New Rider Program Increases Access to Cybersecurity Degree
Rider University recently secured a $66,500 grant from Northeastern University that will go toward implementing a technical bridge program for Rider’s master’s program in cybersecurity. The program, Inclusive On-Ramp to Cyber@RiderU, will allow students with a bachelor’s degree in any field to study cybersecurity.
Elizabeth Hawthorne, program director for the master’s program in cybersecurity, says a bridge program is crucial to fill a projected gap in cybersecurity workers.
“According to workforce statistics, there are 3.5 million cybersecurity professionals needed by 2025,” she says. “The program will help bridge that urgent workforce gap by providing students who did not study cybersecurity or computer science at the undergraduate level with the foundational skills needed to succeed at the master’s level.”
The program is set to begin in fall, 2023, and will include online self-paced modules supervised by a faculty member. Depending on a student’s undergraduate major, the program will take approximately six to 12 weeks to complete.
“The program is open to anyone with a bachelor’s degree and a sincere desire to pursue a rewarding career in cybersecurity,” Hawthorne says. “Students who graduate with a master’s in cybersecurity will have an abundance of opportunities for them after they graduate with average salaries near or over $100,000.”
As a cyber forensic expert, Hawthorne teaches her students how to both thwart cybercrimes and investigate the ones that do occur.
“Cybersecurity students will have the technical skills to ‘lift the hood’ off a computing system, so to speak, to find the digital smoking gun,” she says.
Hawthorne joined Rider in 2020 as an adjunct assistant professor of computer science and cybersecurity before becoming the full-time director of the online master’s program in cybersecurity. In addition to teaching at Rider, she is a distinguished educator of the Association for Computing Machinery, the world’s largest educational and scientific computing society, and a charter member of the nonprofit organization Women in Cybersecurity.
Rider offers a bachelor’s program and fully online master’s program in cybersecurity. For more information about the bridge program, contact Hawthorne at ehawthorne@rider.edu. To learn more about the master’s program, visit rider.edu/cybersecurity.
Management Moves
The Institute for Advanced Study has appointed Stephen Ackley-Ortiz as its new chief development officer, effective August 8. Ackley-Ortiz was most recently director of development at Yale Law School, where he oversaw all individual giving programs. Since 2004, he has held several leadership positions in the school’s office of development, from planned and principal giving to alumni engagement.
“Stephen is a versatile leader and an attentive mentor with a remarkable track record of success in development,” said IAS director David Nirenberg. “He has deep and broad expertise in many aspects of engagement and campaign planning, and is in addition a warm colleague and interlocutor. I am delighted that Stephen is joining our community in its collective stewardship of the Institute and look forward to nourishing together the Institute’s growth into its second century.”
At the Institute Ackley-Ortiz will lead the advancement team and enact a comprehensive program to support IAS in its mission to expand fundamental knowledge and foster global collaboration across disciplines.
“I am deeply honored to be joining the Institute for Advanced Study and excited to have the opportunity to partner with David Nirenberg at the outset of his directorship,” said Ackley-Ortiz. “I look forward to working closely with the entire IAS community to help advance the mission of this extraordinary institution.”
Ackley-Ortiz earned his undergraduate degree at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and earned his master’s in Spanish and Portuguese from Yale University. He received a J.D. from Yale Law, and worked in private practice in Connecticut before beginning his administrative career in development.
Deaths
Arthur A. Arena, 88, on July 29. He was a polymer chemist at companies including Thiokol Corp. in Trenton, Amtico in Princeton, and Stauffer Chemical in Yardville. He held patents for UV resistant vinyl film used in medical blood bags and for flame-retardant materials used for life jackets.
Michael L. Manduca, 96, on July 31. A U.S. Navy veteran, he was the first school psychologist in Mercer County, serving six different schools until he become director of special services for the East Windsor Regional School District in the late 1950s.
Rosanne G. Gail Cimino, 74, on August 1. With her husband, Skip, she was co-owner of Ciminos Lawrence Carpet Shop from 1981 to 1999. She was active in Democratic politics in Hamilton Township and Mercer County. She also served as president of Sayen House and Gardens and worked on the Robert Wood Johnson Hamilton Annual Gala.
Natale Gigliotti, 84, on August 2. He was a baker and manager of Barbero’s Bakery in Trenton for 26 years, then opened his own bakery, Franca Bakery, which he ran with his sons for 35 years.
Michael D. Farley, 73, on July 30. He was a licensed machinist with US Steel and General Motors.
