SIOUX FALLS, S.D. (KELO) – With South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem tapped to lead the Department of Homeland Security in President-elect Donald Trump’s cabinet, could Dakota State University become a national player for cybersecurity?
University President José-Marie Griffiths says their cybersecurity research is already making waves across the country, but a voice in Washington that’s familiar with DSU’s work would be beneficial.
“She was very interested and intrigued in what we were doing and how we taught cybersecurity and how our programs evolve over time,” Griffiths said about Noem’s involvement with the school. “So yeah, being in that position, there might be a connection there, I’m sure.”
As Secretary of Homeland Security, Noem would be in charge of border security, federal law enforcement training, secret service and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency.
DSU’s laboratories focus on research in cybersecurity, cyberdefense, digital forensics, Artificial Intelligence and other areas of advancing technology. They also work with businesses and government agencies to protect their data.
“It’s a combination of going in and assessing the vulnerabilities they have, doing some penetration testing, seeing if we can break their systems, giving them training,” Griffiths explained. “Helping businesses and governments in South Dakota is a lot of the research we do.”
Shortly after Noem was elected as South Dakota governor in 2019, she gave the keynote address at DSU’s National Security Agency conference. Griffiths said Noem learned more about the research at the university, which could come in handy for Noem when she’s in Washington.
“She became quite intrigued, I think, and she’s been very supportive of everything that Dakota State has done, including the fact that we want to start building more of a cyber research industry in this part of the country,” Griffiths added.
A byproduct of Noem’s national appointment could mean a larger spotlight shone on South Dakota for cybersecurity and enrollment could increase from states farther away. However, Griffiths said enrollment at DSU, especially in their cybersecurity programs, has continued to increase since they introduced them 20 years ago.
Although DSU already works closely with DHS and the National Security Agency, Griffiths thinks “having an additional voice in Washington and around the country knowing what we do” at DSU, wouldn’t hurt.
