Riverside City College has been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense by the National Security Agency and the Department of Homeland Security. Additionally, the institution being designated as a CAE, the cybersecurity certificate program entitled Information Security and Cyber Defense has been validated by the National Security Agency. Riverside City College is the only two-year institution in the region to receive this designation and just one of seven in the state of California. Karen Leuschner, National CAE Program manager of the National Security Agency, said that the College’s program “will serve the nation well in contributing to the protection of the nation’s information infrastructure.” Riverside City College’s program usually has 300 students enrolled in the program across multiple sections. The program, which has articulation agreements with four-year institutions as well as K-12 partners, is part of the state registered apprenticeship program and has 18 students active in either an internship or apprenticeship.