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U.S. Bank programs with a college and high school in Ohio give students hands-on experience in information security 

The U.S. Bank Information Security Services team recently celebrated its first year participating in a partnership with Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, that has students at the school compete in a semester-long case study.

The students, who participated in the case study as part of their college coursework, developed a playbook for outsourcing operations, something many large companies do. It’s part of a program that began with the U.S. Bank Operations Services group two years ago and also included Information Security Services this school year.

“The case was assigned to the students at the beginning of January after U.S. Bank leaders collaborated with Miami faculty to develop the scenario,” said Rebecca Merson, associate director of cybersecurity partnerships for U.S. Bank. “During the term, students were able to present us with questions they had, and a subject matter expert would formulate a response to help drive the case study.”

The students also visited the U.S. Bank Global Security Operations Center in Cincinnati and saw how a state-of-the-art information security hub operates. While there, they also went on the first tour offered in years of the site’s cash vault.

At the end of the program, the students presented their case studies to a panel of U.S. Bank technology and operations leaders.

“While the program is focused on the students’ development, our Operations Services leadership did see some possible real-world applications of things that were part of the students’ projects,” said Charles Banks, information security manager for U.S. Bank.

The program’s end also featured a celebratory dinner with the students and U.S. Bank leaders where Tim Held, the bank’s chief information security officer, delivered a keynote address that introduced students to some of the benefits of working on the bank’s cybersecurity team.

“This program enables us to be engaged with the local university and community as well as giving us the opportunity to recruit students who could potentially join the company,” Merson said. “We are excited to continue it in the years to come.”

High school cyber academy

The U.S. Bank Information Security Services team also participates in an industry/business partnership program at Lakota High School, near Cincinnati. The Lakota Cyber Academy is designed to offer students a head start on a successful career path in the fast-growing cybersecurity profession, Banks said. 

The Cyber Academy is the first program of its kind, he said, and was designed alongside the bank’s industry partners to develop a local pool of talent in cybersecurity.

The program launched in 2019 and recently ranked in the top of a national cybersecurity competition that included 1,000 high schools and 6,000 colleges, Banks said.

“They were the top high school in the competition and ranked in the top 10 overall,” he said.

Students who complete the program graduate with Ethical Hacking and Security+ certifications that are recognized in the cybersecurity industry and required for U.S. government work, Banks said. Several of the students have been already hired to full-time cybersecurity roles ahead of their high school graduation in May.

It includes visits to the U.S. Bank Global Security Operations Center, mentoring by U.S. Bank leaders and in-person presentations at Lakota High School.

“The students can continue learning about cybersecurity in college if they attend college, and we’re also looking at potentially providing job opportunities for participants who graduate high school and aren’t able to go to college right away,” Banks said. “The program is a mix of community outreach and recruiting for us.”

The Ohio School Boards Association recently presented U.S. Bank its Friend of Education Award for the bank’s dedication to the Lakota Cyber Academy, and the school district also named U.S. Bank the Lakota Cyber Academy’s Business Partner of the Year for 2023.

“We were honored to receive these awards and are excited to have the opportunity to help young students develop practical skills,” Banks said.

The Miami University and Lakota High School partnerships are just two ways U.S. Bank supports cybersecurity education. Another is through providing scholarships for cybersecurity students at the University of Missouri-St. Louis.