- In less than a decade, Utah Valley University's Center for National Security Studies has become one of the nation's most respected training centers for cybersecurity professionals.
- Cybersecurity threats are being felt by governments, large corporations, universities and even small businesses.
- Curriculum at UVU's Center for National Security Studies develops in real-time to meet evolving security risks.
Hollywood has conjured plenty of myths about the battles waged between cyber crooks and cyber heroes.
The hacker/bad guys are typically lone wolves in hoodies spreading global high-tech mayhem from basements and shadowy warehouses.
And the good guys are usually toiling in clandestine government agency buildings — pounding away on keyboards while dispatching top-secret data to tuxedoed field agents driving Aston Martins and playing baccarat in exotic lands.
In reality, “black-hat” hackers come from all walks of life. They live in all areas of the world and often work for legitimate companies. For cyber criminals, “blending” is a prized skill. That middle-aged woman in the pea coat sitting across from you on the train is likely not a hacker.
But she could be.
Meanwhile, cyber security specialists — the guys and gals in the “white hats” — look pretty much like the faculty and students at Utah Valley University’s Center for National Security Studies.
They’re your Utah neighbors, friends and classmates.
“They are very average, everyday people who have dedicated their lives to address national security issues — and they very rarely see the limelight,” said Brandon Amacher, a cybersecurity professional and instructor at the center.
Established in 2016, the Center for National Security Studies has grown to approximately 400 students, offering UVU students hands-on technical training in subjects such as national security, intelligence and emerging platforms such as AI.
But the center’s instruction stretches beyond information technology. Degree-seeking students are also educated in cyberethics, history, civil liberties and international law. They’re also discovering teamwork’s essential role in almost all aspects of national security.
Despite being relatively new, UVU’s Center for National Security Studies has become one of the country’s premier national security programs — vaulting graduates into a wide range into high-demand security careers in the public and private sectors and academia.
All are at risk for cyber mischief
Today, highly-trained, ethical cybersecurity professionals are in greater demand than ever before, said Ryan Vogel, who directs UVU’s Center for National Security Studies.
In the past, a cyberthreat from, say, Iran was typically a federal government concern.
“But in today’s world, a small business could be hit with an Iranian cybertool,” said Vogel. “Those threats are everywhere. It’s non-state actors. It’s terrorist groups. It’s organized crime groups. It’s rogue actors like Russia, Iran or Venezuela.”
The “good guys”, he added, are vital in anticipating, identifying and ultimately combating the daily cyber threats to individuals, businesses, governments and the international community.
Vogel and his fellow security educators say UVU is already an industry-recognized training ground for women and men eager to fight cyber roguery. “We’re trying to be a talent pipeline to all areas in need of security professionals.”
The state’s largest university, UVU offers bachelor’s degrees and a minor in NSS, along with a certificate of proficiency for college graduates looking to enter security careers.
The university’s national security education program is grounded in practical learning, said Vogel. “We allow our students to do actual work in the classroom.”
Meanwhile, all of the program’s faculty and staff are security practitioners or former practitioners.
Vogel, for example, established his security bona fides at the U.S. Defense Department. The program’s emerging tech policy lab director, Amacher, is a cybersecurity professional, while Open Source Intelligence Center program director Mary Kent is a U.S. Army veteran and an analyst who works with Utah law enforcement agencies.
“We bring that (experience) into the classroom, allowing our students to do briefings, professional writing and assisting on actual cases,” added Vogel. “It’s hands-on learning … which leads to industry-ready professionals.”
Given cybersecurity’s ever-changing profile, the center’s curriculum is always being updated in real-time. There are no 20-year-old national security textbooks on the shelves.
Vogel noted that if an instructor is teaching, say, national security during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, or the law of war during the ongoing Israel/Palestinian conflict, “you have to shift because you have to take advantage of things that are happening to point out how systems, processes and actors are all working together.”
Such experiential learning draws job recruiters from both traditional government agencies such as the CIA or FBI, along with private security firms, such as Utah’s Strider Technologies, who recently announced a scholarship program for UVU and Utah State’s Center for Anticipatory Intelligence.
UVU’s national security studies grads, said Vogel, “understand how to work in a professional environment and how to brief from day one.”
No surprise, the Center for National Security Studies is drawing students to Orem from far outside the Beehive State. That interest “is a recognition that no one is doing what we’re doing,” said Vogel, pointing to the hands-on learning programs offered at UVU.
The center’s mission to partner students with private and public institutions prior to graduation is harmonious with Utah lawmakers’ push for better industry-job-alignment from the state’s colleges and universities.
“If the Legislature is looking for examples of higher ed doing what (they envision), they could look at our program,” said Vogel, adding the center’s graduates “are critical to all of the other industries in play in our state.”
‘I knew this was where I was supposed to be’
The Deseret News spoke with a collection of UVU students and faculty members at the school’s Center for National Security Studies to discuss the program’s charge to produce dynamic security specialists in today’s global security ecosystem.
North Carolina native Hope Fager enrolled in UVU to be closer to extended family — “but as soon as I found the center, I knew this was where I was supposed to be.”
Fager’s interest in a cybersecurity career is driven by patriotism and her affinity for computers. “This was a perfect mesh between all of the things that I love,” she said.
Fager’s classmate, Camden Mead, said he was drawn to the program because of its pragmatic curriculum. “You can find international relations or political science majors at almost any university around the country, but what makes this program different is that we take a practical approach to talking about these issues.”
Mead added that the “soft skills” he’s learning at the center, such as briefing, will serve him well in the national security industry. “We’re also really good at teaching intel analysis — just being able to process information.”
Amacher noted that the industry experience that teachers bring to the center is invaluable. “We already know where the forefront of (security fields) are, so we monitor all of them independently and bring that to the classroom.”
Amacher stays connected with his industry sources to stay up on trends and issues to keep instruction timely and relevant.
Students at the center share their instructors’ passion for national security, added Kent. “We’re very invested in what we do and improving the lives of our students, the lives of our citizens and protecting the nation.”
Understanding and operating within ethical industry boundaries remains a guiding element of the center’s student-development mission, she added.
The center’s day-to-day challenge is to mold national security students into national security practitioners, said assistant director John McClure.
“We prepare students to be masters of their craft upon graduation — so when they enter the workforce or go on to advanced education, they’re ready. They have the skill sets they need.”
The center’s growing alumni community, added student Ian McDonald, offers essential networking and mentoring opportunities. “I still keep in touch with people who are UVU alumni who are helping to prepare us to become young professionals.”
Student Henry Wolthuis said learning from active industry experts is already proving invaluable to his own career development.
Last year, Wolthius interned at the Idaho governor’s office, corresponding with the governor’s constituents and writing memos and briefs. His seasoned writing and briefing skills caught the attention of the governor.
“I was prepared for those assignments because in this UVU program I’m often asked to take specific data and make policy recommendations; and we also practice briefing and writing memos and making presentations,” he said.