Fortune magazine ranks RMU 8th out of 20 universities in its inaugural Best Online Master’s Programs in Cybersecurity. The ranking is based on the average undergraduate GPA of its enrolled students; acceptance, retention, and graduation rates; and the size of the most recent graduating class.
Members of the Top Secret Colonials (TSC) collectively donated $1,000 to a scholarship fund at RMU. Pictured below are members of TSC presenting a check to Dr. Karen Paullet. The donation was given to the Craig Paullet Making a Difference Scholarship Fund which helps students in Computer Information Systems (CIS) majors who are academically talented and economically challenged. The scholarship fund honors Dr. Paullet’s late brother, Craig Paullet, by making a difference in the lives of students who might not otherwise be able to pursue their educational goals. This generous donation from this group of students will help a future CIS student pursue their academic career.
Reed Hastings, founder and co-CEO of Netflix, will give $3 million to Robert Morris University to fund 20 full scholarships — including room, board, and textbooks — beginning with students entering the university in the fall of 2021.
The RMU Next Century Scholarships will be open to applicants from underrepresented groups and others who demonstrate a commitment to empowering members of underrepresented groups, and are aimed at students who wish to pursue careers in technology or mathematics-related fields. Recipients will be able to choose from several degree programs at RMU, including:
Excerpt taken from the full article, which can be found here:
https://www.rmu.edu/about/news/netflix-founder-fund-20-full-scholarships-robert-morris-university
Dr. Peter Draus was the recipient of the 2021 Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference (TRETC) Innovation in Education Award! The theme of this year’s TRETC Conference was Next Level EDTECH.
Dr. Draus was nominated for the award by an RMU student, Danielle Wicklund (’20), now a graduate of RMU, having earned her BS in Business Administration (Accounting) and MS in Cybersecurity and Information Assurance in December 2020 via RMU’s 4+1 program. Ms. Wicklund noted that “During this challenging semester, Dr. Draus went above and beyond his methods of teaching and made online learning interesting & enjoyable. Thus, I nominated him and submitted a letter of recommendation.”
The application for the award included a video that was produced by Ms. Wicklund and Dr. Draus. During the closing ceremony at the TRETC Conference on January 18, 2021, the video was showcased as Dr. Draus was announced as the recipient of the Professor – Innovation in Education Award. The video that was showcased can be viewed here:
Ms. Wicklund commented about the award, “Aside from acknowledging Dr. Draus’ mentorship skills, it also reflects the high caliber of professors at RMU (specifically in the Department of Computer and Information Systems and School of Informatics, Humanities, and Social Sciences). This award is for the Colonial nation. I am proud to be an RMU alum.”
Congratulations, Dr. Peter Draus, on this stellar accomplishment!
RMU was named as one of Learn.org’s 2020 Best Online Cyber Security Bachelor’s Degree Programs, ranking in at #7:
https://learn.org/articles/best_online_schools_for_cyber_security.html
You can learn more about RMU’s Cybersecurity B.S. program here:
https://www.rmu.edu/academics/undergraduate/cybersecurity-bs
Congratulations to Dr. Ping Wang!
The Computer Information Systems (CIS) Department has received a grant from the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD). This grant will establish a new DoD Cyber Scholarship Program (CySP) at RMU to recruit and prepare cyber talent for the DoD cyber workforce and to enhance the national pipeline for qualified cyber professionals. The grant funding provides support for three (3) graduate student scholarships and for faculty research on cybersecurity education and mentoring. Students graduating from the CySP program will be placed and serve professional positions of cybersecurity within DoD agencies.
This award was possible as RMU is designated as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense Education (CAE-CDE) by NSA/DHS. This designation must be in good standing to apply for this competitive grant.
Dr. Ping Wang is the Principal Investigator (PI) of this grant project. The project period is 12 months and the grant is valued at $243,465. For 2020-21, three students have been awarded this scholarship. Each student will receive $68,660 (to cover full tuition & fees, living stipend, laptop computer, and textbook allowance) and is eligible to take up to 18 credits per semester.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Wang!
In the published 2020-2021 school year rankings from Learn.org, Robert Morris University has been ranked #7 on the list of the Best Online Cyber Security Bachelor’s Degree Programs.
The Top Secret Colonials’ 48-hour Gaming Marathon in underway (April 17-19, 2020). This year, the marathon is being held virtually since the COVID-19 pandemic does not allow for it to be held on campus. You can find out more about the event and how you can participate here:
rmu.edu/tsc
The Top Secret Colonials have been hosting this event for seven years. They normally raise money for various children’s charities, but this year, the group decided to raise money for an organization that is helping the people of Pittsburgh during this pandemic – The Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank.
The Tribune Review has published an article featuring this great event that has already raised over $3,000 for this cause! Read the article here:
https://triblive.com/local/pittsburgh-allegheny/robert-morris-students-raise-money-for-food-bank-with-gaming-marathon/
Even if you do not want to participate in the gaming marathon, you can still contribute to the cause by donating directly to the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank using the event’s GoFundMe page. You can donate here:
https://www.gofundme.com/f/48-hour-virtual-gaming-marathon
Well done, Top Secret Colonials!
Members of the Top Secret Colonials (TSC) won 3rd place in the Student Government Association (SGA) Shark Tank competition. They won $2000 to host an event for charity in the Fall 2020 semester. Pictured from left to right are: Taylor Passerini, Nathan Sullivan, Evan Kinney, and Taylor Priore. Pictured at right is Zaithwa Gwaza, SGA President, presenting the team with the check.
This is the 4th year in a row that the club has won 1st, 2nd or 3rd place in the SGA Shark Tank competition. Each year they host a campus-wide event to raise money for a charity. This year, the students will once again host a Comedy Night in which they will raise money for the Stanley Marks Blood Cancer Fund for Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. This coming year, students will have the opportunity to compete to be the opening act of the headliner. TSC will hold an open mic night a week prior to the event where they will be asking students, faculty, and staff to be the judges. The winners will open at the main event to raise money for Hodgkins Lymphoma.
Congratulations, Top Secret Colonials! This is a great accomplishment, and will benefit another great cause.
Intelligent.com, a trusted resource for online degree rankings and higher education planning, announced their Top 30 Master’s in Internet Security Degree Programs for 2020. Robert Morris University made the list for our Master’s in Cyber Security and Information Assurance. This ranking was based on an assessment of 191 accredited colleges and universities in the nation. Each program was evaluated based on curriculum quality, graduation rate, reputation, and post-graduate employment.
CIS @ RMU 