Contact: Jack Bailey (304) 766-4109
INSTITUTE, W.Va. — September 21, 2022 – During the convened by the U.S. Department of Education and the White House, West Virginia State University (WVSU) announced a collaboration with IBM to help establish a virtual WVSU Cybersecurity Leadership Center.
WVSU is one of 20 schools to create Cybersecurity Leadership Centers.
With unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the U.S., the need for expertise is critical: According to a recent IBM Security study*, insufficiently staffed organizations average $550,000 more in breach costs than those that state they are sufficiently staffed.
“The need for highly trained workers in the cybersecurity field has never been more clear, and this partnership with IBM will help ensure that West Virginia State University will be at the forefront of addressing this critical need both in West Virginia and throughout the nation,” said WVSU President Ericke S. Cage. “We are grateful to IBM for their commitment to WVSU and for the opportunities it will create for our students, faculty and staff.” Through IBM’s collaboration, faculty and students at participating schools will have access to coursework, lectures, immersive training experiences, certifications, IBM cloudhosted software, and professional development resources, all at no cost to them.
This includes access to: “Collaborations between academia and the private sector can help students prepare for success. That’s especially true for HBCUs because their mission is so vital,” said Justina Nixon-Saintil, Vice President, IBM Corporate Social Responsibility and ESG. “The Cybersecurity Leadership Centers we’re co-creating with Historically Black College and Universities epitomize our commitment to the Black community and STEM education; it also builds on our to train 150,000 people in cybersecurity over three years.”
Follow on Facebook, Instagram , and Twitter . * Conducted by Ponemon Institute and sponsored and analyzed by IBM