The mission of the Assumption University Center for Cybersecurity (AUCC) is to promote, coordinate, and implement education, research and innovation in Cyber Defense Education (CDE).
Participation in AUCC educational endeavors is open to faculty, students, cybersecurity scholars, and students from diverse disciplines and underrepresented populations. A specific goal of AUCC is to involve undergraduate students in Cyber Defense Education enrichment in all its forms.
The AUCC engages an Advisory Council whose membership represents major private and public Cybersecurity industry representatives. Many of the council members are Assumption University alumni with significant relevant experience. All contribute to the ongoing advancement of the AUCC and to the fulfillment of its mission.
Advisory Council Members:
Ken Corriveau, EVP, Chief Information Officer, Omnicom Media Group
Richard DesLauriers, Vice President of Corporate Security, Penske Corporation
Peter Foster, Chairman, Willis Towers Watson Global FINEX Cyber and Cyber Risk Solutions
Harold Naughton, Managing Partner of the PFAS Cost Recovery Program
William O’Neill, General Counsel and Member at McDonald Hopkins LLC
James Trainor, Senior Vice President within Aon’s Cyber Solutions Group, AON Corporation
Larry Wentzell, Colonel, USMC, Commander, Joint Intelligence Operations Center U.S. Cyber Command
Increase minority participation in CDE related careers.
Support university initiatives and projects related to CDE and Cybersecurity.
Establish a program of research in Cybersecurity.
Serve as a local, regional, and national resource for CDE resources.
Earn a BS in Cybersecurity
In addition to its Center for Cybersecurity, Assumption University offers a Bachelor of Science in Cybersecurity. The program is educating the next generation of leaders and architects in cybersecurity, who possess technical expertise and practical training to help secure, develop, and sustain the cyberspace ecosystem.
Assumption University has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense through the academic year 2028.
Assumption University has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. This designation is awarded by the National Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program – which is managed by the National Security Agency (NSA) – and it means the University’s cybersecurity curricula and its B.S. in Cybersecurity degree meets or exceeds the established standards in articulating cybersecurity education. In addition, the liberal-arts foundation of the program directly aligns with and supports the following NCAE-C program core values and guiding principles:
The Ethical Behavior Core Value: The academic institution must encourage and support ethical behavior by students, faculty, administrators, and professional staff.
The Share Core Value: The institution enables an environment in which students, faculty, administrators, professional staff, and practitioners can share, interact, and collaborate with others in the cybersecurity field.
The Lead by Example Core Value: The institution demonstrates a commitment to address, engage, and respond to current and emerging cybersecurity issues in the classroom, the institution itself, and outside the institution.
Cybersecurity Forum 2023 Speaker Series
The most recent recordings of the Cybersecurity Forums can be watched below.
Presentation 3: Zach Dayton (Manager, Incident Response Services, Rapid7) and T.J. Nel (Director, Threat Research, Secureworks) engaged the audience in conversation about “Digital Forensics & Incident Response (DFIR)”.
October 2022 (Cybersecurity Month)
With Cybersecurity month underway, the theme for this forum series was titled: “Seeing yourself in Cyber”.
American Academy of Forensic Sciences: A professional organization that provides leadership to advance science and its application to the legal system.
CAE Community: A portal for recognized Centers of Academic Excellence in Cyberseccurity.
California Cyber Hub: A catalog of active and past cyber training and competition opportunities.
Check Point Software: Leading cyber security products for mobile security, data centers, and next generation threat prevention.
FBI Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3): Provide the public with a reliable and convenient reporting mechanism to submit information to the Federal Bureau of Investigation concerning suspected Internet-facilitated criminal activity and to develop effective alliances with law enforcement and industry partners.
National Security Agency/Central Security Services (NSA/CSS): Leads the U.S. Government in cryptology that encompasses cybersecurity products and services in order to gain a decision advantage for the Nation and our allies under all circumstances.
National Cyber Watch Center: A consortium of higher education institutions, businesses, and government agencies focused on collaborative efforts to advance Information Security education and strengthen the national cybersecurity workforce.
