DSU and NSA education partnership offers opportunities
MADISON, S.D., January 9, 2023– Dakota State University is now in partnership with the National Security Agency through an Educational Partnership Agreement (EPA). This agreement was approved at the December Board of Regents meeting.
“This will be an exciting new way to expand educational, research, and career opportunities for our students,” said Dr. Rebecca Hoey, Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs.
Dr. Pat Engebretson, Dean of The Beacom College of Computer & Cyber Sciences, explained that “an EPA is an agreement between NSA and an education institution to transfer or enhance technology and provide technical assistance to the institution.”
The purpose of the EPA is to improve STEM education, so through this agreement, NSA innovators can provide training and mentoring to personnel in the science and technology fields. NSA may also transfer or donate laboratory equipment to public and private schools.
“In short, the EPA can allow for several activities between the NSA and DSU, including curriculum development assistance, guest lectures, prize competition engagement, etc.,” he stated.
“This agreement is inclusive for students at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, and any program pertaining to STEM,” stated Hoey. “Students may be able to receive academic credit for work on NSA research projects.”
This means there could be numerous possibilities with this agreement. A faculty member could work with a small group of students on specific research of interest to the NSA. The NSA could send researchers to work at DSU on a potential project with the Applied Research Lab or one of the MadLabs®. A Ph.D. student may partner with the NSA on their dissertation work.
“We’ve already been able to leverage this agreement by having a team from NSA come to campus and visit with our students about career opportunities,” Engebretson said.
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Dakota State University (DSU) is located in Madison, S.D. Founded in 1881, DSU offers undergraduate, master’s, and doctoral programs through its colleges of arts and sciences, business and information systems, computer and cyber sciences, and education. DSU has a special focus on the development, application, implications, and impacts of computing, information technologies and cyber security in all areas of human endeavor. DSU has received multiple Center of Academic Excellence designations in education, research and regional resource development from the U.S. National Security Agency and U.S. Department of Homeland Security. DSU is home to the Madison Cyber Labs (MadLabs), a cyber R&D hub with labs and institutes that explore and advance technology application, workforce development, business expansion, economic growth, and policy improvement across multiple disciplines and fields. For more information, contactmediarelations@dsu.edu, 605-270-3816, or visit the DSU website at dsu.edu.