Receiving the award are Drew Nichols - Lead Engineer GSOC, Chad Stroot - Lead Analyst GSOC, Rachelle Hall, Susan Campbell, and Tiffany Hernandez.
Glendale Community College (GCC) won the Excellence in Innovation Award for its Gaucho Security Operations Center (GSOC) at WESTMARC’s 32nd Annual Best of the West Awards Dinner. GSOC partners with rural Arizona communities by providing them with cybersecurity services. The college employs cybersecurity students as paid interns to monitor, detect, and inform community partners of potential security risks and/or threats to their network.
“This award honors the innovative and student-centered work of our Gaucho Security Operations Center team, our Business and IT Department, and our valued partners across the West Valley. It's a true testament to how the community benefits when institutions collaborate across the region to focus on creative approaches to workforce and economic development.” Stated Dr. Tiffany Hernandez, Glendale Community College President.
In August 2023, GCC opened the GSOC as the first operations center of its kind in Arizona to use a collaborative hub model that gives back to the community by offering cybersecurity as a service. Rural municipalities that need cybersecurity services can partner with GSOC and receive monitoring services from student interns, all at no cost. Glendale Community College’s GSOC serves the growing need for cybersecurity professionals in Arizona.
Interns receive advanced skill development as a Security Operations Center Analyst and Engineer while helping to monitor against security breaches on clients' networks and other operations. The program provides competency-based platforms, while creating career-ready pipelines for students while serving the community.
"Participating in an award-winning and nationally recognized cybersecurity program will open doors for our students. Knowing that they are involved in cutting-edge and innovative technology will give them a step up when competing for positions in the field.” Stated Rachelle Hall, Glendale Community College Cybersecurity Program Director and Department Chair for Business and IT.
GCC’s GSOC has earned numerous awards and generated national recognition. The United States National Security Agency named GSOC as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense. The GSOC is recognized by the White House Office of the National Cyber Director, and was a guest panelist at the White House Convening on April 29, 2024. During the Convening the Biden-Harris Administration highlighted GCC and GSOC for its contribution to preparing students for employment and their commitment to help reduce the deficit in the cybersecurity workforce.
The GSOC was built on the foundation to help resolve that issue by providing students the opportunity to gain workplace-ready skills in a learning environment. Students gain documented experience of up to 300 hours in the field of cybersecurity as a security analyst upon graduation. The internship also includes a variety of soft skills for the workplace.
“GCC strives to be creative and flexible, equipping our students with hands-on workforce training and essential skills to pursue new career fields, support the needs of our industry partners, and, through the GSOC, strengthen cyber protection in our rural communities.” Commented Dr. Susan Campbell, Glendale Community College, Dean, Academic Affairs Career & Technical Education.
GCC’s GSOC was recognized by the National Cyber Director, Harry Coker, Jr., for bridging the gap between academia and the workforce, which has been a growing concern over the past few years at both a local and national level. GCC has also partnered with the Arizona Department of Homeland Security to fulfill their strategic plan outcome of Cyber Readiness and Prevention for student-led experiential learning opportunities.
About Glendale Community College.
Glendale Community College provides 41 associate degrees, 61 certificate programs, and a range of non-degree offerings, all available to students in traditional, online and hybrid formats.
Founded in 1965 to serve the northwestern part of the greater Phoenix metropolitan area, the college is part of the Maricopa County Community Colleges District, has two campuses and enrolls approximately 26,000 students annually, and employs approximately 1,000 resident faculty, staff, and administrators.
About WESTMARC and the Best of the West
WESTMARC’s Annual Best of the West Awards Dinner took place on October 24, 2024, at Desert Diamond Arena to honor the best of Western Maricopa County and recognize outstanding contributions to the quality of life, education, workforce development, economic development, and innovation in the West Valley. The event recognized finalists in the categories of Economic Engine, Emerging Leader, Excellence in Education and Workforce Development, Excellence in Innovation, and Quality of Life Enhancement.
WESTMARC—the Western Maricopa Coalition—is a public-private partnership of the 15 communities, the business community, and the educational sector in the West Valley. The organization is committed to members' success and to their mission of enhancing economic development and promoting quality of life in the West Valley.
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GCC Media contact: John Heckenlaible, (623) 845-3809 John.heckenlaible@gccaz.edu