Students to Present Prototype to ECPI University Faculty

Newport News, VA – This summer, ECPI University is hosting 15 students from Hampton and Phoebus High Schools at its Summer Institute. Since July 12, they have been working on a business challenge. With a nationwide shortage of ventilators, they have been tasked with exploring low-cost emergency options to fill this gap using a modified manual resuscitator. 

On Wednesday, August 4, participants will present their working prototype for review by ECPI University faculty. Presentations will begin at 10:30 am at ECPI University’s Newport News campus, located at 1001 Omni Boulevard. 

Winning Team Creates Website to Help Homeless

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (Date) – ECPI University and Raytheon Intelligence & Space hosted its first joint hackathon at the university’s Newport News campus with a team comprising students from the Orlando and Charlotte campuses coming out on top. A hackathon is a timed event in which computer programmers and software developers collaborate intensively on a software project or a website. The goal is to create functioning software or website by the end of the event. 

Virginia Beach, VA – In keeping with its pledged support for the Governor of Virginia’s initiative to produce more cybersecurity professionals, ECPI University has developed a new Accelerated Cyber and Information Security Technology degree program. 

Virginia Beach, VA – Virginia Governor Ralph Northam announced a plan to create 31,000 new computer science graduates over 20 years. As Virginia’s largest private producer of computer science degree graduates, ECPI University is augmenting this effort with its Accelerate Tech Talent Virginia. 

“The Accelerate Tech Talent Virginia initiative will produce 3,000 more computer science graduates over the next 20 years, as its contribution to the Governor’s goal. This means ECPI University will produce more than 18,000 graduates over the next 20 years”, says ECPI University President Mark Dreyfus. 

One reason why colleges and universities have difficulty attracting students to computer science is because many lack confidence. “When we talk to both career switchers and high school students, we find that many see computer science as a very attractive career path, but they doubt their own abilities,” says ECPI University Dean of Computer and Information Science Dr. Keith Morneau. “They worry about doing the math, not realizing that much of the curriculum revolves around critical thinking and problem solving.  We’ve had countless graduates who first came to us with these same doubts and have gone on to thrive in their careers. 

Both to Help Shape Future of Intercollegiate Competition

Virginia Beach, VA – ECPI University is proud to announce that two people from its eSports team, the Rams, have been named to leadership positions within the National Association of Collegiate Esports (NACE). 

At the organization’s recent national convention, ECPI University Athletic Director and Director of Web Services Mike Glover was named to NACE’s board of directors and Rams Head Coach JJ Meyers was selected to join the competition committee. Each will play a pivotal role shaping policy as NACE and intercollegiate eSports quickly evolves. 

“We are in the infancy stages of collegiate esports, every decision made by NACE will a have long lasting and profound impact on esports,” says Glover. “I see being a part of the Board of Directors for NACE as not only a duty, but an obligation.  My goals for the elected term are simple…make sure the private institutions that participate in NACE are fairly represented and have equal say in the direction of collegiate esports. And I am going to do my best to make sure collegiate esports are something generations to come will enjoy, and not have it being something that is just a passing fad. “ 

ECPI University Earns Second Place for National Title, Just Behind School More than 100 Times its Size

Columbia, SC – Members of ECPI University’s Columbia campus’ Cybersecurity Team impressed cybersecurity professionals throughout the nation, coming in 2^nd place at the Wicked6 Cyber Games in Las Vegas on August 8. The team of five came from a campus of just 300 students and faced five other schools with enrollments of between 16,000 and 68,000. Ultimately, the ECPI team came within 1.5 points (out of more than 1,700) of overtaking the University of Colorado-Boulder, a school of more than 33,000 students. 

Hosted by the Women’s Society of Cyberjutsu and sponsored in part by Microsoft and the National Security Agency (NSA), competitors at Wicked6 are challenged to exhibit critical cyber defense skills that directly map to abilities that corporate recruiters seek to fill the growing number of IT security jobs. The top three finishers are as follows: 

• University of Colorado Boulder
• ECPI University
• University of Central Florida 

ECPI University Defeated 25 Competing Schools to Advance

Columbia, SC – Members of the Columbia campus’ Cybersecurity Team have earned a spot in the national finals of the Wicked6 Cyber Games in Las Vegas on August 8 at the HyperX Esports Arena Las Vegas at the Luxor Hotel and Casino. The team, made up of Cyber and Network Security students Franklin Pearson, Earl Knorr, Wendi Jonkers, Jason Simmons, Kevin Richards, and Coach Chris Flanery, will compete in a contest designed to simulate industry-specific cyber-attack scenarios. 

“We are proud of our cybersecurity team of students and their accomplishment as national finalists,” says ECPI University Columbia Campus President James R. Rund. “With Cybersecurity Ventures projecting 3.5 million unfilled cybersecurity jobs by 2021, ECPI University is preparing graduates for the job sector of the future.  Competition and hands-on training is one way we help our students prepare for their future careers.”

Lake Mary, FL – It would be difficult to overstate the looming cybersecurity crisis. As attacks continue to escalate, there are simply not enough skilled professionals available to fight back. According to a recent report conducted by (ISC)²: 

• The shortage of cybersecurity professionals is now close to 3 million globally
• 63% of respondents report their employer has a shortage of dedicated cybersecurity staff
• 59% say their organization is at extreme or moderate risk due to cybersecurity staff shortages 

Many of the applicants for cybersecurity positions lack foundational information, technical knowledge, and people skills. In essence, there are two different issues. One, applicants who are self-taught and tech savvy does not have the skills to address the major issues businesses face. Two, higher education curriculums typically follow a traditional approach, where education is based on a teaching-oriented environment full of theories, which may lack real-world applicability. 

“Many companies lack the time and resources to provide training in the actual skills required to defend against attacks,” says ECPI University Lake Mary Campus President Mr. Michael Fontaine. “Employers are looking for applicants who are job-ready.” 

Newport News, VA – ECPI University is pleased to announce that it has signed an articulation agreement with Thomas Nelson Community College (TNCC) that provides TNCC Information Technology graduates automatic admission into ECPI University's Bachelor of Science degree program in Computer Information Science with a major in Cyber and Network Security.

Lake Mary, FL – Patrick Craven, director of the Center for Cyber Safety and Education, formerly the (ISC)² Foundation, has joined the Cyber and Network Security Program Advisory Council at ECPI University’s Lake Mary campus. Every ECPI University campus maintains a group of local advisors who meet twice yearly to review curriculum and make recommendations. This helps the University to ensure that all of its programs meet the precise needs of the employers that hire its graduates.