UAlbany Tapped to Lead Northeast Hub of $1.5 Million Cybersecurity Initiative
ALBANY, N.Y. (Oct. 27, 2026) — As rapidly evolving technology creates new security risks, the University at Albany is helping strengthen the cybersecurity workforce through a $1.5 million national initiative examining how effectively colleges and universities prepare students to confront emerging threats.
The new Economic Assessment National Center (EANC) is a national partnership developing shared tools to measure the workforce and economic impact of cybersecurity education. UAlbany’s Massry School of Business will lead the center’s Northeast Regional Hub.
The two-year initiative is supported through the National Security Agency’s National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity (NCAE-C) program.
Led nationally by Coastline College in California, the seven-institution consortium includes six regional hubs that will connect CAE-designated institutions across the country.
Sanjay Goel, Morris Massry Endowed Professor and chair of Information Security and Digital Forensics, will lead UAlbany’s regional outreach, convening quarterly meetings to gather input from participating institutions for the national assessment.
The partners will compile data on graduates, professional certifications, career pathways and economic outcomes. National reports and dashboards will show how those programs contribute to workforce readiness, regional economies and national security.
“The CAE community was created to work towards the common goal of improving the quality and availability of cybersecurity talent in the U.S.,” said Goel. “The EANC consortium will help us understand where those efforts are working and where we can improve them to ensure our readiness as a nation.”
The NCAE-C program recognizes institutions that meet national criteria for cybersecurity education and research, giving students and employers a benchmark of program quality. UAlbany holds National Center of Academic Excellence designations in Cyber Defense through 2028 and Cyber Research through 2029.
The Cyber Defense recognition includes Massry’s Bachelor of Science in Digital Forensics and Master of Science in Digital Forensics and Cybersecurity programs.
“Cybersecurity is a business concern, not just a technical one. Organizations need professionals who can assess risk, protect sensitive information and keep essential operations running,” said Massry Dean Paquita Davis-Friday. “This partnership will help us better understand how cybersecurity education translates into those capabilities and where we can strengthen connections between our academic programs and employers’ needs.”
Alongside UAlbany, the hubs are based at the University of Colorado Colorado Springs, Metropolitan State University, Kean University, George Mason University and the University of West Florida.
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.