From Classroom to Cyber Defense: Marist University Partners With Sentricus
Marist recently partnered with Sentricus, a nationwide cybersecurity firm providing students with hands-on learning opportunities. Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko, Pexels
In October, Marist University announced a partnership between its School of Computer Science and Mathematics with Sentricus, a leading national cybersecurity firm. This collaboration is expanding on opportunities for Marist cybersecurity students through the offering of internships, mentorships and hands-on experiential learning, preparing them for careers in the rapidly evolving cybersecurity field.
The partnership came about from a connection rooted in Marist’s alumni network. “Marist was contacted by one of our alums, Phaelan Koock ‘19, who studied cybersecurity, and who was working with Sentricus,” explained Director of Cybersecurity at Marist, Casimer DeCusatis. “He was aware of their interest in education and academic research, so he suggested that a partnership with Marist would be a good fit.”
This idea sparked many conversations between the firm and Marist, including a full-day visit last summer with the Dean of the School of Computer Science and Mathematics, Ron Buckmire, and the Sentricus founders and executive team.
This visit helped solidify the agreement between the two, an agreement that Marist hopes will serve as a template for future industry collaborations.
Marist’s long-standing partnership with IBM served as a model of sorts for the development of the Sentricus partnership. “Our relationship with IBM has provided a fantastic blueprint for future partnerships, such as the one with Sentricus, to provide students with industry experience, research publications, and job contacts,” DeCusatis added.
This partnership is one of many being organized by Professor Dominick Foti, the director of strategic partnerships and academic alliances at Marist. “Sentricus is just one of many companies we’re engaging with at different levels to build a strong ecosystem of industry partners across different market sectors,” Foti explained.
A significant feature of the partnership between Marist and Sentricus is the creation of “The Marist Cybersecurity Fox’s Den,” a student-co-hosted podcast that will cover cybersecurity trends, interviews with industry experts and other tips to support skill-building.
The goal is not to have students merely observe, but to have them actively participate, as they will be able to meet with podcast guests, discuss their work and gain guidance on their career paths.
Another point of interest within Sentricus’ work is the future of AI in the industry, which students can take part in and learn more about as developments unfold, complementing the new minor in Applied AI that Marist began offering this fall.
“Partnerships such as these will allow us to train our students to be adaptable in an increasingly complex and changing technical landscape,” DeCusatis explained.
Through their partnership, Sentricus will also be sponsoring senior capping projects, which will operate like “LITE internships.” Students will be able to work on real industry problems and meet with the Sentricus team to discuss their progress and disseminate the results within the company and industry at large.
“These opportunities [...] allow students to be more competitive when applying for prestigious internships at other organizations,” DeCusatis added.
Aside from their work with Marist students, Sentricus also contributed to the success of the first annual Marist Computing Conference (MCC) on Nov. 7, which drew over 200 attendees. The event featured a presentation from one of Sentricus’ industry partners, along with student technical research presentations and poster sessions, during which Sentricus and other companies judged the students' work.
As the cybersecurity industry becomes increasingly competitive, faculty believe the partnership will help students stand out in the field.
“Through this partnership, students are exposed to practical, hands-on issues in the cybersecurity landscape. We bring Marist students into the world, and the world to Marist, by partnering with companies on the leading edge of cybersecurity research and deployment,” said DeCusatis.
With growing industry ties and opportunities for students to gain hands-on experience, Marist’s partnership with Sentricus marks a significant step in Marist’s commitment to experiential learning and preparing students for their lives post-graduation.