New York, N.Y. (November 8, 2023) — Stella and Charles Guttman Community College has been awarded a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Early-Concept Grant for Exploratory Research (EAGER) for $197,000. The grant will support the innovative development of the College’s undergraduate Certificate in Cybersecurity and an Associate of Applied Science in Health Information Technology degree.
With funding from NSF, the College will work with its partners at the Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) to determine how to align the cybersecurity certificate program to the specialized workforce needs of the healthcare sector and the benefits to students and employers of a sector-specific cybersecurity workforce program.
Per NYC EDC, New York City is a global cybersecurity hub with a 60K-person cybersecurity workforce, more than 300 cybersecurity-dedicated companies and the most robust fundraising ecosystem in the world, ranging from pre-seed to the public markets. The sector’s growth is projected to continue, in large part due to the increasing complexity, frequency and cost of cyberattacks. According to Lightcast job posting analytics in the New York City metropolitan area, there were over 8,000 job postings in cybersecurity in the past year with an average salary of $138,000, and approximately 300 of those postings were in healthcare with an average salary of $109,800.
“Funding from NSF provides Guttman the opportunity to continue to promote access to livable wages and family sustaining careers for historically marginalized populations across New York City. Providing employers with skilled talent to meet the growing needs around technology in general, and cybersecurity specifically, is a win-win for Guttman and the city of New York. We are pleased to be partnering with the New York Hospital Association in this endeavor,” said Dr. Larry Johnson, president of Guttman Community College.
Guttman Information Technology faculty will work with industry partners to introduce more hands-on activities and experiential learning components into the curriculum. NSF support will allow Guttman to optimize its IT program while positioning the college to serve the greater New York area by upskilling and diversifying a critical sector of the workforce. Project deliverables will include:
- One specialized healthcare cybersecurity training program developed at Guttman;
- Four specialized cybersecurity sub-sector training programs developed at other education and training providers across New York City;
- One cybersecurity training provider portal/website created as a front door for use by NYC employers; and
- An increase in the number and satisfaction of employers who are working with Cyber NYC to find and develop cybersecurity talent in the city.
“Hospitals are critical community organizations with unique cybersecurity needs. They are actively seeking to hire staff with cybersecurity and health information technology expertise, and we look forward to working with Guttman Community College to develop curricula to help shape the educational experience of New York City’s future cybersecurity workforce,” said Tim Johnson, senior vice president of GNYHA.
The U.S. National Science Foundation is an independent federal agency that supports science and engineering in all 50 states and U.S. territories. NSF was established in 1950 by Congress to: Promote the progress of science. Advance the national health, prosperity, and welfare. Securethe national defense. We fulfill our mission chiefly by making grants. Our investments account for about 25% of federal support to America’s colleges and universities for basic research: research driven by curiosity and discovery. We also support solutions-oriented research with the potential to produce advancements for the American people. The EAGER funding mechanism supports exploratory work in its early stages on untested, but potentially transformative, research ideas or approaches. This work could be considered especially “high risk, high payoff” in the sense that it involves radically different approaches, applies new expertise, or engages novel disciplinary or interdisciplinary perspectives.
Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA)is a dynamic, constantly evolving center for health care advocacy and expertise, but our core mission—helping hospitals deliver the finest patient care in the most cost-effective way—never changes. GNYHA is a trade association comprising nearly 280 member hospitals, health systems, and continuing care facilities in the metropolitan New York area, throughout New York State, and in New Jersey, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. GNYHA uses its policy expertise, vast analytical tools, and uncommon resources to advocate for our members. From fighting for their interests in Washington and Albany to working with them to improve patient care to helping them prepare for and respond to emergencies, GNYHA works to ensure that our members have the tools to succeed.
Stella and Charles Guttman Community College was CUNY’s first new community college in more than forty years. Reimagining what community college could be, Guttman opened its doors in Manhattan in August 2012 to create a research-based, innovative model focused on moving students efficiently toward graduation. Offering associate degree programs in a nurturing environment, the College’s three-year graduation rate consistently surpasses the national average, and most graduates transfer to senior colleges. Guttman is federally designated as a Hispanic-serving institution and minority-serving institution with more than 85% of the student population identifying as Latine or Black/African American. The College was named the best community college in America in 2020 and the top community college in New York State for 2020, 2021 and 2022 by Niche.com and other ranking agencies.
