Infrastructure Boost, New Hires Planned for Graduate IT and Cybersecurity Programs

Valparaiso University has announced plans to invest nearly $200,000 in new facilities and faculty to support its graduate programs in information technology and cybersecurity, as well as its undergraduate program in computer science.

Prompted by steadily increasing enrollments in the master’s programs in information technology and cybersecurity, the strategic investment will help fund the following additions and improvements to the computing and information sciences department’s resources:

• Two new full-time faculty members
• A new computing lab, featuring a number of heavy servers allowing for substantial virtualization, to be located in Gellersen 232
• Upgrades to an existing lab in Gellersen 125
• Cloud services and associated technical support
• Funds for teaching assistantships for graduate students and work-study jobs for undergraduate students
• A professional advisor for M.S. students in information technology

According to department chair James Caristi, the one-time allocation is the first phase of an initiative to develop the faculty and resources of the newly formed computing and information sciences department, which was established as an independent department in 2014.