In August 2025, Slippery Rock University’s cybersecurity program earned a NCAE-C (National Centers for Academic Excellence in Cybersecurity) recognition. This recognized that SRU’s program is of top quality and properly trains future professionals for the job market.
Dr. Nitin Sukhija, SRU cybersecurity professor and leading voice in cybersecurity was also recognized for his outstanding work. Sukhija received a trusted CI fellowship, only ten individuals were selected by the NSF Cybersecurity Center of Excellence to receive this fellowship. Sukhija was selected after over 20 years of experience in cybersecurity focused on performance modeling, robustness and resilience analysis, cybersecurity, cyber analytics, and big data analytics.
Cybersecurity Classroom
In early February this year, Sukhija was published in Voice of PASSHE blog. Here, he detailed how he blends real-world skills with hands-on classroom time.
“As a key component of this strategy, students participate in real-world projects that encourage collaboration with peers to apply software development life-cycle processes and methodologies, including artificial intelligence, to identify common programming errors and evaluate software testing tools,” Sukhija wrote. “This project-centric approach consists of multiple phases for designing and implementing software assurance practices. As a result, students gain hands-on experience, integrating AI into their projects—ranging from coding to theoretical threat modeling—using real or synthetic datasets for pattern recognition and automated defense.”
Sukhija stresses that, while cybersecurity is a technical field, teamwork, adaptability and upskilling are key aspects of a successful cybersecurity professional.
“These other skills help students build analytical foundations, foster relationships, and develop leadership abilities, enabling them to make strategic decisions to overcome complex real-time challenges. Consequently, this makes them more resilient in the face of industry demands and changes,” he wrote.
In the same blog, Liam McElligott, cybersecurity major and president of SRU’s Cyberspace Club, was quoted as saying, “SRU’s cybersecurity program bridged the gap between theory and practice for me. Between the comprehensive curriculum—covering malware analysis and risk assessment—and the opportunity to compete in the DOE (Department of Education) CyberSource Challenge, I’ve gained a massive competitive edge. The combination of classroom learning, club collaboration and my internship has been the defining factor in my professional development.”
Cybersecurity Job Market
According to the organization Cyber Seek, between Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Virginia, there are an estimated 100,301 openings for cybersecurity professionals. In Pittsburgh alone, there are 3,247 total job openings for cybersecurity professionals. The majority of these jobs are in oversight and governance, design and development, or implantation and operation.
In Pennsylvania alone, ransomware and other attacks are on the rise. Last year, Pennsylvania attorney general Dave Sunday was the victim of an attack leading to case delays and the take down of other critical systems. During this time, all civil trial litigation was on hold, and criminal matters were postponed as well.
Within Pittsburgh, one of the largest industries is also the most digitally-attacked: healthcare. With over 161 attacks on the healthcare sector alone in 2025, it has remained the most vulnerable sector since 2020. UPMC alone has been victim of multiple data breaches, notably in 2023, when up to 25,000 patient’s had their personal information released.
Cybersecurity programs like that at SRU provide more than just future careers. They are training the next line of defense between hackers and your personal data.
