Tuesday, January 5, 2016
Stu Bobcat - St. Thomas University
MIAMI GARDENS | Gurvirender Tejay, a leading cybersecurity expert, has joined St. Thomas University as the Gary Goldbloom Endowed Distinguished Chair in Cybersecurity Management. Tejay will spearhead the university’s new and innovative program designed to address one of the most challenging issues for businesses today.
Tejay's extensive research includes information system security, information technology strategy, and information quality. His research has been presented in various conferences, including the International Federation for Information Processing, Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, and Americas Conference on Information Systems.
“Dr. Tejay’s expertise will set our program apart from the rest,” said STU President Msgr. Franklyn M. Casale. “He will build upon the university’s strong commitment to student success and prepare students for professional careers in cybersecurity management.”
While other university programs focus solely on the technical aspects of cybersecurity, STU’s multi-disciplinary program includes coursework in computer science, business policies, criminal justice, as well as information technology.
“The cybersecurity management graduate and undergraduate programs at STU differ from those offered at other schools,” said Somnath Bhattacharya, dean and professor of accounting at the Gus Machado School of Business, which will house the program. “We approach cybersecurity deficiencies as much more than just computer and network weaknesses.”
Demand for cybersecurity experts is surging after attacks on high-profile companies such as Sony, JPMorgan Chase, Target, and even governments. Miami ranks in the top 20 for cybersecurity job opportunities, according to an analysis from Burning Glass Technologies.
“While nurturing scholars and ethical leaders in cybersecurity, we will strive to establish St. Thomas University as a hub for cybersecurity activities in South Florida,” said Tejay. “The cybersecurity field is quite complex and continuously evolving to meet the challenges of digital society, and we want to leverage the opportunities presented in this dynamic environment to strengthen our program and benefit our students.”
Tejay, who has a doctorate in business information systems from Virginia Commonwealth University, also has a master’s in computer science from the University of Chicago, and a master’s in economics from University of Wisconsin at Milwaukee – where he also received his bachelor’s degree.
Last year, STU established the Gary Goldbloom Endowed Distinguished Chair in Cybersecurity to hire a cybersecurity industry expert. The chair is named after one of the university’s trustees.