ORANGE COUNTY, CA, Jan. 08, 2020 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- The Academic Senate for California Community Colleges has awarded Coastline College’s Cybersecurity program the Exemplary Program Award, one of two colleges out of the 115 California community colleges for 2020. Sponsored annually by the Foundation for California Community Colleges, the Board of Governors established the Exemplary Program Award in 1991 to recognize outstanding community college programs that support the community college mission and serve as models for other community colleges. The California Community Colleges system is the largest public higher education system in the country, enrolling over 2.38 million students annually.
Coastline’s Cybersecurity program offers a traditional 60-unit Associate of Science degree, in addition to a number of certificates. The Cybersecurity program is designated by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and National Security Agency (NSA) as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD). There are only six community colleges in California that hold this special designation and of those, Coastline was the first community college to receive this prestigious designation. Coastline’s Cybersecurity programs trains students to develop a unique skill set in the information technology field with critical thinking and investigative techniques. Coastline College provides professional development, assistance with curriculum development, and application support for other colleges to the seven states in the southwestern region.
“We are honored for Coastline College’s Cybersecurity program to be selected to receive the 2020 Exemplary Program Award from the Board of Governors. The Computer Service Technology and Computer Information Systems departments are committed to the development of cyber defense education pathways and cybersecurity workforce development initiatives. Coastline College's cybersecurity pathways include activities from middle school to career opportunities. We look forward to continuing these efforts to build the cyber workforce of tomorrow!”
Professor Tobi West, CISSP, GCFE, CCFE, CIS/CST Department Chair, Coastline College.
Among the various pathway initiatives, the program includes CyberTech Girls workshops and CyberPatriot competitions for middle school and high school students, an online Associate of Science in Cybersecurity degree with hands-on technical experiences, a cybersecurity student club, skill-building cybersecurity competitions, and on-the-job training and industry certifications for apprentices in the CA Cybersecurity Apprenticeship Program.
About Coastline College:
Coastline College is accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. For eight consecutive years, Coastline College has been selected as one of the top 150 colleges by The Aspen Institute for Community College Excellence which is considered the most prestigious designation for community colleges. Coastline delivers flexible courses and services that cultivate and guide diverse student populations across the globe to complete pathways leading to the attainment of associate degrees, certificates, career readiness, and transfer to four-year colleges/universities.