TU launches interdisciplinary cybersecurity center, appoints first endowed professor of cybersecurity

By Rebecca Kirkman on April 11, 2022

This spring, Towson University has bolstered its reputation as a national leader in cybersecurity with two new initiatives: the Towson University E-Nnovation Endowed Professorship and the TU Center for Innovative and Interdisciplinary Cybersecurity. 

Fisher College of Science & Mathematics (FCSM) Dean David A. Vanko appointed Sidd Kaza to the college’s newest endowed professorship in the Department of Computer & Information Sciences (CIS). In this role, Kaza leads the TU Cyber Center.

The professorship is made possible through a $1 million endowment funded with a gift from Whiting-Turner Contracting Company and matching gift from the Maryland Department of Commerce E-Nnovation Initiative (MEI) Fund. 

The center tackles the biggest cybersecurity challenges through inclusive, interdisciplinary education and research. It will engage faculty and students throughout TU and will work with government and industry partners to solve cybersecurity issues and transfer results to deployable technologies.

“Our nation’s demand for cybersecurity expertise is exploding, and cybersecurity education is key to fulfilling that demand,” Vanko says. “We are very proud of TU’s role in these critically important areas.”

As the Cyber Center director, Kaza works with faculty and leadership across the university to increase and support interdisciplinary cybersecurity research. “The funding helps with start-up costs to get faculty on the road to cybersecurity research,” he explains. 

Extending TU’s excellence in cybersecurity

The center builds on TU’s demonstrated excellence and national reputation in cybersecurity education and research. TU is one of just 21 universities nationwide designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Operations. And, last year, the university secured a $2 million grant from the NSA to boost cybersecurity education.

This summer, the center will open a new, expanded cyber exercise room within 10 West Burke Avenue for use by area K–12 schools. This state-of-the art facility will build a pipeline of future cybersecurity scholars and workforce. 

“Our support of the world-class work of TU faculty is an honor and privilege,” says Tim Regan, president and CEO of Whiting-Turner Contracting Company. “We are particularly proud that the state of Maryland matched our gift and that together, our support made the endowed professorship possible.”

Grants that partner matching funds with private donations are crucial to supporting TU programs and initiatives through philanthropy. Grants like these were part of more than $14 million raised through philanthropy in 2019, a record high for the university.

“The E-Nnovation Endowed Professorship is a testament to the excellence in education at TU,” says Kaza, who was also recently named the university’s inaugural associate provost for research and dean of graduate studies role, beginning July 2022. “I’m so happy to see the State of Maryland and Whiting-Turner recognizing the innovation and momentum at TU.” 

Additionally, Kaza has received $12.8 million in external funding for research at TU, collaborating with approximately 30 colleagues at TU and supporting more than 60 undergraduate, master’s and doctoral students since 2008.

Supporting research for the public good

By engaging faculty and students in interdisciplinary research to improve online safety and security, the Cyber Center and E-Nnovation Endowed Professorship support President Kim Schatzel’s vision of furthering TU’s impact as an anchor institution for the region and achieving a Carnegie Research Classification of R2: Doctoral University—High Research Activity.

“Dr. Kaza and his colleagues in the cyber area are nationally recognized leaders in cybersecurity research and education, and this endowed professorship is yet another recognition of the important role TU faculty play in advancing the public good,” says Melanie Perreault, provost and executive vice president for academic and student affairs.

Already, interdisciplinary research by TU faculty benefits the broader community by increasing election security and preparing the next-generation cyber workforce. Collaborative study by Natalie Scala, an associate professor in the Department of Business Analytics and Technology Management, and Josh Dehlinger, a CIS professor, resulted in a partnership with local election boards to train election judges and increased security at Maryland’s polling places. 

Through SecurEd—a nonprofit startup led, in part, by Kaza and CIS associate professor Blair Taylor that hosts the largest compilation of free cybersecurity curriculum—TU-supported innovation is making it easier for all educators to build cybersecurity skills in the next generation.

The Towson University E-Nnovation Endowed Professorship is the latest endowed professorship within the FCSM. Since 2006, the college has named 16 tenure-track faculty members in the biological and physical sciences and nine in mathematical and computing sciences to FCSM endowed professorships. 

“These prestigious opportunities provide additional operating resources and aid in retention of the best faculty,” Vanko explains. “Many of our junior faculty who benefitted from endowed professor positions are now tenured faculty. They are still here and are at the core of the Fisher College,” he says. “Endowment funding is an impactful and transformative gift.”