Moraine Valley Community College, the lead institution for the Center for Systems Security and Information Assurance (CSSIA), was designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Two-Year Education (CAE-2Y) by the National Security Agency (NSA). Moraine Valley is one of only six two-year colleges in the nation to receive the honor, which was newly established.
The designation runs from 2010 through 2015. NSA and the Department of Homeland Security sponsor the National Centers of Academic Excellence.
The CAE-2Y program was established to recognize institutions that serve as models for two-year schools by providing innovative, comprehensive and multidisciplinary education and training in the Information Assurance/Cyber Security field.
Moraine Valley received the designation because of CSSIA, which established the first comprehensive Information Technology Security and Data Assurance Center in the Midwest, providing a number of programs to students and faculty within the region.