During a recent visit to Rogers State University, representatives from the National Security Agency (NSA) toured the campus, met with faculty and staff, and spoke with students about the advantages of a career in national security.
In 2021, RSU signed an Education Partnership Agreement with the NSA, through which the NSA seeks to increase its employee pipeline of underrepresented populations in the science, technology, engineering and mathematics fields. The partnership offers unique research and educational opportunities for RSU students and faculty. Under the agreement, NSA personnel provide students with academic and career advice and have the potential to be hired into career positions with the NSA.
“Intelligence analysis covers a wide spectrum of areas, so even though when people think of us, they assume our areas of interest are in mathematics or cryptography, there are actually several areas of expertise that would be advantageous when considering a future in national security – biology, computer science, the liberal arts, and several others,” said Timothy McCray, NSA intelligence analysis advisor – academic engagement. “Our purpose in coming to Rogers State is to engage its students and make them aware of who we are as an agency, what we do, and how you could become a part of the NSA.”
The NSA is responsible for global monitoring, collection and processing of information and data for foreign and domestic intelligence and counterintelligence purposes, specializing in a discipline known as signals intelligence (SIGINT). Also, the NSA is tasked with the protection of U.S. government communication networks and information systems.
“There’s often a mistaken assumption that our agency is involved in kinetic (active) warfare, which is not the case,” McCray said. “Basically, our role is to gather information, analyze the data, and make our best assessment of what that means and give that information to the decision makers.”
McCray said that the NSA employs contractors, civilians and military personnel, and those working for the agency can come from almost any background. McCray noted that working for the agency gives him a sense of impacting history through aiding our nation’s security.
RSU Assistant Professor of History and Political Science Dr. David Bath serves as the university’s liaison to the NSA. Bath is a retired U.S. Air Force officer with more than 20 years’ experience in intelligence, surveillance and counterterrorism.
Rogers State University is a regional university serving northeastern Oklahoma and is the only four-year public residential university in the Tulsa metropolitan area.
For more information about the NSA or potential careers with the agency, visit https://www.nsa.gov/
For more information about available degrees and applying for admission at Rogers State University, visit www.rsu.edu.