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University of West Florida partners with state and local election officials to enhance cybersecurity preparations

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The University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity recently partnered with the Florida Department of State and election officials across Florida to provide training for supervisors of elections and key personnel to enhance cybersecurity resiliency ahead of the 2018 elections. [Read more…] about University of West Florida partners with state and local election officials to enhance cybersecurity preparations

Agency for State Technology partners with UWF Center for Cybersecurity to enhance Florida’s cybersecurity resiliency

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The Agency for State Technology (AST) is partnering with the University of West Florida (UWF) Center for Cybersecurity to provide cutting-edge cybersecurity education and training for state agency personnel and position Florida as a leader in cybersecurity resiliency and workforce development.

The program will integrate unique and innovative features and provide hands-on training and educational courses using face-to-face, online, and remote delivery to prepare state personnel to detect and protect against emerging cyber threats and attacks. The program will provide competency-based certifications to prepare state personnel for core cybersecurity work roles.

“As the threats evolve, we must continue to train our information security and technology resources. We hope our partnership with UWF will serve as a model for other states to not only provide advanced cyber training, but to offer on-going educational opportunities for state employees,” said AST Executive Director and State Chief Information Officer Eric Larson.

The initial training will commence today at the Florida Department of Revenue in Tallahassee and focus on cybersecurity awareness and fundamentals for AST personnel, state agency information security managers, and other information technology personnel. Additional topics will include cybersecurity incident management, network defense, operating system hardening, risk management, cloud security and other emerging topics.

“When we started the UWF Center for Cybersecurity, this is the type of partnership we envisioned,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders. “Together, we will enhance the ability of state personnel to detect and defend against cyberattacks and fulfill our commitment to be a leader in cybersecurity education and training.”

The Florida Cyber Range and UWF Cybersecurity for All program will be used to provide training. The Florida Cyber Range is a state-of-the-art platform created through a partnership between the UWF Center for Cybersecurity and Metova CyberCENTS to provide advanced training and testing solutions for academic, government, military and industry use. Metova CyberCENTS is a leader in cyber simulators, ranges and training environments. The high-fidelity training environment can emulate the internet, replicate websites, integrate social media and support dynamic interjection of vulnerabilities.

The UWF Cybersecurity for All program provides innovative education and training on emerging topics via an online learning environment, customizable modules and hands-on activities using the Range. The program aligns with the National Initiative for Cybersecurity Education Cybersecurity Workforce Framework and academic pathways. The program will significantly expand the cybersecurity workforce across the state and nation and increase the number of qualified cybersecurity professionals.

UWF will leverage its leadership role as the National Security Agency/Department of Homeland Security National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and the NSA/DHS Cybersecurity Regional Resource Center for the Southeast U.S. to enhance cybersecurity workforce development for the state and region.

“We proudly support AST in its mission to protect Floridians’ information and access to government services,” said Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, UWF Center for Cybersecurity director. “This program will position Florida as a leader in cybersecurity resiliency and innovation, enhance higher education and research, and serve as a best practice model for cybersecurity workforce development.”

For more information on Florida Agency for State Technology, visit ast.myflorida.com.

For more information on the UWF Center for Cybersecurity, visit uwf.edu/cybersecurity.

For more information on the Florida Cyber Range, visit floridacyberrange.org.

