around the world. We understand the seriousness of these threats and the need to guard against them. We also know that jobs in cybersecurity are growing at a robust pace.” Noting that a recent report from Cisco puts the global fgure of cybersecurity job openings at 1 million, with demand expected to rise to 6 million by 2019, Victor pledged, “Mercyhurst will be ready.” The cyber lab will include 20 work stations and be used as a teaching facility by Mercyhurst Intelligence Studies faculty and students. The operations center will accommodate at least 16 student-employees. An MCPc associate will oversee the students, whose customers will be actual MCPc clients. Victor said the commitment from MCPc is closely aligned with Mercyhurst’s goal of preparing students for real-world job experiences. About a third of the fve-year commitment from MCPc includes stipends that will pay students at industry rates for their services in the center. “What better way to prepare students for the workforce of tomorrow than placing them in those very jobs while they are students?” asked Jones in his remarks during the announcement. Added President Victor, “The operations center will provide a hands-on learning opportunity second to none, and will put Mercyhurst in the fortunate position of being one of a handful of universities in the country to have this kind of capability on campus.“ Victor credited Dausey for his role in facilitating the MCPc partnership, and Cal Pifer, vice president for external relations and advancement, for his part in bringing the project to fruition. Kidder Wachter Architecture & Design of Erie has done the architectural work, with construction beginning this fall. The cyber lab and Network Operations Center are expected to be ready by spring semester 2018. Creation of the cyber lab will require relocation of other resources that had occupied that space, including the university archives, which will move to Hammermill’s third foor. These changes are all part of a major reshaping of the library made possible by a pair of generous gifts. A $500,000 gift from alumna and retired trustee Ellen Ryan and her husband, David, will allow for a complete redesign of the library’s main foor, intended to increase efciency and create more learning spaces. Among the renovations are an updated library circulation desk and technology assistance area, state-of-the-art computers, tables and seating for study spaces, and much more. Also underway is the Ridge Reading Room, made possible by a $250,000 gift from the Henry L. Hillman Foundation.The space augments the library’s collection of the Thomas J. and Michele Ridge archives.
Clockwise from top left: McGill, Upal, Danzell, Grifn
NEW LEADERSHIP NAMED FOR RIDGE COLLEGE
Following a national search, Mercyhurst has chosen Lt. Col. U.S. Army (Retired) Duncan E. McGill, Ph.D., of Manassas, Virginia, as dean of the Ridge College. McGill has spent more than a decade in various academic and administrative leadership capacities at the National Intelligence University (NIU). Most recently, he served as associate dean of the NIU’s College of Strategic Intelligence. He replaces James Breckenridge, Ph.D., who recently became provost of the U.S. Army War College (USAWC) in Carlisle. Tapped to lead the college’s cyber initiatives, including the new MCPc Cyber Lab, is U.S. Navy Cyber Analyst Chad Grifn, whose expertise included providing IT, cybersecurity and intelligence analysis to the U.S. Navy and U.S. Pacifc Command. Charged with heading the college’s data science program is M. Afzal Upal, Ph.D., a former senior data scientist for Canada’s Department of National Defence. He combines many years of experience as a data scientist supporting intelligence analysts with a proven track record in scholarship and peer-reviewed publications. Also new this year to the intel team is Benjamin Baughman, Ph.D., a former detective and crime analyst with the Raleigh, North Carolina, Police Department, and an instructor in disciplines blending psychology and criminal justice.
Orlandrew Danzell, Ph.D., was promoted last spring to chair the undergraduate Department of Intelligence Studies.
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