DOD CIO Taps 5 Universities for ASCEND Finale

The Department of Defense (DOD) Chief Information Officer (CIO) will host the finale of its ASCEND “Shark Tank”-style competition on May 1, where five finalists will present their proposals to a panel of DOD experts.

Under the Trump administration, the DOD was rebranded as the Department of War.

The five finalists selected are:

• University of Maine at Augusta
• Anderson University
• University of Wisconsin-Stout
• North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University
• San Jose State University

The ASCEND initiative – short for Aligned Skills Curriculum and Experiential Network Design – was launched last month by the DOD’s Cyber Academic Engagement Office to align university-level cybersecurity education with the DOD’s Cyber Workforce Framework.

The challenge was not open to all of academia, but specifically for universities and colleges designated by the National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity.

The competition aimed to find “the most forward-thinking educational models in [artificial intelligence] and cyber security,” DOD said, emphasizing the need for “groundbreaking entry-level curriculum.”

The top three teams will receive cash prizes and could see their designs serve as the foundation for a future DOD solicitation aimed at building scalable learning frameworks nationwide.

Expanding the Cyber Talent Pipeline

Separately, the DOD CIO also announced the designation of 28 new universities as National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity during the annual National Centers of Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity Community Symposium.

DOD did not offer specifics on which universities were selected.

The newly designated institutions join a network of more than 490 schools nationwide. The program recognizes academic excellence across several focus areas, including cyber defense, cyber operations, cyber research, and a newly introduced category, cyber artificial intelligence.

Officials said the expansion is part of a broader effort to strengthen the nation’s cybersecurity workforce and address growing demand for skilled professionals in both defense and industry sectors.