Longwood University has become the first institute in Virginia to be designated a National Center of Digital Forensics Academic Excellence (CDFAE) by the Defense Cyber Crime Center (DC3).
According to a News Release published on the Longwood University website, Longwood University is the first institute of higher education in Virginia and the third in the nation to receive this honor. Longwood is pursuing the advancement of their Cyber Security Center with avid enthusiasm.
The university is planning to add courses to provide more advanced training as well as a new major, Cyber Forensics, which is currently only offered as a minor.
Director of the Longwood Center for Cyber Security Dr. Glenn Dardick said, “We are hoping to implement that by next year.”
The university’s recognition as a CDFAE allows the school to provide students with knowledge in cyber forensics which Dardick says will, “allow them to pick up federal jobs fairly easily & fairly readily.” Students are also able to participate in internships with the Federal Government’s cyber forensics program.
As reported in the News Release printed on the Longwood University website, “The initial term of the CDFAE designation is three years.”
Cyber forensics is a constantly growing field which is becoming more and more relevant as technology advances. Dardick describes it as “a demand that has out stripped the supply.”
Digital forensics radically changes month by month as new technology is released or introduced to the world. The mission of Longwood’s Cyber Security Center is to “help increase the supply of potential employees,” according to Dardick.
The CDFAE was developed to establish standards for educators and researchers to advance the discipline of digital forensics and support the growing need for cyber security.
Being recognized means that an institution has demonstrated coursework which covers the learning objectives the Department of Defense sets forth.
Longwood University also has a well-equipped lab where students are able to become familiar with various types of forensic programs as well as security type applications.
Dardick believes that “the program we had in place is why we were recognized.”
Being recognized for digital forensics means that the school is able to provide these courses to the students and gives Longwood the visibility to bring in more students and increase enrollment in this program.
However, as much as it means to the institution, Dardick said that ultimately this, “means an awful lot to our students” from an internship and job opportunity standpoint.
