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June 22, 2009, 03:07 PM ET
As White House Presses Fight Against Computer Crime, Community Colleges Mobilize 'Cybergrunts' for Front Lines
Arnold, Md. — If you work at a community college that teaches cybersecurity, it pays to be located in the backyard of a spy agency. Just don’t ask Kelly A. Koermer what’s inside those dark towers at Fort Meade.
“Not sure,” laughs the Anne Arundel Community College administrator as she drives past the National Security Agency’s headquarters at the Maryland base.
She points out other highlights of the restricted region: an employees-only exit off the highway, a sign that warns of military dogs, a large ball-shaped device that she figures is for radar signals. And another area that “must be really important, judging by the barbed wire,” says Ms. Koermer, director of computer technologies at the college.
Community colleges like Anne Arundel want to train people to reach the other side of that fence — legitimately, as workers. With Barack Obama stressing the importance of such colleges and a new White House cybersecurity push that points to a need for work-force training, some experts foresee an increasing role for two-year colleges that can supply government agencies and private companies with workers steeped in cybersecurity.
An article published today on The Chronicle’s Web site takes a look at the trend, including the obstacles community colleges face and the extra money that may be coming their way. —Marc Parry
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