Announcements
Columbus State University Grows with INE Security
The Nexus Cyber Security Program is honored to celebrate the success of our students
in earning INE’s Junior Penetration Tester (eJPT) certification. This achievement
reflects their dedication and the strength of our curriculum, which provides hands-on
experience and industry-leading tools to prepare students for real-world cybersecurity
challenges. By utilizing resources like the eJPT certification course, we ensure our
graduates are equipped with the skills needed to excel as industry-ready cybersecurity
professionals. We're proud of their accomplishments and excited for the impact they
will make in securing the digital world. Read more on Columbus State University Grows with INE Security
(PDF)
U.S. Congressman Buddy Carter visits Nexus Program
Date: Monday, September 30, 2024
Location: Center for Commerce and Technology on CSU’s Main Campus
Time: 10:00 am to 10:30 am
U.S. Congressman Buddy Carter recently visited the TSYS Center for Cyber Security to learn more about the Nexus program and engage with students. During his visit, Congressman Carter gained valuable insight into the facility's capabilities and the program's ongoing accomplishments in the field of cybersecurity.
Mock Interviews Hosted by the Cybersecurity Nexus Program
A critical component of the Cybersecurity Nexus Program is the mock interviews we host at the TSYS Center for Cybersecurity at Columbus State University. These interviews play a pivotal role in nurturing both the technical and soft skills of our students. By placing our students in front of industry professionals from prominent companies such as Global Payments, Synovus, Aflac, Home Depot, and Optiv, we ensure they receive valuable, real-world experience and feedback. These events have significantly contributed to the exceptional performance of our students in the Cybersecurity Nexus Program.
A huge thanks to the industry professionals for coming out, all from amazing companies!
Cybersecurity Nexus Program Partners with CyberSkills2Work Coalition
We are thrilled to announce that the Cybersecurity Nexus program has partnered with CyberSkills2Work. Bringing expertise from both sides. With the goal to continue to create Exceptional Cybersecurity experts. Whether it's safeguarding sensitive information, fortifying digital infrastructure, our partnership is geared towards equipping all those who join Cybersecurity Nexus program and CyberSkills2Work. With the tools to succeed.
CSU Team Competes in SECCDC Competition
Congratulations to Ehab Bedir, Cyber Range Network and Computer Systems Administrator and the following Turner College Cybersecurity students Joseph Craig, Luka Wilmink, James Cox, Atticus Church, Robert Casteel, and Donovan Wright for competing in the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SECCDC). This competition consisted of 40 teams/universities participating this year. The SECCDC is an annual event designed to challenge college students with real-world scenarios in managing and protecting a corporate network infrastructure The competition tests skills in cybersecurity, incident response, teamwork, and effective communication under pressure.
Governor Brian Kemp Visits Cybersecurity Program
On September 7th, Columbus State University hosted Governor Brian Kemp, First Lady Marty Kemp, and Chancellor Sonny Perdue for a tour of the Turner College’s Cybersecurity Program. Several state legislators joined them in learning about the program’s strengths, hearing from global payment leaders about this university-industry partnership, and celebrating student’s and alumni’s academic and professional success.
Cybersecurity Programs Highlighted by Newsweek
Columbus State University's Cybersecurity programs were highlighted by Newsweek as one of the nation's leading cybersecurity programs in 2023! You can see the full story on the Newsweek website. Congratulations to all the amazing faculty who teach and mentor in the Cybersecurity programs we offer at CSU. Thank you to Newsweek for recognizing the excellence in education we provide for our Cybersecurity students here at CSU!
Two School of CS Faculty Ranked #1 and #3 Worldwide in Cybersecurity Research
April 26, 2023
"TSYS School, Jianhua Yang, Lixin Wang Each among Top Five in the World". Read more on the Turner College of Business blog.
Gage Hall
Information Security Operations Intern
We are thrilled to share the incredible journey of one of our alumni, Gage Hall, who
has taken a significant step toward his professional career with an internship at
Tyler Technologies. During his time at Columbus State University, Gage Hall demonstrated
an unwavering commitment to his studies and a passion for cybersecurity. In a short
span of time, Gage Hall has already made a remarkable impact at Tyler Technologies.
Gage’s recognition was posted on the Tyler Technologies website. Congratulations Gage
on being recognized as a top intern!!
