File photo.

Fresno State is joining a partnership with California State University, San Bernardino, and San Jose State to help address a critical shortage of cybersecurity professionals in California and the U.S.

“With over 55,000 cybersecurity jobs currently available in California and 572,000 in the U.S., and as technology like artificial intelligence emerges, we need to do our utmost to prepare today’s and future generations of cybersecurity professionals for the workforce,” said Dr. Keith Clement, Fresno State professor of criminology and the principal investigator, in a news release. 

The state-funded Cybersecurity Regional Alliances and Multistakeholder Partnerships Pilot Program awarded $4 million for the WorkForce Innovation Technology Hub (WITH-Cyber) program.

This program resulted from recent changes to the California Education Code via Assembly Bill 569, funded through June 2026. Fresno State and San Jose State each receive $1 million for the program, while the lead campus, San Bernardino, receives $2 million.

Bao Johri, Fresno State vice president for information technology and chief information officer; and Joy Goto, interim dean of the Division of Research and Graduate Studies, are both involved in planning the Fresno State hub program.

“Our graduate and undergraduate students and faculty are critical for tackling the constantly changing and real-world cybersecurity demands,” Goto said in a news release. “The CSU WITH-Cyber is a timely opportunity to expand Fresno State’s reach and prepare our students for this immediate regional, national, and international workforce need.”

The California State University’s Chancellor’s Office chose the three universities for the ongoing work in the field. 

Fresno State WITH-Cyber campus initiatives include an expansion of the campus Soft-Start IT-Cybersecurity Education and Workforce Development Collaborative in collaboration with partners at Fresno City College.

Other initiatives include:

• The cybersecurity graduate and undergraduate course and program development at Fresno State.
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• Collaboration and partnership with K-12 schools and districts, California Community College, California State University, and University of California campuses.
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• Fresno State cybersecurity workforce development projects like career fairs, internships, and apprenticeship opportunities.
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• The launch of a cybersecurity internship program for students this summer offers a valuable opportunity to develop their cybersecurity knowledge and skills to solve real-world challenges.
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• Education infrastructure capacity building, including statewide meetings and conferences, virtual cybersecurity labs, and a clearinghouse for cyber and AI education, research, service, and grant-writing opportunities to leverage campus cyber activities into the future. 

 

It’s not Fresno State’s first investment in the area of cybersecurity.

In August 2023, Fresno State partnered with Fresno City College to prepare at-risk students and low-income residents for careers in IT cybersecurity. 

The university received a $2.4 million grant from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s Connecting Minority Communities Pilot Program. 

The program was created with the goal of developing an innovative collaboration with stakeholders and partners to promote cybersecurity and emerging technology career education pipelines and pathways to build a skilled workforce.