UWF exceeds 50th Anniversary capital campaign goal, raises $64.4M

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The University of West Florida is celebrating the success of the 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign, which raised more than $64.4 million by almost 20,000 donors, including 55 planned gifts and nearly $18 million in scholarships.
“We are truly grateful for the generosity of the community we serve, the alumni we have graduated and the friends we have made over the years,” said UWF President Martha D. Saunders. “Their belief and willingness to contribute to the work we do has created a spirited community of learners launching the next generation of big thinkers who will change the world.”
The campaign’s priorities for areas of giving in alignment with the University’s future vision were outlined as follows: health sciences; science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM; business, economic development and valued partnerships; historic preservation, education and tourism; scholarships; and athletics.
In addition to surpassing its historic fundraising goal of $50 million, the campaign featured some of the largest gifts in the University’s history, including more than $5 million from Dr. Usha and Mahadeb Kundu to name the College of Health and another $5 million from Harold E. “Hal” Marcus to name the College of Science and Engineering.
“UWF has played a critical role in the success of Northwest Florida over the last 50 years,” said Mort O’Sullivan, chair of the UWF Board of Trustees and chair of the UWF 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign Executive Steering Committee. “We have a bright future ahead.”
Other notable gifts included $3.1 million from an anonymous donor to establish an endowment for need-based scholarships that will assist deserving students in their pursuit of the American Dream, and $1 million from Dr. Bob Kimball, UWF marketing and economics professor, to create the Bill and Ellie Kimball Memorial Undergraduate Scholarship Award in memory of his parents.
“Our donors believe in the transformative power of higher education and demonstrate it with their invaluable support,” said Howard J. Reddy, interim vice president for university advancement. “We thank them for their vital investment in helping move UWF forward.”
The University raised more than $48 million of the campaign’s total during its quiet phase, which launched in 2011. In 2012, Quint and Rishy Studer gave their first of two $1 million gifts, to fund the Pensacola Pledge Scholar Program. The second $1 million gift was given in July 2015, to develop the Center for Entrepreneurship.
Pen Air Federal Credit Union committed $1 million to name Pen Air Field, home of UWF football on the Pensacola campus, while $250,000 of a $770,000 legacy gift from the estate of John Thayer and Joan Ames Burr served as the lead gift for football, with the remainder supporting high impact and undergraduate research initiatives in the Hal Marcus College of Science and Engineering.
With the momentum gained from the 50th Anniversary campaign, the University is looking ahead to its future growth. One key upcoming development in the University’s future vision is the Innovation Campus Network, a “transformative university model” that will connect physical campus destinations along the Gulf Coast of Northwest Florida for innovation, collaboration, research and engaged learning to prepare students for the changing world and workforce of tomorrow. Among its main priorities, the Innovation Network will create “knowledge centers” fostering partnerships among UWF students and faculty, state colleges, industry experts, K-12 educators and the community, and providing enhanced opportunities for multidisciplinary learning, research and discovery relating to high demand career fields, such as cybersecurity, supply chain logistics, advanced manufacturing and STEAM.

For more information about giving to the University of West Florida, visit uwf.edu/give.

UWF Fall 2017 Commencement celebrates 50th Anniversary, honors Marny Gilluly, Fred Levin

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Pensacola, Fla. – The University of West Florida hosted its Fall 2017 Commencement at the Pensacola Bay Center. Addressing 1,636 graduates, UWF President Martha Saunders noted the significance of the students’ achievements for their individual career pursuits, as well as what these accomplishments mean to the University in its 50th year.
“Saturday’s ceremonies capped a historic year for the University of West Florida,” Saunders said. “We celebrated our past with some of our first graduates and our future with the students who received degrees.”
UWF Golden Graduates, members of UWF’s charter classes, were invited to attend Saturday’s ceremonies to help honor the occasion which included the recognition of two community partners through the conferring of two prestigious academic awards.
Fredric G. “Fred” Levin was recognized for his remarkable personal and professional achievements, as well as his service to UWF, the Pensacola community and the state of Florida. Levin, one of the most successful trial attorneys in the U.S. and a partner in the Levin Papantonio law firm for more than 50 years, was named an Honorary Doctor of Laws. The honorary doctorate recognizes distinguished performance and is regarded as the highest form of recognition a university can bestow.
Levin is best known for helping to rewrite the Florida Medicaid Third Party Recovery Act in 1993 to permit the state of Florida to sue the tobacco industry to recover expenditures for treating illnesses caused by cigarette smoking. The legislation eventually resulted in a $13 billion settlement for the state of Florida.
A member of the Inner Circle of Advocates, an organization limited to 100 lawyers throughout the country, Levin has been listed in every edition of the publication, “Best Lawyers in America.” He received the Perry Nichols Award in 1994, the highest honor bestowed by the Florida Academy of Trial Lawyers, given in recognition for a person’s lifetime achievements in the pursuit of justice. In 1999, he was honored at the United Nations by being made a Chief in the Republic of Ghana for his dedication to equal justice for people of all races. Levin is also a published author and manager of many champion boxers.
Levin has also made multiple donations to the University of West Florida. More than 20 years ago, he created the first endowed professorship at the University of West Florida in honor of his father, Abe Levin. Levin’s tremendous professional success has enabled him to enhance the University through a long-standing history of giving, including contributions to UWF football and the establishment of the Reubin O’D. Askew Institute for Multidisciplinary Studies, in memory of Florida’s 37th governor and Levin’s former law partner.
Saunders bestowed upon Martha A. “Marny” Gilluly, a 1971 UWF cum laude graduate, the UWF Founder’s Medallion. This award symbolizes excellent character that represents the UWF values, extraordinary achievement or distinction in one of several fields and a history of support for the University.
From 1998 to 2011, Gilluly served on the UWF Foundation Board of Directors. Former Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her as a UWF Trustee in 2003, and she served in that capacity until 2011. She is a current member of the UWF Heritage Club and Chambered Nautilus Society, and a former member of the Charter Society of 1963 and Nautilus Society. In 2007, the UWF Alumni Association awarded Gilluly the distinguished Alumni Chambered Nautilus Award of Merit. In 2011, the UWF Foundation Board elected her, as a past UWF Foundation Chair, to be a lifetime Foundation Fellow.
Gilluly, who retired as a computer specialist for the U.S. House of Representatives, serves as vice grand chancellor of the Military and Hospitaller Order of Saint Lazarus of Jerusalem, an international relief organization based in Madrid, Spain. She has competed in 15 marathons and is a licensed pilot, flying multi-engine and acrobatic airplanes.
For more information, visit uwf.edu/commencement.