CSU Team makes Top Ten in ICL Collegiate Cup
Congratulations to a team from the CSU Black Box Society for competing in the ICL Collegiate Cup and performing their way into the top ten. The ICL Collegiate Cup allows students in cyber security programs to compete in live-fire challenges that mirror the scenarios they will face on the job in a hyper-realistic cyber range. The CSU team included a variety of first-year students from the Nexus program!
CSU team advances to next round of Hack the Building 2.0
Congratulations to Dr. Yesem Peker and her students Robert Gleason, Bradley DeFore, Joseph Smith for advancing to the next round of the Hack the Building 2.0 Hospital Edition competition! According to the event website, the event will be held in September in Columbia, MD and “features a series of cybersecurity presentations and cybersecurity exercises for students and professionals.” The goal of the event is “to empower cyber war fighters to defend the healthcare system which is one of our most critical infrastructures.”
CSU ranked as 2023 most affordable school for Cybersecurity
Columbus State University just ranked as one of the most affordable online colleges for a master's in cybersecurity. The team at OnlineU rated the most affordable programs using manually researched
online tuition for 2022 - 2023. They have found that CSU is a great value for students.
Congratulations!
CSU Students Participate in SECCDC
CSU Cybersecurity students participated in the qualifying event for the Southeast Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition (SECCDC) Saturday, February 12, 2023 at Kennesaw State University. Fernando Cabello is the team captain and Ehab Bedir will be the team advisor. Team members and alternates are: Kristian Barber, Carter Dennard, Monique Golden, Gage Hall, Austin House, Tom Marquette, Guy Worley, and Michael Watley.
Industry Leaders to Meet our Nexus Students
Date and time: February 28 - 10:00am-Noon
We will host industry leaders from across the region to meet with our Nexus students in a fast-paced speed dating format! These esteemed industry leaders will be meeting with our students who will be ready for internships in a few weeks to a few months! Our newest cohort will also be observing this event and preparing themselves for future interviews and learning a lot. It’s not too late for your company to join us for this exciting event just email Elke Brumbaugh at Brumbaugh_elke@columbusstate.edu
TSYS School Computer Scientists Awarded $350,000 Contract
A team of faculty from the TSYS School of Computer Science has recently been awarded a $350,000 contract by the Washington D.C.-based non-profit NGO U.S. Ignite Inc. to develop prototype solutions for two systems at Fort Moore as a part of the Smart Installations Community Dashboard (SICD) project. The TSYS School faculty team involved in this project includes Shamim Khan (project lead), Riduan Abid, Yesem Peker, and Suk Jin Lee. The team will also include a group of undergraduate and graduate research assistants. This is a one-year project that began in fall 2022 and will continue until the end of summer 2023.
CSU Places 4th in International Cyber Competition
A team of Cybersecurity students from Columbus State University’s 12-month Nexus program competed in the International Cyber League’s Collegiate Cup during October and November of 2022. The team competed against students from universities around the world.
We are very excited to share that our team finished in fourth place! Team members were Fernando Cabello, Tyvon Cruz, Cullen Mowery, and Cody Lindsey. Congratulations to these up-and-coming cybersecurity professionals!
Ryan Zimmerman places 3rd at IEEE International Conference
Join us in celebrating computer science senior Ryan Zimmerman on winning 3rd best
paper at the 19th IEEE International Conference in Denver, Colorado. His award-winning
paper was on Mobile Ad-Hoc and Smart Systems. Congratulations, Ryan!!
Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) Conference
Students from CSU’s Computer Science program presented at the annual ACM, Association for Computing Machinery Mid-Southeastern Conference in Gatlinburg, TN.
CSU Students Present at ACM Conference
We would like to congratulate all students on their presentations and an extra shoutout to graduate student, Xin Chen, for winning 2nd place on her graduate presentation!
Student, Faculty and Staff Attendees:
- Vamsi Krishna Bhagavathula
- Mohammad Munzurul Islam
- Xin Chen
- Saira Gillani
- Himanshu Bohra
- Donghyeon Park
- Lixin Wang
- Suk Jin Lee
- Jennifer Stone
Cybersecurity Nexus Graduation Celebration
On December 9, 2022, we celebrated our first large group of graduates from the Nexus program. Graduates included many who had completed the Nexus two-year Degree in Cybersecurity and the one-year Practitioner’s Certificate in Cybersecurity. Graduates were from Cohorts 2, 3, and 4.
Congratulations to our graduates!
