White House report recognizes UTC’s role in cyber workforce training

Dr. Mengjun Xie is a UC Foundation professor of computer science and director of the InfoSec Center. Photo by Angela Foster.

In a report issued by the White House on Tuesday, June 25, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is recognized for its contributions to the U.S. National Cybersecurity Strategy launched in March 2023.

The “Report on the Initial Stages of the National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy Implementation” is a status update on a federally-driven, nationwide approach to position “the United States and its allies and partners to build a digital ecosystem that is more defensible, more resilient, and better aligned with our values.”

The report cited UTC for achieving National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity designation with its “Collaborative Research: CyberCorps Scholarship for Service: Strengthening the National Cybersecurity Workforce With Integrated Learning of AI/ML and Cybersecurity.”

Further, UTC is noted for being among 104 American universities with National Science Foundation “Scholarship for Service” programs of this type, launched at UTC in 2017 with funding of $1.5 million from NSF’s CyberCorps Scholarship for Service initiative. In 2023, the University won renewed NSF funding for that initiative of more than $2.2 million over five years.

Dr. Mengjun Xie

Dr. Mengjun Xie, a UC Foundation professor of computer science, oversees the UTC program.

“UTC stands as a premier leader in cybersecurity education and workforce development in the southeastern region,” Xie said. “With the prestigious designation as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity and the NSF CyberCorps Scholarship for Service award, we demonstrate our commitment to excellence and our proactive approach to addressing the national challenge of workforce development in cybersecurity.”

After graduation, former recipients of scholarships through the program are required to work “in the cybersecurity mission of a federal, state, local or tribal government organization” or other designated entities for a period equal to the length of the scholarship, according to NSF. UTC program alums have gone on to careers with TVA and Oak Ridge National Laboratory, among other federal agencies.

The National Cyber Workforce and Education Strategy is overseen by the White House Office of the National Cyber Director and “charts a course for fostering White House–level coordination to meet cyber workforce demand. It fulfills the need to create a skills-based digital future in which workers have access to good-paying, meaningful jobs in cyber within their communities,” the report notes. The effort is in response to cyber worker demand that exceeds the capacity of workforce development and training.