October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month, a perfect time to dedicate renovated space for students majoring in cybersecurity. Illinois State University President Terri Goss Kinzy welcomed guests to the Cybersecurity Open House on Monday, October 3, on the first floor of Julian Hall, where classes for the major are now centralized in a sparkling, new 25,000-square-foot home. The area, converted from a parking garage, includes three classrooms, two rooms for collaboration, a new conference room, restrooms, and a lobby.
In her remarks, Dr. Kinzy praised students, faculty, staff, and State Farm, the University’s corporate partner in the project, and noted the importance of producing qualified professionals to work in the field of cybersecurity.
“Our government recognizes what partners like State Farm see, that cybersecurity is an incredibly important and growing part of our strategic defense of this country whether it’s at the corporate level or at the level of the country itself,” Kinzy said. “We understand how important it is. We also know that Illinois State University students are really special students and amazing alums and that they’re the future leaders, and we want them to be the future leaders of how cybersecurity is addressed in this country and across the world.”
The event celebrated the culmination of a joint effort by Illinois State and State Farm that began in 2016 when the company pledged a $3 million gift to support the University’s cybersecurity education initiative. The gift provided not only for space renovation and for the enhancement of the learning environment and programs for cybersecurity students, it also endowed an inaugural chair position that will provide leadership for the major. The cybersecurity major is part of the School of Information Technology, where Dr. Traci Carte is director. She expressed her gratitude to State Farm and spoke of the possibilities for the future.
“State Farm’s gift gives us the ability to keep growing and evolving a good program into a great program, so that we are providing to the state of Illinois and to the region terrific future cybersecurity professionals,” Carte said.
Speaking on behalf of State Farm, Jesse Magenheimer, the company’s vice president and chief information security officer, congratulated the University and noted that helping educate cybersecurity professionals is an imperative, especially with society’s reliance on technology.
“We know far too well the threats that bad actors, hacking, and cybercrimes can pose to individuals, institutions, organizations, and governments,” Magenheimer said.
Magenheimer underscored the importance of producing more cybersecurity professionals, noting that the number of unfilled cybersecurity jobs worldwide grew by 350 percent between 2013 and 2021. He added that in the U.S. alone there were around 715,000 jobs open as of late last year.
“Thankfully, through the 400-plus students enrolled in the cybersecurity undergraduate major, Illinois State University is making a significant contribution to help meet enormous needs,” he said.
College of Applied Science and Technology Dean Dr. Todd McLoda said State Farm also provided insight into what the company looks for in cybersecurity graduates.
“It’s been a great relationship, and we’re delighted to have the space and delighted in the investment that State Farm made to make it possible,” McLoda said. “We built the major for about 125 students, and we more than tripled that number in very short order, and so we know that it’s getting a great response from students.”
McLoda said that when students come for campus visits, they see the space and are impressed.
“It’s a huge attraction,” he said. “They see the commitment the University has made in their future. I think they’re excited to come here and study.”
Kinzy described State Farm as an “incredibly important corporate partner to the University, especially in the area of cybersecurity.” She said the company’s generosity has allowed the cybersecurity major to flourish, adding her thanks for the confidence State Farm has in Illinois State.
“They believed in us,” she said of the partnership, adding that it goes beyond corporate funding. “The funds are great, but we also love having State Farm as our thought partners.”