A warm and special thanks to the industry professionals who support our Nexus program. These talented and supportive leaders took time from their busy workdays to come celebrate with our graduates! We are truly honored and blessed to partner with them to be pipelines into their organizations! Thanks to Mike Kane, Peter Staarfaenger, Robert Yager, Justin Heath-CISSP, Jonathan White, James R. Ramsay, and Ron Spivey from Global Payments Inc. Thanks also to Kevin Gowen from Synovus.
And a special thanks to Mr. Jimmy Yancey, former Chairman of the Board at Synovus, for addressing our gathering of graduates, parents, and industry partners.
Distinguished faculty in attendance included Dr. Deborah Kidder, Dean of the Turner College @ Columbus State University and Dr. Shamim Khan, Chair of the TSYS School of Computer Science.
Without the support of all these amazing and talented people, our program would not have nearly the impact (and potential for more) that it has! Thank you all!
Industry Professionals Visit CSU’s TSYS Cybersecurity Center to conduct Mock Interviews
On November 11, 2022, dozens of industry professionals visited CSU’s campus to conduct “Mock Interviews” for the Cybersecurity Nexus students. The purpose of the mock interview event was to give students real world practice preparing for and participating in interviews with actual industry professionals who volunteered their time to help. The CSU TSYS School of Computer Science has wonderful partnerships with industry professionals in the local and regional area. Many global, regional, and local companies were represented at the event.
As always, we thank the volunteers who took time away from their busy schedules to help prepare our cybersecurity students to join the workforce!
Global Payments Invites CSU Cybersecurity Students to Participate in Employee Hackathon
Thank you to James R. Ramsay, Ron Spivey, Jody Lee, and the rest of the Global Payments Inc. Information Security team for allowing our Columbus State University Cybersecurity students to participate in the hackathon they provided for their worldwide team members! Our teams did well, learned a lot, and had a lot of fun!
The costume contest was a nice touch! CSU Cybersecurity students Tyvon Cruz and Fernando Cabello both placed in the top 3 in the contest!
Many thanks to Global Payments for providing this valuable (and fun) learning opportunity!
FBI Special Agent Visits CSU Cybersecurity Center
Without divulging any information we wouldn’t want publicly known, we’ll simply say a certain "Special Agent in Charge" who happens to be part of a certain 3-letter government agency came to visit the Cybersecurity Nexus students at Columbus State University on November 1, 2022......
The students were captivated as he told about his career in the "organization" and opportunities within that "organization" they could pursue.....
Well, that's about all we're going to say about that.....
Google Recruiter Visits CSU Campus
There was a lot of excitement at Columbus State University October 10-12, 2022! Google’s campus recruiter, Jessica A. Mitchell, visited CSU’s campus and shared her energy, enthusiasm, and insights with our students about how to take advantage of Google’s educational experiences, how to create a dazzling resume, how to interview well, and many more helpful and important topics for our Computer Science and Cybersecurity students in the TSYS School of Computer Science and Turner College of Business & Technology!
Special thanks to Mariko Izumi and her wonderful team at the Center for Career Design for organizing and hosting the multi-day event!
Executives from NetImpact Strategies Visit CSU Campus
Latha Ramesh, VP of Talent at NetImpact Strategies Inc. and other company executives visited CSU’s campus on November 9, 2022 to meet with students and faculty to discuss establishing a talent pipeline from CSU for their company. The executives spent the day visiting different classrooms and having breakout sessions with groups to establish relationships.
Thanks to the Columbus, Georgia Chamber of Commerce for connecting NetImpact Strategies with CSU.
Leadership Columbus Group Visits CSU’s TSYS Cybersecurity Center
We were honored to host the outstanding group of leaders from Leadership Columbus at Columbus State University's TSYS Cybersecurity Center! The group learned about the threats that exist in today’s modern connected world and how CSU is doing our part to train students to defend the world’s assets against cybercriminals. Special recognition goes to Dean Deborah Kidder for her capable assistance with the "magic trick" that certainly amazed the group...... It actually taught a valuable technology lesson and showed that technology can often look like magic to others!
Turner College Hosts Career Fair for Students
The Turner College Career Fair on September 27th, 2022 was a complete success! With over 20 companies participating on campus, students had the opportunity to talk with industry professionals about Business and Computer Science internships and career opportunities.
In the weeks leading up to the Career Fair, students signed up for workshops to create resumes and LinkedIn accounts, and had the opportunity to get free professional headshots.
Special thanks to Mariko Izumi and her wonderful team at the Center for Career Design for helping the Turner College staff organize and host the event!
