The Santa Clarita Community College District has been selected by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to host the newly relaunched Security Center, which will provide resources and guidance to districts and colleges on their information security needs.

James Temple, assistant superintendent/vice president of information technology at College of the Canyons, will serve as executive project director and Hsiawen Hull, executive director of infrastructure and information security at the college, will serve as the center’s chief information security officer.

Hull says COC was chosen as the center’s new host because of the college’s longevity within the California Community College system and its reputation as an IT leader.

“It’s a testament to the work that we have been doing to support other districts and help them improve their security initiatives,” said Hull. “We have a really great community of like-minded practitioners in the system.”

The four-year grant from the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office will provide COC with a budget of $40 million to host the center through allocated cybersecurity funding from AB-178, which was approved in 2022.

As host, COC will hold workshops and training sessions in different parts of the state to allow for maximum participation from colleges and districts, run a paid work experience internship program for up-and-coming students interested in cybersecurity, and send colleagues to other institutions to assist with information security planning and implementation.

To ensure student success, certain products and services developed by the Security Center will be provided—at no cost—to colleges to benefit students, staff, and faculty.

“I’m excited about the prospect of relaunching the Security Center and providing opportunities for the other districts to be able to collaborate and participate and to utilize the resources that the legislature has earmarked for improving the security across the districts to good use,” said Temple.

The Security Center was formerly hosted by the Butte-Glenn Community College District until 2023.