A new partnership that will train civilians and soldiers in cyber security has opened its doors to area residents to provide information about a career path that aids in the defense of the country.
Ivy Tech Community College and the Indiana National Guard are partnering on an 11-month program, the Ivy Tech Muscatatuck Cyber Academy, which allows students to earn an associate degree in cyber security. Classes will be taught at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center, located in Butlerville in Jennings County, where cyber warfare training is a part of the readiness exercises performed at an installation that resembles a small town.
“This is a one-of-a-kind-course,” said Randy Proffitt, Ivy Tech vice chancellor of enrollment services. “This is the first of its kind and there is nothing like it in the nation and probably not even in the world.”
Civilians were welcomed to “Cybertropolis” during a May 5 open house at Muscatatuck Urban Training Center (MUTC). It allowed attendees to learn more and apply for the program that will begin in August.
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MUTC is an ideal site for the cyber security program because of what the unique facility offers, said Capt. Jesse Bien, spokeswoman for the Indiana National Guard.
“We are often called ‘Cybertropolis’ because Muscatatuck has a real-world environment designed to train for a response to a virtual war threat,” Bien said. “We now have to train for what is called total war. Almost all of our civilian community’s vital systems are computerized now and are subject to attack by virtual hackers. We must train people to prevent, defend and counter those attacks.”
MUTC, which is operated by the Indiana National Guard, once was a self-contained state hospital that served patients with mental illness. The campus spanned about 1,000 acres and contained facilities such as schools, churches, commercial buildings, residences, small buildings and large multi-level buildings.
The hospital closed in 2001, and the Indiana National Guard purchased the grounds in 2005 to operate a realistic urban training environment. Later additions included facilities to train for cyber or virtual warfare circumstances.
Members of all military branches, government employees, first responders and police agencies use the MUTC to train to react to natural and man-made disasters, and cyber warfare.
“Working with real-world examples of how a cyber attack can affect our computerized systems gives a cyber attack responder the experience of melding their cyber training into a real-world experience, ” MUTC Commander Lt. Col. Chris Mabis said.
Opportunity for good pay
The Ivy Tech Muscatatuck Cyber Academy prepares a graduate for an entry-level position at a civilian company or agency at a salary ranging from $40,000 to $60,000, said Louis Vician, Ivy Tech assistant professor of software development.
“This is not an easy course. It is challenging and very aggressive, intense. And it will require work outside of the daily class schedule,” said Connie Chasteen, an assistant instructor in Ivy Tech’s School of Computing and Informatics.
“Math competency is important to successfully complete the course, but advanced computer training is not a requirement,” she said.
Forty civilian students will be accepted into the academy, which will be administered by Ivy Tech. Students will attend eight hours of classes five days a week in a building formerly used as a school. They will live for free at MUTC, in a building that is similar to a college dormitory, Vician said.
Cost of the program is estimated at $8,000 to $11,000, Vician said.
An associate degree in cyber security normally requires two years of study at Ivy Tech, and typically costs nearly twice as much as the 11-month MUTC course, Vician said.
Students in the program are eligible for grants and scholarships, as they are with any Ivy Tech courses.
Spaces are still available for the first class of students, who must pass a background check, said Chelsie Shaull, Ivy Tech’s assistant director of admissions.
Showing interest
During the open house, about 80 attendees roamed across the MUTC campus to get a feel for it and see the facilities where they could possibly live and study. The sound of gunfire filled the air as U.S. Marines trained in a nearby area.
Jennings County High School senior Karson Spurgeon took the walking tour with his mother Barbara Day and younger sister Chloe.
“I have decided I am going to do this,” said Spurgeon. who had learned about the program from his vice principal.
“He really made up his mind about this before we even came here today, but he said he thought he would live at home and commute until he saw how nice the dorm rooms are,” Day said. “Now, he says he wants to live here, too. I am just so glad he is even considering coming here because it will save so much money and he will be able to get a real job when he is finished.”
After the facility tour and information sessions, Seymour resident Noah Newton said he has decided to enroll in the course even though he already holds a degree in criminal justice.
“I’ve learned that police work isn’t for me, but this looks more than perfect,” Newton said.
The U.S. Army has added a new career field to deal with cyber threats and safety, said National Guard member Darius Mpinga, of Indianapolis, who added that he plans to enlist in the course to change his career field to the new Cyber 17 series of Military Occupational Skill.
“The cyber field is very important to protect our nation and I want to be a part of that. Also, the field is wide open and there is room for personal advancement,” Mpinga said.
Connersville resident Diaz Sanchez, an active member of the Indiana National Guard and a husband and father, said he was interested in enrolling in the course. However, he said he wanted to make sure he could take the course and still support his family.
Standing nearby, an Indiana National Guard recruiter was quick to point out that the course is eligible for total reimbursement from the National Guard.
“Any Guard member in good standing is eligible for reimbursement for this course. And if a person who isn’t in the Guard would like to join, there are at least 10 different areas they can enlist in and receive a $20,000 bonus,” National Guard recruiter Sgt. Jesse Stuart said.
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For more information about the new Ivy Tech Muscatatuck Cyber Academy, call Chelsie Shaull, Ivy Tech’s assistant director of admissions, at 812-374-5117, or go online at ivytech.edu/cyber-security.
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