If you follow current events at all – and I’m sure you do – you know that in our ever more digital, ever more networked world, there is no security without cybersecurity. Cyber attacks take place all day, every day – on people, businesses, government agencies, national political parties, you name it – and the consequences of just one attack succeeding can be devastating. This vulnerability poses a serious threat to our economy, our way of life, and to our collective security.

That’s why cybersecurity is a central component of The UT Network for National Security, one of the Quantum Leaps included in our plan for the UT System. As with so many of the Quantum Leaps, the challenge before us is formidable, but so are the strengths The UT System has at its disposal to tackle.

UT Arlington, UT Austin, UT Dallas, UT El Paso, UT San Antonio, and UT Tyler are all tailoring academic and research efforts to understand and anticipate cyber threats, and to give their students the kind of cutting-edge, contribute-on-day-one-of-the-job training employers of all stripes are calling for.

I have written previously in this space about the collaborative, Team of Teams approach I think is essential to tackling big, complex challenges. The work our institutions are doing on cybersecurity is a perfect example of this principle in action: these institutions are sharing and networking like never before – responding to, and learning from, each new development in this fast-changing field together.

They are also, very importantly, collaborating with government and the private sector. Just to cite one very recent example, UT San Antonio is collaborating with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and a private firm to create software to thwart people inside an organization from stealing data. Most people think of cyber attacks as coming from the outside, but insider threats are a big problem too. For example, better theft detection tools might have prevented Edward Snowden from leaking highly-classified government documents.

As the cyber threat has grown, so, naturally, has interest in the world of academia. In 2005, when UTSA hosted the National Collegiate Cyber Defense Competition, five teams from around Texas competed. In the years since, that competition has grown to include 200 teams from all over the country. And among those watching the action are recruiters from government, the military and businesses looking to hire the best and brightest cyber warriors.

One of our most fundamental goals as a System is to put our students on a path to a rewarding career. And it’s hard to think of a more promising path right now than cybersecurity. The demand for educated cyber professionals is far greater than the supply. According to TEK Systems, an IT staffing firm, there are roughly 400,000 cybersecurity jobs in North America and just 70,000 professionals to fill them. It’s a seller’s market for talent!

It’s worth noting that as we address the shortage of cybersecurity pros, we are helping launch new businesses, stimulating local economies. An often overlooked benefit of having a great university in a town is the catalytic effect of a steady stream of imaginative, creative, energetic – and, of course, educated -- men and women pouring into the local workforce.

Thanks in part to UTSA’s program, San Antonio is now home to more than 200 cybersecurity companies, and is second only to Washington, DC when it comes to jobs in this fast growing industry.

The cybersecurity threat is real and growing. But so is the opportunity we have to give our students a skill that is highly marketable, while addressing an urgent societal need. Working together, we are going to make the most of that opportunity, on behalf of our students and our country.

Thanks for reading. I’ll write again soon.