9 What changes are anticipated to enhance or strengthen this program over the next five years? What is the driving force for the anticipated changes?
- With COVID rescinding and the name change to the Cybersecurity program we are anticipating the enrollment numbers to rise in both the CITE and Cybersecurity programs. The name change is now Cybersecurity InfoSec & Administration. This name connects with the current industry language.
- After researching the request from our TAC to implement Microsoft 365, we will have to make some program course adjustments to take full advantage of the change. Again, we look to our TAC to help us add and remove courses or parts of courses every year.
- Getting our instructional staff back up to full strength (3 instructors) is our short-term goal at this time. We are currently down to one full-time instructor and one adjunct instructor. This semester we are going through the hiring process, and it seems positive in the applicant pool. Instructors pay being not as high as industry and accreditation issues are two of the causes for this situation and hopefully these change in the near future.
- We do have three Ph.D. graduate students helping this fall for the cybersecurity program in Linux and Python. This is part of the MOU North Idaho College has with University of Idaho that the President created as a new collaboration.
- Getting the college’s “Show Cause” designation removed. The CITE/Cybersecurity programs have nothing to do with this. But if NIC can get our status changed enrollment and expansion of the program should follow.