AROUND CAMPUS
Poulsbo's Cyber Warriors OC’S PARTNERSHIP WITH WWU MEETS GROWING DEMAND FOR COMPUTER SECURITY EXPERTS
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n the escalating battle against hackers, data breaches and ransomware attacks, an unassuming stack of computer servers at Olympic College is playing a surprisingly important role.
Dubbed Cyber Range Poulsbo, the setup allows students to experiment with viruses, malware, system attacks and other cyber threats in a contained way, separate from other computer networks and the internet. “If we’re teaching them how to protect a network from attack, they need to know how to attack a network,” said Erik Fretheim, director of Information Systems Security for Western Washington University, which partners with OC to provide bachelor’s degrees in cybersecurity at OC Poulsbo. The servers, donated by Boeing, make up one of only nine educational cyber ranges in the country and the only one in Washington state. Fretheim
likens it to the glove boxes researchers use when handling deadly germs or hazardous materials. Lab workers put their hands into gloves through sealed holes in the boxes to work with potentially lethal agents. The workers are protected and so is the public.
We’re trusting a lot of our future to them. Western’s cybersecurity program is in its infancy, with 27 students at the main campus in Bellingham and two enrolled in Poulsbo. Because of unprecedented
industry demand, Fretheim expects those numbers to grow rapidly. The program graduated its first three cyber warriors last year and all quickly filled jobs that didn’t exist before they were hired. “Our experience with our graduates so far is that they’re going places where nobody’s ever been before.” He estimates there are about 200,000 unfilled cybersecurity jobs in the United States and expects that number to leapfrog to two million within five to seven years. In addition to OC, Western is partnering with four other Washington community colleges – Edmonds, Highline, Peninsula and Whatcom – to fill some
OC PARTNERSHIPS & DEGREES OC students can earn more than a dozen bachelor’s degrees without leaving Kitsap County, many through partnerships with other state higher education institutions. Here’s a breakdown: WESTERN WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY – A bachelor’s in early childhood education was approved by the state Legislature this spring, making it the newest four-year degree to be offered through OC’s collaboration with Western. The university offers classes at OC’s Bremerton and Poulsbo campuses through its Western on the Peninsulas program. Degrees include business administration, elementary and special education, environmental policy, environmental science and human services. Aspiring education leaders can also earn a master’s in education and certifications for principals and superintendents. WASHINGTON STATE UNIVERSITY – In this 2+2 program, OC students first complete an engineering associate’s degree, then earn their bachelor’s in mechanical or electrical engineering from WSU on the Bremerton campus. The program was created to help meet a high demand for engineers from Puget Sound Naval Shipyard.
P. 5 OLYMPIC COLLEGE ALUMNI ASSOCIATION
