Eastern Michigan University receives $1.6mn from GameAbove to support cybersecurity programme
GameAbove at Eastern Michigan University, an alumni-led philanthropic group advancing academic and athletic programmes, announces a [$1.6 million (€1.47 million)] gift to the university’s College of Engineering and Technology (GACET).
The new commitment will support the launch of a Cybersecurity for Embedded Systems initiative, enhance offerings within cybersecurity and the Internet of Things, including research in cybersecurity for vehicles and mobility, and establish a dedicated Cybersecurity Certificate Programme that caters to students and business professionals alike.
“Our goal has always been for the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology to be known as the foremost cybersecurity programme in the country,” says Keith J. Stone, chair of GameAbove. “We will not deviate from this standard of quality. The steps that GameAbove, Dean Qatu, and EMU’s leadership are taking, including this gift, illustrate our unity and our full commitment to providing the proper resources to ensure the programme’s enduring success.”
Starting in 2024, EMU will offer the following for cybersecurity:
Certificate programme
- New Fundamentals of Cybersecurity
Undergraduate programmes
- Information Assurance and Cyber Defense [B.S.]
- Information Technology [B.S.]
- Digital Forensics and Incident Response Minor
- Information Assurance Compliance Minor
Graduate programmes
- Cybersecurity [M.S.] available online
- Cybersecurity [M.S. + B.S.]
The NSA (National Security Agency) redesignated EMU’s GACET as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense this year through the 2028 academic year.
With nearly 100% job placement, EMU students with cybersecurity degrees start their careers at companies such as Google, Amazon, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, and the NSA. Finding career opportunities in their field of study is the crucial step for students to transition into the workforce. GameAbove will continue to play a key role in career placement by connecting cybersecurity students with its network of organisations and forging partnerships with industry provider looking for graduates from the top cybersecurity programmes in the nation.
“We are grateful for the support of the GameAbove alumni organisation,” says EMU president James Smith. “The commitment and dedication of successful alumni and GameAbove’s determination to create new opportunities for Eastern students is unprecedented. GameAbove continues to directly impact the work we do to develop educational and career opportunities for our students that might not otherwise exist.”
“Cybersecurity and other related fields, including artificial intelligence, internet of things, and embedded systems, are among the fastest growing fields of interest to individuals as well as public and private employers,” says Mohamad Qatu, dean of the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology. “These areas of study and research are touching our lives in many ways. Job growth in these areas is amongst the highest in the nation and worldwide.”
“We thank GameAbove and its leadership for their generous and outstanding partnership and support. This support will help us offer additional programmes, provide more access to this important field by offering strong certificates, and enhance our research to become a national leader in this important field,” Qatu says.
GameAbove has committed over [$28 million (€25.63 million)] to EMU, supporting or creating programmes that spark academic advancement. Those programmes include enhancing faculty enrichment, supplying financial aid to students, and improving facilities that advance student-athlete achievements at EMU.
For more information about the GameAbove College of Engineering and Technology, School of Information Security and Applied Computing, click here.
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