UWF Center for Cybersecurity and Metova CyberCENTS announce Florida Cyber Range

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The University of West Florida Center for Cybersecurity is partnering with Metova CyberCENTS to create the Florida Cyber Range from Metova’s CENTS® portfolio of cyber range simulators.
The range will be used for hands-on cybersecurity education, training, operations and research. This partnership provides a platform for the UWF Center for Cybersecurity and Metova CyberCENTS to proactively explore knowledge, technologies and tools to further advance cybersecurity regionally, nationally and globally.
The Florida Cyber Range will provide advanced training and testing solutions for academic, government, military and commercial organizations through various cybersecurity exercises and activities. The Florida Cyber Range will revolutionize cybersecurity education and operations within the state and position Florida to provide critical cybersecurity expertise for the nation.
“We are honored to partner with Metova CyberCENTS to launch the Florida Cyber Range,” said Dr. Eman El-Sheikh, director of the UWF Center for Cybersecurity. “The Florida Cyber Range provides a state-of-the-art environment to help cybersecurity students and professionals gain valuable practical skills to detect and defend against real world cyber-attacks. The range will help organizations differentiate themselves and prepare against emerging threats and attacks through innovative training experiences.”
The National Security Agency and Department of Homeland Security designated UWF as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education and as the CAE Regional Resource Center for the Southeast U.S. In this role, the UWF Center for Cybersecurity provides leadership to advance cyber defense education among colleges and universities in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Puerto Rico, South Carolina and Tennessee.
The Florida Cyber Range is designed to provide a Tier 1 Cybersecurity Hub capable of providing services to institutions looking to expand their cybersecurity offerings.
“The Florida Cyber Range will complement expanding cybersecurity education, training and research initiatives by using real world situations to prepare against complex cyber-attacks,” El-Sheikh said. “The UWF Center for Cybersecurity will develop resources and models for integrating Florida Cyber Range exercises into education and training programs and will disseminate these resources regionally and nationally.”
Metova is the owner and developer of the Cyberoperations Enhanced Network and Training Simulators product line, which is a portfolio of Cyber Simulator and Range solutions. CENTS® solutions provide an integrated, Live-Virtual-Constructive cyber range environment for training, exercising and testing full-spectrum cyberspace capabilities. Metova’s cyber range products have been in development and production for over a decade. Taking input directly from cyber operators, beginning with the U.S. Air Force conducting Computer Network Defense exercises in 2001, Metova’s CENTS design has continued to evolve and progress from the first Department of Defense Cyber Range installation, the Joint Cyberspace Operations Range, to the premier cyber range platform currently used within the DoD.
“We envision a future public-private enterprise that will encourage cyber innovation and training, all while being supportive of entrepreneurship,” said Bill Dunn, president of Metova CyberCENTS. “Metova CyberCENTS is pleased to be joined by UWF in bringing the Florida Cyber Range to life, not only for the Cyber Coast, but for government, industry, universities and K-12 across Florida and the nation.”
For more information on the Florida Cyber Range, please visit floridacyberrange.org.
For more information on the UWF Center for Cybersecurity, visit uwf.edu/cybersecurity.
For more information on Metova CYBERCENTS, visit cybercents.com.

