Cybersecurity News and Events

Dec. 4, 2023: Cyber Saints Club

As a reminder, our meeting is today at 3pm in AC2606 at the Gresham Campus. I am bringing a small selection of holiday movies and Sperley is bringing a few DVDs as well. I also bought a few candy canes for us to snack on as we watch the movie. Seasons greetings! Hope to see you all there before final’s start to set in!

Nov. 20, 2023: Cyber Saints Club

This is a reminder email that the Cyber Saints are scheduled to meet today at 3 p.m. in AC2606 at the Gresham Campus. There are a few important agenda topics to discuss, including a proposition for a second club event we can accomplish before the end of the term. I hope you can make it and look forward to seeing you all this afternoon. Thank you.

Nov. 8, 2023: Cyber Saints Club

Thanks to everyone who came by on Monday. It was awesome to meet you all! We talked about what we want the future of the club to look like. Going forward, we decided to meet every other Monday from 3-4 p.m. Our next meeting will be Monday, Nov. 20, at 3 p.m. in AC2606 at the Gresham Campus. We’ll be coming up with ideas and possibly starting programming on a Raspberry Pi. We’d love to see you there.

We also discussed having weekly study groups on Wednesday from noon-1 p.m. in AC2606 at the Gresham Campus. We’ll be switching off in-person and through electronic means soon. The first study group will be today, Nov. 8, from noon-1 p.m. in AC2611 at the Gresham Campus.

Nov. 8, 2023: CIO and CISO Event

Today, the Portland Leadership Exchange is holding their local CIO/CISO event for the second time. We were there last year with students, and we are doing it again but with a few changes. If you are interested in participating, let me know.

First, logistics. This will be at the Hyatt Regency at the Convention Center (same as last year) and will run from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Attendees will be regional CIOs and CISOs with traditional keynote presentations and breakout rooms. Like last year, they are asking for three-five MHCC student volunteers to work the day. I will be sending out an email message shortly to all CIS and cybersecurity majors.

Unlike last year, they are reserving the last two hours (3-5 p.m.) to create a networking event to bring students and CISOs together to discuss internships. Last year, the CISOs said they wanted to meet more intern candidates so this is the attempt to make that happen. The goal is to have five-10 students from MHCC, PCC, and OSU participate in that final period and do a mingle. They will give us a table for MHCC focus, and I will use a drape and our cyber flag for advertising. Also, last time there was some interest in CISOs being guest speakers at the college.

If you are interested in participating, just let your cyber faculty know.

This is a fun event, and I hope you can come.

Nov. 6, 2023: Cyber Saints Club

Thank you to all who filled out the availability form; according to the responses, the time where we could get the most attendance is Monday at 3 p.m. Those who can’t make it, we will likely have other opportunities in the future as Sperley and I have talked about possibly making a hybrid option where we are livestreaming or something like that.

Sept. 29, 2023: Governor Tina Kotek signs historic Cybersecurity Education Bill

The MHCC cybersecurity faculty Katrinia McNeal, Jeff Sperley, and Dr. Wayne Machuca, attended the signing of the HB2049 cybersecurity bill by Oregon Governor Tina Kotek on Wednesday, Sept. 27. The bill provides for the creation of a unified Cybersecurity Center of Academic Excellence shared by University of Oregon, Oregon State University, and Portland State University, and MHCC.

A major provision of this bill establishes the Mt. Hood Community College Scholarship Fund which will provide scholarships to cover the cost of industry-recognized certification exams for community college cybersecurity students.

Read more about the cybersecurity education bill

May 24, 2023: MHCC Wireless

Mt. Hood Community College provides wireless access across all campuses and centers, with over 200 access points installed. Due to the scale of this deployment, there may be areas on campus that require fine-tuning, access point adjustment, or additional hardware. Wireless coverage can vary based on several factors, impacting signal strength and throughput. If you experience poor or no wireless coverage in your area, please review the connectivity tips before calling the Service Desk at 503-491-7448.

May 24, 2023: NW Cyber Camp 2023

High school students are invited to attend a free summer cybersecurity day camp from July 24 to July 28 at MHCC in Gresham. Space is still available in the girls-focused camp. The camp provides a comprehensive introduction to cybersecurity, featuring hands-on learning experiences and industry guest speakers. It aims to create a supportive and encouraging environment for female students interested in cybersecurity. The camp also includes an industry-led banquet/career expo organized in collaboration with the Technology Association of Oregon (TAO).

May 10, 2023: Drop-in Session for Web Editors and Collaborators

Are you a web editor or collaborator for the website redesign project? Do you have questions or need guidance on the content spreadsheet outlining your work? The CMS Website project team is hosting drop-in sessions to provide clarity on the content strategy spreadsheet and answer any questions you may have.

Review sessions with Marketing and IT will be held on Wednesday, May 17, from 10-11 a.m. or Thursday, May 18, from 2-3 p.m. Look for an email from Project Manager Chris Stephens with information about these sessions, along with an FAQ to address common questions raised since the recent training session. Attendance at one of these sessions is highly encouraged for editors and collaborators to gain the understanding needed to create student-centered content.

Feb. 2, 2023: Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Cybersecurity Approved

We are so excited to announce that MHCC has received approval from the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)! While we still need approval from the Department of Education for financial aid eligibility, we are in the homestretch!

A big thanks to those who were a part of making this a reality, including Dr. Wayne Machuca, Tobin Shields, Katrinia McNeal, Jeff Sperley, Dr. Kristin Lima, Kay Lopez, Sergey Shepelov, Katelyn Goslin, and Dr. Al McQuarters.

View MHCC's BAS degree in Cybersecurity approval letter

Jan. 30, 2023: Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) in Cybersecurity Approved

We are so excited to announce that MHCC has received approval from the Oregon Higher Education Coordinating Council (HECC)!

Feb. 10, 2020: IT and Cybersecurity Info Sessions (AC2340 at MHCC’s Gresham Campus)

Join Chris Neal, MHCC Cyber Security Specialist, and Blake Brown, MHCC Infrastructure Manager, for two security training sessions. Chris and Blake will assist with the IT/cyber security-based trainings required by MHCC on Safe Colleges. During each session there will be a general discussion about security best practices, time for Q&A and time to complete the trainings. Anything that relates to information security, whether personal or professional, can also be discussed.