July 28th, 2008 - For the 2008-2009 school year, the Computer Science department of the University of New Orleans has been awarded four scholarships by the Department of Defense Information Assurance Scholarship Program. The total amount of the grant is $110,756 and covers full tuition, a stipend, textbooks, and other essentials for the selected students.

The National Centers of Academic Excellence in Information Assurance Education (CAEIAE) and the CAE-Research (CAE-R) are outreach programs designed and operated initially by the National Security Agency (NSA) in the spirit of Presidential Decision Directive 63, National Policy on Critical Infrastructure Protection, May 1998. The NSA and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in support of the President's National Strategy to Secure Cyberspace, February 2003, now jointly sponsor the program. The goal of the program is to reduce vulnerability in our national information infrastructure by promoting higher education in information assurance (IA), and producing a growing number of professionals with IA expertise in various disciplines. There are currently 93 Centers of Academic Excellence in the United States, covering 37 states and the District of Columbia. The University of New Orleans is the only designated CAEIAE in the State of Louisiana.

The Department of Defense scholarship program is very competitive. This year, 201 applications for new scholarships were received by the DoD, with only 46 scholarships offered. The University of New Orleans received 4 of these scholarships, or approximately 10% of those offered. Three of the four students accepted their scholarship: Anthony Lanasa (undergraduate, CS), Cory Redfern (graduate student, CS), and Jimmy Wylie (undergraduate, CS). These students receive funding to cover books, fees, and a stipend ($12,00 for undergraduates / $17,000 for graduates) to cover such things as room and board. In addition, these students have guaranteed jobs within the Department of Defense upon graduation. The Department of Computer Science congratulates these students on their selection during the 2008-2009 academic year.