Registration is open for Florida’s first Open Educational Resources Summit

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Florida Virtual Campus recently announced that Florida’s first Open Educational Resources Summit will be held from Sept. 7-8 at the Hilton Daytona Beach Resort. FLVC is a Complete Florida Plus Program, managed by the University of West Florida Innovation Institute. Participants will hear from Cable Green, director of open education, and other national and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategy and initiatives.
“We are excited about what our summit will mean for OER in Florida,” said Dr. John Opper, executive director for distant learning and student services at FLVC. “Attendees will discuss the components of a sustainable OER program, elements of a successful faculty driven OER program, the key concerns relating to the quality of open textbooks and how to address them and the return on investment for students and institutions.”
Open educational resources are freely accessible and openly licensed text, media and other digital assets that are useful for teaching, learning and research purposes. Some of Florida’s colleges and universities provide free textbooks and content to their students. One state funded resource for storing and sharing OER is the Orange Grove, an online collection of textbooks and educational materials available to sunshine state students for free. Using this resource, students can find textbooks for a range of courses, from precalculus to oceanography to English composition.
State and campus leaders involved in defining and driving OER strategy and initiatives in higher education, including faculty, librarians, instructional designers, administrators and other thought-leaders, are encouraged to attend the OER Summit. Registration is $100 per person. For more information or to register, visit www.flvc.org/oersummit.
About Florida Virtual Campus: The Florida Virtual Campus (FLVC), A Complete Florida Plus program, is made up of several units which provide statewide innovative educational services for Florida’s K-adult students. Working collaboratively with Florida’s 12 public universities, 28 public colleges, K-12 school districts, and other partners, FLVC provides free services to help students go to college, succeed in school, prepare for career success, and in life after graduation.

Complete Florida’s webinar helps adults return to college, finish degree

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Complete Florida is hosting a monthly webinar, Finish-Up Friday, beginning June 2 from noon to 12:30 p.m. EDT. The free, live webinars will focus on preparing the busy adult learner to return to college and complete their degree. Complete Florida is managed by the UWF Innovation Institute.
“Our live event will give adults the opportunity to speak with Complete Florida coaches about all that Complete Florida has to offer,” said Michelle Horton, Complete Florida enrollment and retention director. “Complete Florida is Florida’s gateway for adult learners to go back to college and complete their degree.”
The webinars will serve as informational and Q&A sessions, where adult learners can hear from Complete Florida staff to learn how to return to college to finish their degree. The value of a college education, financial aid help and pathways to a new career are just a few of the items that will be covered in these webinars.
The Finish-Up Friday Webinar is a free, online event funded by the state of Florida. To register or for more information, visit www.completeflorida.org.
About Complete Florida
 Complete Florida is a state of Florida initiative to recruit and retain the state’s 3 million adults who have some college but no degree. Partnering with public and private higher education institutions in Florida, Complete Florida provides one-on-one planning, support and coaching for students with adult responsibilities. Dedicated coaches work alongside students as personal advocates, counselors and advisors while participants complete college courses 100% online. For more information, visit www.completeflorida.org.
About the UWF Innovation Institute
The Innovation Institute is a division of the University of West Florida. The Innovation team, founded around the principles of extreme collaboration, high energy, deep research and innovative thinking are focused on solving significant educational challenges. One of the cornerstones of the Institute is its focus on being a “Thought Leader” in education – creating and implementing innovative tools, programs and resources to the advancement of education and learning.