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Universities urge maintaining cybersecurity funding as cuts loom
Summary
Representatives from seven Colorado universities and the National Cybersecurity Center told the committee SB 18‑086 funds tripled institutional investment and supported NSA CAE designations, but presenters warned announced cuts this year will reduce scholarships, internships and research momentum.
Seven higher‑education institutions and the nonprofit National Cybersecurity Center presented to the Joint Business Committee to report on outcomes from state funding under SB 18‑086 and to describe how proposed cuts would affect students and workforce pipelines.
What presenters said: Gretchen Bliss (UCCS Director of Cybersecurity Programs) described expanded enrollment, faculty growth and the university’s NSA Center of Academic Excellence designations, and said state funds helped leverage a tripling of matching funds and build national‑competitive research. CSU’s chief information security officer said programs have produced students with real‑world internship experience and that the state funding enabled research and faculty hires. Metro State, Pikes Peak State College, Western Colorado University, Colorado Mesa University and the National Cybersecurity Center gave similar accounts of enrollment growth, scholarship support, internship placements and outreach to K–12.
Concerns about cuts: Multiple presenters warned that reduced state support this year will slow pipeline growth, reduce scholarship availability and force program adjustments. Dean Andrea Borrego (MSU Denver) and others noted difficulty in tracking graduate employment rates across institutions and said more robust outcomes data would help assess program ROI. Bernadette Meisel (National Cybersecurity Center) said the nonprofit shifted to a more scalable public‑service model in response to funding cuts while maintaining outreach programs.
Why it matters: Colorado has a sizable cybersecurity workforce gap; institutions told the committee state funding helped create pathways for underrepresented students, veterans and rural learners. Presenters asked policymakers to weigh near‑term fiscal pressures against longer‑term workforce and security goals.
Sources and attribution: Quotes and program metrics were drawn from presentations by institutional representatives during the SMART Act hearing; direct quotes are attributed to the speakers as stated to the committee.
