Six new universities and colleges are joining the Office of the Director of National Intelligence’s (ODNI) Intelligence Community Centers for Academic Excellence (IC CAE) program that aims to boost the intel workforce and recruit future intelligence professionals.
The IC CAE program, launched in 2007, provides grants for schools to build a skilled talent pipeline for national security and intelligence careers through research opportunities, workshops, and intelligence-related courses.
The program’s latest additions include the Arizona State University, Chicago State University in partnership with Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana, Metropolitan State University, Spelman College, the Southern University System in partnership with Grambling State University, and the University of New Mexico, according to the Dec. 27 announcement.
“ODNI is thrilled to welcome these schools and their talented students to the IC CAE program. It has been incredible to expand the program to include more schools and broaden the talent pool for the future Intelligence Community,” said Assistant Director of National Intelligence for Human Capital Cynthia Snyder in a statement.
“At its inception, the grant focused solely on the development of national security curriculum,” she continued. “Today, grant recipients can choose from among four different curriculum pathways: national security, foreign language, STEM, or an integrated approach combining national security, STEM, and foreign language.”
The program also places a focus on engaging students at “ethnically and geographically diverse schools,” according to ODNI.
Participants are awarded five years of funding for program development, with the option to secure an additional four years to support long-term program sustainability.
Since the program’s inception, over 80 schools have joined IC CAE.
