Danville Community College earns a national designation for training students in cyber defense

Published January 26, 2017 by Veronica Garabelli

Danville Community College (DCC) announced Thursday that it has been designated a National Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security.

The designation recognizes schools that excel in training students to become leaders in cyber defense. The honor has only been given to a small number of schools nationwide, including three other community colleges in Virginia. DCC offers cybersecurity certificates and an associate’s degree in Information Systems Technology with a cybersecurity focus.

In order to be certified a National Center of Excellence in Cyber Defense, schools must demonstrate significant contributions in the areas of cybersecurity education, outreach and knowledge.

“This prestigious designation is not only good news for DCC, it is good news for the Commonwealth,” Gov. Terry McAuliffe said in a statement. “There are currently 36,000 open cyber-security jobs in Virginia, so we need young people throughout the Commonwealth to pursue cyber security training.”