Cyber (ARCYBER) have signed an Educational Partnership Agreement at a special ceremony with DSU President José-Marie Griffiths and Lt. Gen Maria Barrett, Commanding General of the US Army Cyber Command.
The agreement will promote joint research, collaboration, educational programmes, and professional projects for both parties by forging a cooperative relationship to further the educational, research, and service missions. This is the first partnership of its kind for ARCYBER because it encompasses all five of its mission objectives, to operate, defend, attack, influence, and inform.
Lt. Gen Maria Barrett, Commanding General of the U.S. Army Cyber Command, says: "We are proud and excited to broaden our relationship with Dakota State University.
"DSU's students and faculty have proven to be innovative, skilled, and forward-thinking, just the kind of talented, focused, and driven young minds our nation needs in its cyber workforce to counter our cyber adversaries and defend the networks and critical infrastructure that are vital to our nation."
Five-year relationship to help build cyber career paths
As this relationship progresses throughout the five-year agreement, DSU and ArmyCyber will develop a deeper understanding of each other's needs and capabilities, said DSU President José-Marie Griffiths. Through this awareness, students will be able to see cyber career paths they may not be aware of, such as civilian roles available with the military. They may also be on the front lines with jobs that haven't been created yet.
"Dakota State is leading the new security frontier, which is cyber, and this agreement will provide us with distinctive opportunities to contribute to our nation's security while providing cutting-edge workforce experience for our students," she stated.
South Dakota Governor Kristi Noem said: "This Educational Partnership Agreement is yet another opportunity to raise the bar. It's raising the bar for universities across the country who are getting involved in the cybersecurity field. But it is also raising the bar for our students, and for students all over the country. DSU is giving students the kind of career opportunities that they can't get anywhere else."
Majoring in cybersecurity and AI
U.S. Senator Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), ranking member of the Senate Armed Services Subcommittee on Cybersecurity and co-chair of the Senate Artificial Intelligence Caucus says: "Dakota State University is a nationally recognised leader in the field of cybersecurity and artificial intelligence.
"While today is a great day for DSU and our nation, it has been long in the making. I appreciate the work of Dr. Michael Sulmeyer, the Army's Principal Cyber Advisor, whose visit to DSU at my request helped pave the way for the signing of this agreement," he stated.
Founded in 1881, DSU offers undergraduate, master's, and doctoral programmes through its colleges of arts and sciences, business and information systems, computer and cyber sciences, and education. DSU has a special focus on the development, application, implications, and impacts of computing, information technologies and cybersecurity in all areas of human endeavour.
