WASHINGTON — Efforts by historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs) to increase engagement in industry, government and education partnerships was a key takeaway from Tuesday’s session at the 2018 National Historically Black Colleges and Universities Week Conference.
The attendees had their choice of some 10 breakout sessions that advanced the conference’s theme, “HBCU Competitiveness: Aligning Institutional Missions With America’s Priorities.”
The session “Smart HBCUs Building the Cybersecurity Workforce,” featured participants who discussed some of the best ways that HBCUs can leverage opportunities available in cybersecurity through partnerships with the federal government and private companies.
They said that these partnerships could lead to more research dollars for institutions and assist in setting minority graduates up for successful careers.
Some 350,000 cybersecurity jobs went unfilled last year, said Dr. Bruce Berger, executive director for the Center of Innovation and Entrepreneur Development at Clark Atlanta University.
The number of open jobs is expected to only balloon in the next three years, he added.
But African-Americans only make up a small percentage of those cybersecurity analyst roles that are currently staffed, Berger said.
