Page 7 - 2019 President's Annual Report
P. 7
First Day of Service Top-level Engagement
Giving Knights a chance to give back to our communities IT graduate program named designated program
of National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense
In December, Middle Georgia State students, faculty, and staff came
together at sites throughout the region for the University’s first Day of Demonstrating our connection with not just local
Service. In Cochran, they visited patients at Bryant Nursing Home. In leaders in business and government but also with
Dublin, they wrapped Christmas gifts for foster children. A church in global thought leaders in an area with immense
Eastman got some help with yard work, cleaning, and organizing. importance and potential, we were proud to
Students and staff scrubbed showers and cleaned baseboards for announce in April that Middle Georgia State
Loaves and Fishes in Macon, an organization that helps the homeless. In University’s Master’s Degree in Information
Warner Robins, students assembled gift bags for clients served by Technology was named a designated program of the
Compassionate Care Hospice. National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber
Defense (CAE-CDE) by the National Security Agency
“It was time for us, as a University, to do this and make it a tradition,” and the Department of Homeland Security.
said Dr. Jennifer Brannon, Vice President for Student Affairs. “It’s The designation specifically applies to the
important that while we live, work, and study in our communities, we not cybersecurity and forensics concentration of the
stay in our bubbles but get out there and meet people and serve others.” master’s program. In 2016, the cybersecurity
concentration of the University’s Bachelor’s Degree in
In total, 18 agencies asked to partner IT earned the same designation.
with MGA for the Day of Service. “This is a great honor for the Department of Information Technology
and a testament to the strength of our degree programs,” said Dr. Alex
Rojean Sanders, right, at a Macon work site Although the 2018 Day of Service took Koohang, Dean of the School of Computing. “We invest a lot of
place late in the fall semester, right resources into making sure the cybersecurity and forensics
before exam week, students who concentrations reflect the frequent changes and advancements in the
participated were glad they did. For field.”
her Day of Service activities, Rojean Universities are designated based on their robust degree programs and
Sanders, a junior majoring in nursing, close alignment to specific cybersecurity-related knowledge units,
helped pick up litter in Macon’s validated by subject matter experts in the field. CAE-CDE graduates
Pleasant Hill area and put gift bags help protect national security information systems, commercial
together for patients served by networks, and critical information infrastructure in the private and public
Compassionate Care Hospice in Warner sectors. Students who complete these degree programs will have the
Robins. Working in Pleasant Hill was designation reflected on their academic transcript and also will be
especially meaningful for Sanders eligible to apply for scholarships and grants through the U.S.
because she grew up there. Department of Defense and the Federal Cyber Service.
Day of Service “helped me to understand my ‘whys,’” Sanders said.
“Why I’m in school. Why I wake up. Why I work hard. Why I care for
others. Why I love serving others.”
Day of Service
