Renewal of Illinois Cyber Security Scholars Program

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This project aims to extend and expand the Illinois Cyber Security Scholars Program (ICSSP), which targets the government service workforce with the CyberCorps(R): SFS scholarship program. The College of Law (COL) becomes a new partner in this extension so SFS opportunities are now available to CS/ECE graduates and Juris Doctor Law students. The ICSSP selects from an annual pool of over 2,700 graduate and 6,700 undergraduate students and third-year community college transfer students to create a cohort of Illinois Cyber Security Scholars. Each year the Juris Doctor (J.D.) program admits 190 students of which 40% are from underrepresented minority groups. This expansion also improves outreach to minorities and 2-year college transfer students and increases the candidate pool of excellent students especially those coming from financially disadvantaged backgrounds. The senior project, contact with UIUC's Information Trust Institute faculty, and cooperative program with government facilities expose scholars to a better integration of research and education than is possible in the classroom alone. Furthermore, scholars bring their practical experience back, enriching the classroom experience for other UIUC students. In addition, proposed expansion of the ICSSP involves taking an interdisciplinary approach that emphasizes the importance of law and policy in addition to technical solutions.The proposed project has an important mission of preparing cybersecurity professionals for positions in agencies of the Federal, state, local and tribal government. Using knowledge and skills obtained in the program, the graduates are well prepared to meet challenges of protecting the information and infrastructure resources of our Nation.