Backed by $45 million in state funding, Marshall University will soon be home to a new cybersecurity center. School administrators were joined by state officials and members of the public to break ground on the project Friday.
The new building on Marshall’s campus in Huntington will house its Institute for Cyber Security, as well as a new National Center of Excellence for Cyber Security in Critical Infrastructure.
Established in 2021, the Institute for Cyber Security conducts cybersecurity education and research, and aims to help students prepare for careers in the tech industry.
The National Center of Excellence for Cyber Security in Critical Infrastructure aims to train students to address emerging issues in the field including those that pertain to national security and infrastructure.
It was created in partnership with the United States Cyber Command, the Joint Force Headquarters Department of Defense Information Network and West Virginia University.
These programs “will bolster our cybersecurity workforce, both now and in the future, and will make West Virginia a hub for cybersecurity protection of our country’s most critical assets,” said Sen. Shelley Moore Capito, who delivered remarks during Friday’s ceremony.
Toney Stroud, vice president of strategic initiatives at Marshall, said the center serves an increasingly important function as cyber threats continue to emerge nationwide.
“Not only will this lay the ground to start protecting and assist protecting the national critical infrastructure of our country, but will help with the emerging threats that come our way,” he said.