The CERT Division: Anticipating and Solving the Nation’s Cybersecurity Challenges.
Cyber Careers Heat Map: Provides a granular snapshot of demand and supply data for cybersecurity jobs.
CyberCareers.Gov: Supports identification of existing and forward-leaning strategies that help the Federal Government build a cybersecurity workforce pipeline; and recruit, hire, develop, and retain top talent.
Federal Government Cyber Workforce Dashboard: The purpose of the dashboard is “to inform cyber workforce planning efforts and support agencies in data-driven decision making on current and future cyber workforce requirements.”
National Cyber Watch: Creating a culture of collaboration through coordination of a broad national network of networks.
Security News Port: Gathers the latest news on security, viruses, Trojans, hackers, hackings and other things of interest to security professionals.
Security Weekly: A podcast for IT professionals by IT professionals. The site hosts several different shows and hundreds of bonus articles available to read at your leisure.
IT Security Portal: Highlights the latest IT, computer and network security articles and news.
Security Focus: A comprehensive source of security information on the Internet.
The Hacker News: Features latest cyber security news and in-depth coverage of current as well as future trends in Infosec and how they are shaping the cyber world.
Professor Raymond T. Albert is Director of Cybersecurity Program and Professor of Practice at Assumption University and has formerly served as Director of the Maine Cyber Security Cluster (MCSC) at the University of Southern Maine (USM). Ray previously served as Chair of the Division of Natural and Behavioral Sciences at the University of Maine at Fort Kent (UMFK) during which time he orchestrated the effort to achieve program accreditation under the auspices of the International Assembly for Collegiate Business Education (IACBE). While at UMFK, he also successfully orchestrated and led a multi-campus initiative to attain National Security Agency (NSA)/Department of Homeland Security (DHS) recognition of the distributed University of Maine System (UMS) Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance and Cyber Defense Education. He now serves as a program reviewer for other institutions seeking recognition. Ray has also served the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) Commission on Institutions of Higher Education (CIHE) as an on-site evaluator for higher education institutions in New England. In 2007, both chambers of the Maine State Legislature passed a legislative sentiment recognizing his work in higher education in the St. John Valley. The proclamation was sponsored, and later presented to Albert, by Fort Kent area Representative Troy Jackson and Senator John Martin. Ray’s industry experience includes serving NASA – Johnson Space Center as a Software Quality Assurance Engineer on its Space Station Freedom Project, Macro Development Corporation as a software developer, and QualityQuest, LLC as a CEO.
Raymond Albert, Director of Cybersecurity Program and Professor of Practice
Assumption University, in support of Cybersecurity Awareness Month (CSAM) and its STOP, THINK, CONNECT campaign, has joined the MassCyberCenter, and many other organizations in celebrating October as Cybersecurity Awareness Month. This year’s overarching theme is “See Yourself in Cyber.” Many opportunities and resources are available under “Resources” above and at the following links. Join in the celebration and help raise cybersecurity for all.
All students are encouraged to participate in the “Quad Cyber Challenge”, by completing the “Cyber Challenge Checklist” and watching the “How Not to Get Hacked” video series. This will be taking place on April 10-14, 2023,
The Quad Cyber Challenge is “… a call to action for every internet user to learn more about cybersecurity and protect themselves, their devices, or their customers from the growing threats of online attacks. Everybody knows the risks of being hacked, but few know all the simple steps they can take to prevent being hacked. That’s why we [Quad Partners] want millions of people around the world to learn more by taking the challenge and committing to safe and secure online practices.”
Assumption University Cybersecurity Program Validated by U.S. National Security Agency
The “Program of Study” validation, awarded by the National Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program – which is managed by the NSA – means the University’s cybersecurity curricula and its B.S. in Cybersecurity degree meets or exceeds NSA standards in articulating cybersecurity education. As a result, Assumption University is on path to becoming only the third NSA-recognized Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD) in Massachusetts.