When cybersecurity education does its job, the results are hard to see. A hospital network stays online. A utility keeps running. A data breach never happens. Showing the value of that work, one prevented attack at a time, has long been a challenge for the colleges and universities that train the nation’s cyber workforce.
A new national initiative aims to change that, and Metro State University is helping lead it.
Metro State has been selected to lead the Midwest Regional Hub of the Economic Assessment National Center (EANC). EANC is a two-year, approximately $1.5 million initiative supported through the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program within the National Security Agency. Led nationally by Coastline College in California, EANC brings together seven institutions to measure the workforce, economic, and mission impact of the NCAE-C community, which includes hundreds of colleges and universities nationwide.
“When cybersecurity education works, nothing happens. No breach, no headlines, no disruption. Our biggest successes are invisible,” said Dr. Faisal Kaleem, Midwest Regional Hub Lead and Director of Cyber Programs at Metro State. “But behind every attack that never makes the news is a person: a first-generation student who became a security analyst, a career changer now defending a hospital network, a graduate protecting their own hometown. EANC lets us make that invisible work visible and make sure every one of those stories is counted.”
From the Canadian border to the Texas coast
The Midwest hub spans 12 states: Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Texas, and Wyoming. The region’s healthcare, finance, energy, agriculture, and manufacturing sectors all depend on a skilled cybersecurity workforce.
As hub lead, Metro State will connect CAE-designated institutions across the region and host quarterly meetings. It will also organize ceremonies honoring institutions that earn or renew their NCAE-C designation. The insights gathered will help shape a national framework for measuring outcomes, from graduates and industry certifications to career pathways and economic contributions.
“Metro State is proud to serve as the Midwest Regional Hub for this important national initiative,” said Kate Ries, PhD, Dean of the College of Sciences. “Cybersecurity education creates real opportunity for our students and real value for the employers and communities they go on to serve. EANC gives us a way to measure and share that impact, and we’re honored to help lead that work across our region.”
Building on Metro State’s cyber leadership
The selection reflects Metro State’s standing in cybersecurity education. Metro State is the only institution in Minnesota designated by the NSA as both a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense and in Cyber Operations (NCAE-CD/CO). Through its degree programs, the MN Cyber Institute, and partnerships with government and industry, the university has a long record of preparing students for hands-on cybersecurity careers.
EANC looks beyond traditional return on investment to what it calls return on mission: how cybersecurity education strengthens the workforce, builds institutional capacity, and supports national security. The initiative plans to produce national reports and data dashboards for institutions and policymakers to use. It also aims to minimize added reporting work for participating schools.
Get involved
CAE-designated institutions in the Midwest region interested in joining regional meetings or contributing to the national assessment can contact the Midwest Regional Hub at EANC-MW@metrostate.edu.
The Economic Assessment National Center is funded through the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program within the National Security Agency under Award H98230-26-1-0027.