MIAMI, Nov. 21, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- St. Thomas University (www.stu.edu) announced November 17, 2014 the creation of the Gary Goldbloom Endowed Chair in Cybersecurity, enabling the University to offer undergraduate and graduate degrees in cybersecurity as early as 2015.
The Identity Theft Resource Center reports that there have been almost 82 million data records breached so far in 2014. Almost 80% of the records breached were related to businesses. Notable incidents include the theft of Home Depot files containing approximately 53 million email addresses, and JP Morgan Chase's data compromise that impacted approximately 76 million households and seven million small businesses. Just last week the United States Postal Service announced that a cyber attack affected 800,000 employees and a still undetermined number of customers that contacted their call center this year.
Recognizing the need for individuals skilled in detecting and preventing data breaches, St. Thomas University is launching an undergraduate and graduate program focused on Cybersecurity. Unlike programs that focus solely on technical aspects of cybersecurity, this multi-disciplinary degree will be sponsored by the School of Business, and include coursework in criminal justice, as well as information technology. The master's program will be available by early 2015, followed by the undergraduate degree.
The Gary Goldbloom Distinguished Chair in Cybersecurity will allow St. Thomas University to hire an industry expert in this burgeoning field. As the issue of data security is impacting businesses around the world, the new program was announced during the University's Global Entrepreneurship Week Kick-off Event.
"St. Thomas University will be the first local university to offer this innovative program that addresses regional, national and global needs," said University President Monsignor Franklyn Casale. "We are most grateful to the generosity of one of our Trustees and a most successful business leader in South Florida, Gary Goldbloom, who made this possible."
About St. Thomas University
The only Catholic Archdiocesan-sponsored University in Florida, St. Thomas University places an institutional emphasis on social justice and ethical behavior. The University offers more than forty-five undergraduate, graduate, and post-graduate degrees at its 144 acre campus in Miami Gardens, Florida, and through distance learning, including one of the oldest (and highly ranked) undergraduate programs in Sports Administration in the Country. Approximately 90% of the faculty holds the highest degree in their fields and the university provides its diverse student body with low student/teacher ratios. The STU School of Law boasts one of the most culturally diverse student bodies in the country, ranking at the top among all ABA-approved law schools in the proportion of Hispanic students, and sixth among African-American students. STU is one of the only law schools in the nation with a Human Rights Institute and offers a joint M.B.A.-J.D. in Accounting, International Business, Marriage and Family Counseling, and Sports Administration.
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SOURCE St. Thomas University
