Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Institute for Cyber Security, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Community College Consortium Cooperative Agreement Project (PC4A) and Information Technology Support Center, will host the nineteenth annual Cybersecurity Day on October 13 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. at the IUP Hadley Union Building’s Ohio Room.
This annual event, part of IUP’s celebration of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month, features nationally recognized security experts as well as speakers from government, the security industry, and academia. This year’s program features the director of the Department of War Cyber Workforce Development Branch, the superintendent of the Information Technology Division at the US Naval Research Laboratory, and the director of the Department of War Cyber Service Academy.
It is free and open to the community.
The event is organized by IUP Distinguished University Professor Waleed Farag, director of the IUP Institute for Cyber Security and professor of computer science. It is intended to bring awareness of the issue of cybersecurity. People can attend the full day or attend one or more specific sessions.
“Cybersecurity continues to affect every aspect of our personal, professional, and daily lives, making awareness and education more important than ever. The nineteenth annual IUP Cybersecurity Day brings together distinguished experts from government, industry, and academia to share valuable insights on career opportunities, emerging threats, workforce development, artificial intelligence, and practical strategies for strengthening our digital resilience. We are proud to host this event and provide a forum that helps educate, inspire, and prepare the next generation of cybersecurity professionals,” Farag said.
The event begins with welcome and opening remarks from UP Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs Lara Luetkehans, Dean of the John J. and Char Kopchick College of Natural Sciences and Mathematics Steve Hovan, Chair of the Department of Mathematical and Computer Sciences Timothy Flowers, and Farag. IUP President Michael Driscoll will speak in advance of the afternoon sessions, and Farag will provide closing remarks.
Speakers and session titles for the day are:
- 9:20 to 10 a.m., “The Navy Innovation Ecosystem,” presented by Superintendent of the IT Division, US Naval Research Laboratory, Joey Mathews
- 10:05 to 10:45 a.m., “Cybersecurity Careers Start Here: HUBZone, CMMC, and the Talent Pipeline,” presented by CEO of Cinteot Christina Hunt
- 10:50 to 11:30 a.m., “AI, Digital Competencies, and Societal Resilience: The Human Factor in Cybersecurity,” presented by Joseph Squillace, associate teaching professor of cybersecurity, Penn State University, and Roland Keleman, program director and associate professor, Széchenyi István University
- 11:35 a.m. to 12:05 p.m., “Department of War Cyber Security Academy,” presented by Alice Smitley, Cyber Service Academy program manager, Department of War chief information officer’s Workforce Innovation Directorate
- 1:15 to 2 p.m., “Skills-Based Hiring,” presented by Matt Isnor, director of the Department of War Cyber Workforce Development
- 2:10 to 2:55 p.m., “Nobody Cares About Cybersecurity… Until Everything Stops,” presented by Joe Harford, founder and president of Reclamere
- 3:05 to 3:50 p.m., “Microsoft-native Security Operations, Modern Attack Patterns, and Practical Career Pathways into SOC Work,” presented by Forsyte IT Solutions Security Engineer Mike Frank and Senior Account Executive Nick Christine
IUP’s Institute for Cyber Security at IUP was founded in 2005 to further encourage and promote cybersecurity at IUP and the surrounding community. Farag has been director of the institute for the past 14 years.
IUP is one of the first institutions in the nation to receive the Center for Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense designation by the National Security Agency. The university has held that designation since 2002 and is one of only 16 universities in Pennsylvania with this designation.
The IUP cybersecurity program has more than 120 students enrolled, and about 25 students annually complete the program and receive their bachelor’s degree in the Computer Science/Cybersecurity track. IUP’s program also focuses on cybercrime detection, loss prevention, and how to collect the evidence to prosecute cybersecurity offenders.
IUP began offering its bachelor of science in computer science/cybersecurity track (originally information assurance) and a minor in cybersecurity in 2002 when Farag joined the IUP faculty. This program combined core computer science and cybersecurity classes with a minor in criminology, creating a novel curriculum that helped students gain a broad understanding of the field and be work-ready.
During his time at IUP, Farag has been the principal investigator for 33 different projects, securing more than $15 million in federal funding for IUP. His success in grant writing includes securing the largest grant in the history of the university: $6.5 million from the Department of War for “A Collaborative PA-wide Community College Consortium for Enhancing STEM and Cybersecurity Education” in 2022.
He also secured a nearly $1 million grant for a program to help cybersecurity students develop Chinese language skills.
In 2025, he won a Pennsylvania Cyber Workforce Alliance grant of $316,440 from the National Institute of Standards and Technology, engaging more than 12 stakeholders collaborating to address the national security workforce gap.
Farag recently secured, as the PI, $500,000 over three years from the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity to establish the ARMZTA project, one of the largest research awards in IUP’s history. The project developed a novel, automated framework for mitigating cyber risks in zero‑trust environments by integrating federated learning with zero‑trust principles, advancing scalable and next‑generation cyber defense capabilities.
He has secured 76 scholarships—each worth about $50,000—from the Department of War for scholarships for undergraduate cybersecurity majors. He has also secured funding through the CAE-C PhD Scholarship program, a pilot program that provides full scholarships to five PhD cybersecurity students nationally. One of these scholarships was awarded to one of Farag’s PhD students.
Farag is responsible for establishing the first GenCyber cybersecurity summer program in Pennsylvania at IUP. This program began in 2016 and has continued to receive support for the past 10 years, allowing students and teachers to attend entirely free of charge. IUP is the only Pennsylvania university selected to host and present this program. IUP’s program has trained more than 550 kindergarten through grade 12 teachers and students from across the United States in cybersecurity.
IUP has a longstanding commitment to research on all levels and in all disciplines. In 2021, IUP was one of only two public universities in Pennsylvania and one of only 93 public universities in the United States selected for the “High Research Activity” designation by the Carnegie Classification of Higher Institutions of Higher Education.
Since its founding in 1875, IUP has evolved from a teacher-training institution into a doctoral research university recognized for its commitment to student success and achievement. IUP’s Impact 150 comprehensive campaign is designed to honor a legacy of educational excellence while looking toward a future of innovation, public service, and leadership in healthcare education, including the first college of osteopathic medicine at a public university in the commonwealth.